American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
Stouts are one of the most beloved styles in craft beer. And with so many worthy variations out there, even attempting to come up with a definitive list might be dismissed as sheer recklessness on our part. But that’s never stopped us in the past.
So here are 5 “killer” Stouts that you need to get your hands on…
Milk Stout Nitro – Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO) – Fueled on lactose, the milk sugar that gives this beer its admirable creaminess, and the nitrogen that sustains its rich head, Milk Stout Nitro finds is like an Americanized take on what Guinness does so well – only better.
KBS Imperial Stout – Founders (Grand Rapids, MI) – The Holy Grail for many a stout lover, Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) is an enormous (11.2% ABV!) barrel-aged masterpiece that’s brimming with deep, dense flavor. The nose alone, is a celebration of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, Bourbon-soaked vanilla bean, and roasted malt. And its creamy mouthfeel has a sweet and spicy complexity that’s almost without peer. Absolutely killer!
Kalamazoo Stout – Bells Brewery (Kalamazoo, MI) – One of the earliest craft beer stouts to still retain a much-deserved and dedicated following, Bell’s 6% ABV Kalamazoo Stout offers rich roasty coffee tones and subtle sweetness, offset by lingering hints of anisette. And best of all, this relatively sessionable stout is available year-round! A classic.
Darkness – Surly Brewing (Minneapolis, MN) – First Introduced in 2007, Todd Haug’s massively opaque creation is a 10% ABV Russian Imperial that starts surprisingly tart yet finishes earthy and sweet. We don’t know how he does that, but it always amazes. Darkness is widely sought out and so popular that brewery has built a festival, “Darkness Day,” to celebrate its annual release.
Avery The Czar Imperial Stout – Avery Brewing (Boulder, CO) – With a nod to the stout’s European origins, The Czar is traditional to its core. Built on a sturdy foundation of rich molasses and toffee tones, and with an ABV that fluctuates from year to year, this dark crimson creation is as much fun to look at, as it is to drink.
