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(Courtesy AleSmith Brewing)
The winter holidays are ON and American brewers are addressing things with a bold roster of dark beers that you’ll want to have on hand as things cool down.
Darkness Done Right (San Diego, CA) – Forged in 1995, AleSmith Brewing has been recognized as one of the world’s foremost craft brewing companies. Their beers are always worth chasing down, and their Speedway Stout variations never disappoint. And now the award-winning brewery has rerleased a new variation of their iconic Imperial Stout that sounds uber-promising.
A modern take on a beloved cake, AleSmith Speedway Stout: German Chocolate Cake Edition is a robust 12% ABV Imperial Stout with rich coffee and semi-sweet chocolate tones, complemented by the delicate sweetness of toasted coconut and roasted pecans. And fun fact: German Chocolate Cake is not actually from Germany, but it gets its name from the brilliant chocolatier who invented it.
Packaged in 16oz 4-pack cans and draft, AleSmith’s latest Speedway Stout variation is now available in California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, Texas, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Virginia.
(Courtesy Guinness)
Foreign Intrigue (Dublin, IR) – We’re big fans of Guiness, so much so that during a recent craft beer junket in Ireland, we would end every night the local pub with a Guinness Draught Stout in hand. But Guinness also makes a stout that’s equally distinctive.
Much lower in alcohol (7.5% ABV) than its American compatriots, and unlike their flagship, carbonated rather than nitro-infused Guinness Foreign Extra Stout delivers rich dark chocolate, dried fruit and caramel tones, and is as close as the brewery gets to what might be considered an “Imperial” stout in the United States.
Deservedly popular around world and accounting for 45% of their worldwide sales, Foreign Extra is less ubiquitous in the states and a valuable find when you happen upon it.
Dark & Mild (St Louis, MO) – Schlafly Beer has a new addition to its winter offerings that was born in the brewery’s small batch taproom and is now exclusively available as part of the Hello Darkness Variety Pack, a collection of dark niche styles.
Flavorful and malt-forward, yet amazingly light-bodied, Schlafly Dark Mild is a 3.8% ABV British-Style Brown Ale, an almost forgotten beer style here in the US that the brewery has artfully resurrected.
“We regularly have more offbeat styles on tap at our taprooms, so the Hello Darkness pack is an opportunity to bring the talents of our brewers and the taproom experience home,” explains CEO David Schlafly. “With a market crowded with stouts and porters, we invite consumers to learn about different darker beer styles this winter.“
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