Good beginner stout?

Happy ending?

 

Some would say Zhukov.

Personally, I think Cafe Americana is the best stout ever made.

 

Three words my good man... Barrel aged stouts

 

Ten Fidy, easy and accessible. Kalamazoo Stout, a favorite. FBS when it comes in.

 

Would you say kalamazoo is better than expedition?

 

Better? No, different. I like the brewers licorice twist to Kalamazoo.

 

New Holland Dragons Milk my intro to craft beer courtesy of my brother, also one of the most criminally underrated beers out there.

 

No one ever mentions it, but give Sam Adams cream stout a try. It's widely available(wal mart), and it's a solid brew.

 

Second the idea to do an Oatmeal or Milk Stout. Still some of my favorite styles. Also porters might be a good entry into stouts.

 

Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is one of my favorites. Stouts, of all kinds, are my favorite beers to drink. You can't go wrong with Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout.

 

Nirvana...

 

Oatmeal or Milk Stout is a good bet for a beginner. Imperial Stout is not IMO.

 

Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout, great place to start.

 

I hear ya but first off FBS an Imperial stout; which the Bros and BAs generally give a 100 score. It's an outstanding and powerful and I'd say maybe challenging for a beginner.

A good beginner stout is a porter. Restrained dark roasted bitterness.

 

I agree with everyone saying oatmeal or milk stouts are best. I think a lot of what is unpleasant about stouts is the bitter that can come from the roast.

The stout that got me into stouts (and showed me not all stouts taste like Guiness) was Young's double chocolate stout. If you like chocolate it's not a bad place to start.

 

Agreed on the porter part...I also suggested porters in the post directly below my first one..
The only reason I suggested it is because I was introduced to it as a beginner and I liked it and have also introduced people to the style using fbs but yes I'm not arguing with you...fbs might be a bit much for a beginner.

 

Youngs double chocolate

 

this is what I came to suggest too. It has the Nitro widget thingy which makes it ultra creamy, plus chocolate to temper the "stoutiness" of it.

other than that, anything on nitro will be creamy and smooth. Barring those on draft, Sam Smith Taddy Porter got me into dark beer way back when so I can advocate for that. Thy their Imp stout and oatmeal stout. Both are excellent. Before you know it, you'll be hankering for a Founders Imp Stout.

 

I think that's too boozy for an intro stout. Barrel-aged stouts are extremely intense generally, especially if the intro-drinker doesn't drink whiskey/bourbon already. Dragon's Milk is one of the least smooth on the market and really prioritizes the barrel and the bourbon, so I don't think it's too good to give someone an intro to the stout style.

 

All above recommendations are solid. Obsidian on nitro was awesome. SN Stout, Black Butte Porter, Founders porter, LH milk nitro, Dragons Milk but I would also include Bells Double Cream Stout to the list.