Stout tasting-what do I need

Damn...my only suggestion might be to add Big Bad Baptist? Otherwise, always fun to throw a few homebrew stouts in the mix to tune palates and see how they stack up. Your buddy's Bourbon Barrel Stout just might take down KBS in a blind tasting...its unlikely, but will make him feel good if he finishes ahead of at least one prominent example.

Either way, you have a hell of a stout list. Drink up, enjoy, and collect the keys at the door.

 

Wow, that's a great list. I'd like the opportunity to taste any of those. You've got some heavy hitters in there, so as suggested previously you might want to swap in some lower ABV stouts. Founders Breakfast Stout is an option at 8+% and there are a couple good Stouts from Bell's that are local to you and lower ABV.

 

That's a nice list you got there. This may sound strange but it works wonders. Grab some kombucha and mix it in between tasting whenever the need arises. It'll taste great in contrast, cleanse the palate, and give your stomach some much needed good bacteria with all those stouts.

Enjoy that beer list!

 

Way too many. You've listed 11 right there. If 6 people, that's nearly two large bottles a person and each beer is double digit abv. You will certainly get to a point where you won't be able to appreciate the beer. I would do like 5 or 6 of those at one time.

 

If you're doing a tasting this big you're either gonna need plenty of space for them to crash or a safe ride home.

 

Food, water and Uber rides lined up. Great lineup though.

 

Some of Avery's Big Stouts (Tweak, Uncle Jacob's, Mephistopheles)
Peche Mortel
Bell's Expedition or 30th Anniversary
Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon
Great Divide Yeti or any of the variants
Stone IRS (2016 just released)

 

I live in gr if you need another person for the stout tasting!

 

I agree with this. Law of diminishing returns applies here.

 

In before "No Rules is a porter, not a stout."

As mentioned above, that is way too many beers for 5-6 people, no one would be upright after all those.

 

Going to not really be able to taste the difference after the first four.

Save some for another day.

 

I also agree that it is difficult appreciate more than 5 or 6 different brews in one session, especially if they are all Imperial Stouts. Having said that, Bells has some excellent Stouts that are not on your list. Expedition Stout would fit right in, possibly Java Stout or Cherry Stout too.

 

Damn, more like whale stout tasting... impressive (if scary). What all the above have said (water, Uber, tone it down), etc... and some separate day you should actually taste stouts (not just these imperials/massive ABV ones). But enjoy!

 

I'd say you have a good list to pick out of, those are some high abv beers for the most part, you can always do a second tasting another night and invite your friends back. Keep the social life rolling XD. I will add that Peche Mortel is up in the top 5 if you can get your hands on it!

 

The other thing you need to do before the tasting is to lower your expectations about KBS, Dark lord and the abyss, you will be less disappointed that way!

 

that's a lot of bottles... you need lots of livers to process them.

I may be the minority here but when I do a tasting of multiple bottles of the same/similar style(s), I try to mix in a bottle or two of something that is completely different (and low ABV) as... kind of a palette cleanser. When me and my friends did a BA stout tasting, mixing a couple of De Garde sours was so refreshing and helped our taste buds intact.

 

I agree with this! ^

 

Obsidian, Guinness Foreign Extra, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout