Good Stouts for beginners?

Yeah, that’s a weird one. They call it a “sweet stout” (not a milk stout)... but they are clearly referencing dairy in the marketing. I too was scratching my head when that cow showed up.

 

Yeah, well that's often the problem with animal (or even human) logos, isn't it? We see a cow on their stout and think, "Lactose!" but no similar supposition when it is other mammals on labels, like...


Me, I always feel uncomfortable when cartoon pigs, chickens or lobsters want me to eat BBQ ribs, or eggs or steamed seafood. I mean, c'mon, have some self-respect (or should that be "self-preservation" ?)

 

Spoken in true NJ language!

 

Nobody starts with Imperial Stouts. This is not how it works.

 

So glad I found an expert on my tastes and preferences. This will save me so much time in the future. Do you provide advice on which foods or vacation spots I might enjoy? Thoughts on which investment plan that would best fit my needs?

 

It's not about your tastes and your preferences. The point is, nobody starts with big, bold, Imperial Stouts - PERIOD!

You obviously aren't aware of this, but there's a big section on here dedicated to just that. People ask advice and others chime in to help. As far as which investment plan goes, you're on the wrong site.

 

Lol. Live and die by the parkway. Nobody knows where anything is but if you know parkway exits, youll what where. Lol.

 

Our water may be toxic but the pizza is better than NYC! I make it, i should know and thats from a ny born.

 

Funny coincidence - I drank a Bell's Double Cream Stout today. BBC's beer has company. Just like Sam Adams Cream Stout, Bell's beer is marketed by them as a "sweet stout" and it doesn't use lactose... but it's listed as an "American stout" here. Bell's uses the term "cream" because they think it has a creamy texture. Of course, there are reviews of this beer that talk about a lactose aroma and taste... and even a cream flavor from the cream used.

 

One of our brewers make a beer called Stilton Porter. It was at the time brewed in the heart of Stilton cheese making country and complemented it wonderfully.
Unsurprisingly there are people who swear they can taste the Stilton in the beer.

 

Some great ones that are easy to enjoy are Schlafly Coffee Bender, Stone Xocoveza, and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald (Porter), IMO. Another one I hadn't tried until recently that I also liked was Eugene by Revolution. Since you say you are new to Stouts/Porters I would recommend staying away from boozier variations. Enjoy!

 

(1st. Anything on this site.) I like going to the big liquor store(Binny's for me) and picking up different singles and seeing for yourself what's good for your taste buds. You can find a great Stout for a few bucks or treat yourself to a big rarer one.

 

I recently tried and liked Bell's Arabicadabra, an outstanding coffee beer that would be great for a beginner with their training wheels still on.

 

Old Rasputin is not very approachable. High ABV and very hoppy/bitter. Just because you're used to something by now, doesn't mean it'll work for a beginner.

 

Did you see my list? That's all you really need...for now!

Enjoy!

 

There was a period in the US, roughly from the early 1950s (after Guinness closed their short-lived US brewery in LIC, NY) to sometimes in the mid-late 1960s when the only Guinness sold in the US was the ~8% Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, imported by Heublein, and it was likely the only stout sold in most regions of the country.

So, an ABV that's not considered "Imperial" today, but likely one of the beers with highest alcoholic content available in the US at the time. And if you wanted to "start" with stouts, that was your only choice.

Not many US-brewed stouts left by then, whatever other imported stouts were around were probably very limited and Guinness Draught wouldn't hit the US market until mid-1960s and was sold initially only in a few large urban areas. Bottled Extra Stout became their US "standard" stout around the same time.

 

Really? You should've mentioned it in the title of your thread! "Good Stouts for beginners".

How about "Good Imperial (or high ABV) Stouts recommendations"