Hey Bartender

IF YOU KNOW me at all, then one thing is abundantly clear -- I love stouts. Yes, I like IPAs, Hefe Weizens, Black Lagers, Amber Ales...., but I love stouts. I love them from the tap, the bottle and the can. If it's super-dark, then I'm super-happy to become one with its rich, roasted, malty essence. Some think that I'm not well, while others have no idea what I'm talking about. Today, we'll address those needing enlightenment.

Stouts are dark beers made from roasted malt or barley, hops, water, and yeast. Traditionally, the term stout refers to the strongest and stoutest porters produced by a brewery. The typical ABV for these beers range from 7% - 8%. Around 1721, the name porter was first used to describe a dark beer that was popular with the street and river porters of London. This beer was made with, among other things, roasted malts. As time passed, this same beer became known as stout. Back then, stouts were very popular in Great Britain and Ireland, but when pale ales started to pick up steam, dark beers became less popular, except in Ireland where Guinness and Murphy's grew in popularity. There is some debate over whether porters and stouts are the same. If I didn't tell you which you were drinking, you probably couldn't tell the difference. The terms are, in essence, interchangeable.

There are many variations on the stout theme. Most are familiar with the Irish or Dry stout. This style is very dark and quite often has a coffee-like flavor. Of these, Guinness is by far the most well-known. As far as stouts go, I find this to be the lightest of the stouts.

Imperial stouts are strong dark beers that emulate a style that was created during the 18th century in London. Known as Russian Imperial or Imperial Russian stouts, this beer's sole purpose in life was to be consumed by Russian Empress Catherine the Great and her court. Not only was the period in which she ruled considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire, but said Golden Age was fueled by a really good beer. This style is known for its alcohol content, which can be as high as 10%. In the case of the beer brewed for Catherine the Great, the high ABV was necessary to prevent the beer from freezing during transport across the infamously cold Baltic Sea.

Milk stouts are stouts that contain lactose, a sugar derived from milk. These beers are also known as sweet or cream stouts. Since lactose is unfermentable by the yeasts used to make beer, it adds sweetness, body and a few extra calories to the finished product. Oatmeal stouts have oats added during the brewing process. The addition of oats tends to make this style rather bitter. Chocolate stouts are stouts that have a noticeable dark chocolate flavor. This flavor is derived from the use of darker more aromatic malts, in particular chocolate malts, which derives its name from the process used to roast it until it acquires a chocolate color. Coffee stouts use dark roasted malts that tend to lend a bitter coffee flavor to finished product. In recent years, brewers have begun adding actual ground coffee and whole coffee beans to the mix in order to enhance the coffee flavor.

I love this time of year because of the proliferation of stouts on the shelves of my favorite beers shops. I've discovered a few new ones and a couple of old favorites. The newest beer on my stout favorites list is Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout from Kiuchi Brewery in Japan. Last year, I discovered their Espresso Stout, so I couldn't wait to give this one a try. It falls under the category of sweet or milk stouts and it did not disappoint. It's really dark in color with very little head when poured into a glass. It definitely has the aroma of milk, chocolate, and roasted malts. The flavor was more of the same with the addition of a little coffee. I was surprised by how light it was and at 3.9% ABV, you could drink quite a few.

I'm quite certain that Catherine the Great would have loved my favorite seasonal beer, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. It's a Russian Imperial Stout that weighs in at 10% ABV. This beer is a deep, beautiful black liquid that smells like chocolate and Cognac. It's bitter at first, but it rounds out quite nicely. The roasted malts and chocolate are soothing and the high alcohol content gives the impression that you are being warmed from the inside. This is a very delicious, very drinkable beer. Sadly, it's a limited release that disappears quickly every year.

Breckenridge Brewery, located in Colorado, has a Vanilla Porter that I am quite fond of these days. Remember, stout and porter are interchangeable, so we've not gone out of bounds. It's dark brown in color and smells like chocolate, vanilla and caramel. The aromas blend well. The palate is sweet with hints of coffee, vanilla, dark chocolate and caramel. Overall, this beer is very well-balanced and quite drinkable. It's definitely something I'll drink often.

So, there you have it, stouts -- untapped. As I said at the beginning, I love stouts. And, yes, I've had them for breakfast. No beach getaway is complete unless I have a Guinness while walking on the beach at sunrise in search of dolphins. You should try it sometime. Also, you should give some of the local stouts some love. Starr Hill Dark Starr Stout, Legend Smoke Chocolate Stout, Legend Porter, Legend Chocolate Porter, Williamsburg Alewerks Coffeehouse Stout, St, George Imperial and Russian Imperial Stout, and O'Connor's Dry Irish Stout are all quite worthy of some attention. These and others brewed in Virginia are excellent examples of this great beer style. As always, whether drinking stouts or porters alone or with friends, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!