Beginner Imperial Stout Recommendations

I would definitely go with Left Hand Wake Up Dead Nitro. Sweet, creamy, but still with all the makings of a great, inoffensive RIS. Plus, it's pretty widely available.

 

There really isn't a beginner imperial stout. Imperial stouts are brewed to be robust and aggressive. If you like roasty, coffee, chocolate, dark fruit, flavors in beer then you'll like Imperial stouts. If not, you probably won't.

I wouldn't call these beginner stouts but they are readily available:
Narwhal
Ten Fidy
Old Rasputin
Founders Imperial Stout

You can't go wrong with any of these, and IMO they are representative of the style.

 

Amen to that ! I would also add Ballast Point "Victory at sea".

 

I always recommend Black Butte Porter and Obsidian Stout from Deschutes to anyone looking to branch out into stouts. Would also recommend Ten Fidy, Old Rasputin, and Expedition for more imperial versions of the style.

Some of the suggestions here are mind-boggling when we're talking about introductory stouts. A bourbon barrel aged stout or one with a ton of adjuncts is in no way 'introductory'.

 

Oskar Blues - Ten Fidy
Founders - Imperial Stout
Founders - Breakfast Stout
Prairie Artisan Ales - BOMB!
Alesmith - Speedway Stout
Evil Twin - Even More Jesus

 

If you are looking to get into stouts and porters. I would start low and then creep up the to the top.

Starters:
Guiness (if you never really had any), TenFidy, Sierra Nevada Stout, Left hand Nitros, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Midway Range:
Founders Imperial, Stone Imperial, Founders Breakfast Stout, North Coast Old Rasputin

Top(ish) this list can go crazy and vary by person:
BCBS (and all variants), Founders KBS, BOMB!, Mexican Cake, Pretty much Barrel Aged Stouts and High Abv's

I tried giving beers that can be found pretty much anywhere

 

My personal favorite, Great Lakes Blackout Stout. Only out a few months in the winter, though.

 

The one recommendation I have is to not start with a barrel aged stout. Get a taste for the real thing before you jump into the BA stouts.

 

I jumped in with Founders Breakfast and Old Rasputin. At this point, I think an oatmeal stout might be a good way to go - Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, or Firestone Walker's Velvet Merlin. Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout is great, too, and should be pretty readily available (I think).

 

This!

 

If you really want a recommendation. Since you currently enjoy hoppier beer. I think Storm King from Victory would be a starting point.

 

My recommendation is to find a good craft beer place by you that has a big selection and will do 4oz pours. Try whatever you can and you will find what works for you and what doesn't.

 

I started more with sweeter stouts, coffee stouts etc. That is how i got hooked. I did not like the super bitter stouts (but coming from IPAs and DIPAs, maybe you will) and I still don't. I love a stout that is thick, heavy, chocolatey, sweet, vanilla, coffee, etc and I love the lightly spiced stouts. So yes, i like adjunct stouts.

I will say the big thing for me, and why i thought i didn't used to like stouts was i was drinking lighter options. To me they were all watery, and I didn't get it. Enter big bad imperial stouts. match made in heaven.

When in doubt, drink a stout.

 

I went for chocolate stouts when I first got into the style, it was something familiar for me to look for in the taste.

Southern Tier Choklat
Brooklyn Black Chocolate
Sam Smith Organic Chocolate

 

Most importantly, ask them how much they are willing to spend, and then you'll know which to recommend based simply on ratings and ease of availability. Warn them about the high ABV ones are sippers and should be thought of more as an after dinner liquor and not to go into them thinking to slug down like a Guiness at an Irish bar during a soccer match. Knowing what to expect can help them out.

 

I would start with classic ones on the lower side from the old world as Young´s London Stout, London Porter, Samuel Smith´s Oatmeal Stout and the likes. Anderson Valley´s Oatmeal from America or Cooper´s Stout from Australia are great starters too.

Then i would move to Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout, which is an absolute benchmark in my opinion and still in the middle ground for the ABV. Out of the big Americans i find Old Rasputin to be both class and relatively easy going at the same time. Check De Molen in Europe too.

 

I would drink a large range of stouts and porters to see what you like.
Definitely try tall grass buffalo sweat, it's very approachable.
Left hand milk stout, my intro to stouts.
Great Lakes Edmond Fitzgerald
Founders imperial, great divide yeti, victory storm king, ten tidy, speedway, tall grass big Ricc and dark truth stout for imperials.
For barrel aged I would recommend you try whatever you can get your hands on. I've yet to have a BA stout I didn't like.

 

SN Narwhal and Oscar Blues Ten Fidy could keep me happy for a lifetime.

 

Well, Young´s one is not "a classic" but it feels like it and certainly gives Guinnes draught a run for its money.

 

Isn't the term "beginner imperial stout" an oxymoron?