# Interested in Dark Beers - Suggestions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [April 22, 2009, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957 "2009-04-22T09:16:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/1 "2009-04-22T09:16:10Z")
I’ve just started drinking beer seriously. I mean that I’ve started drinking it as a hobby and form of deep pleasure - not as a way of getting hammered. I had my first stout a few weeks ago. It was a Bridgeport Black Strap Stout. I don’t know whether Black Strap is a comparatively good stout, but I knew from the get-go that I liked stout. I liked dark beer. I have two questions, one simple and one more demanding. Is porter another term for stout? Porters look really dark to me. Are they different kinds of really dark beer? And, what kinds of stout would you guys recommend? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/2 "2009-04-22T10:07:10Z")
Dark Beer != Stout Be careful there. Many people who like Stouts dislike dark hoppy beers like IPAs and some Bocks. A Stout is simply a type of Porter. The tern “stout” used to mean “Stout Porter” before being shortened. Guinness Stout probably isn’t really a stout at all, being that it’s a fairly mild Porter in reality. Most of the best known Porters and Stouts are English beers. Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, Oatmeal Stout and Imperial Stouts are some of the very best out there in my estimation. Fuller’s makes an excellent London Porter as well. Guinness is obviously a winner but personally I prefer Beamish when drinking an Irish Stout. For variety you might like to try a Newcastle, a basic Brown Ale or Goose Island’s Nut Brown Ale. Browns are less bitter and toasted than Stouts and tend to make good session beers and have a little less of a one-note taste profile than Guinness. Pretty much every American Craft Brewer makes a Stout, Porter or Brown Ale. They can vary a lot and many of them are considered “extreme” beers with huge alcohol contents, heavy flavors, strong bitterness and hefty price tags. Many have taken to making massive stouts aged in bourbon barrels that taste more like liquors than beers. If you get lucky enough to find a [Bourbon County Stout bottle](http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/goose-island-bourbon-county-stout/8909/) you’ll be amazed at the level of intensity they achieve. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/3 "2009-04-22T10:07:29Z")
Porter and stout are two different kinds of brews. I don’t have my Michael Jackson books at hand so I can’t give you the full lowdown on the differences but I’m sure another beer lover will come along shortly. However, I would like to recommend black lagers. They’re dark, smoky, and oh-so-tasty and they are nowhere near as heavy as a stout or porter. My personal favorite is Köstritzer (apparently a favorite of Goethe as well) but Sam Adams makes one that’s not too shabby, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/4 "2009-04-22T10:09:50Z")
Oooh, I forgot! The Original Schlenkerla [Smoked Beer](http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html) is another one worth trying. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/5 "2009-04-22T10:12:09Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > However, I would like to recommend black lagers. They’re dark, smoky, and oh-so-tasty and they are nowhere near as heavy as a stout or porter. My personal favorite is Köstritzer (apparently a favorite of Goethe as well) but Sam Adams makes one that’s not too shabby, in my opinion. Shiner makes a kick ass Black Lager seasonally too. Very nice stuff. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/6 "2009-04-22T10:22:37Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Dark Beer != Stout > > Be careful there. Many people who like Stouts dislike dark hoppy beers like IPAs and some Bocks. > > A Stout is simply a type of Porter. The tern “stout” used to mean “Stout Porter” before being shortened. Guinness Stout probably isn’t really a stout at all, being that it’s a fairly mild Porter in reality. Oh, how I expose my ignorance! Is there some sort of online beer guide that can tell me what all the types of beer are? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/7 "2009-04-22T10:43:38Z")
erdinger dunkel ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/8 "2009-04-22T10:44:09Z")
Sierra Nevada Porter is in my mind the American craft porter that all other porters must be held accountable to. It also has a different taste at different temperatures, and tastes good through the range. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/9 "2009-04-22T11:08:14Z")
A local brewery makes [Black Mocha Stout](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/811/6373). From the tap, it’s divine; bottled, it’s still pretty good. I think Guinness is rubbish, barely drinkable: it’s flat and bland, and the main flavor I get from it even when it’s on tap is the flavor of aluminum. Maybe it’s better in Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/10 "2009-04-22T11:37:17Z")
Rogue Mocha Porter - easy, friendly drinking for a dark beer. Doesn’t make you think too hard. Delicious. Celebrator Doppelbock - a lager, little more complex and comes with a small plastic goat. Darker than most other doppelbocks. Victory Storm King - beautiful, wonderful beer, and pretty easy drinking for something so dark. It won’t floor the unprepared like the following two beers. Likely my favorite non-imperial stout. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - heavy, thick, complicated. I wasn’t able to appreciate it when I first started drinking, but I’ve come to love it. Great Divide Yeti (also available in oak aged form) - probably the best stout I’ve had. Can’t recommend it highly enough. Might be another beer that takes a little experience to really appreciate. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e4f/32.png) [@Big\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_G)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/11 "2009-04-22T12:05:42Z")
One type of stout I’ve recently discovered and enjoy is milk stout. I find this style more drinkable than other stouts. As much as I love strong stouts, I don’t tend to want to drink more than one in a sitting. I don’t know where you are located, but two milk stouts I’ve had are: Lancaster Brewing Co. Milk Stout - made in Lancaster, PA, I got it in DE Mother’s Milk - made in NY, I got it in NYC ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/12 "2009-04-22T12:17:08Z")
> [@Big\_G](#): > > One type of stout I’ve recently discovered and enjoy is milk stout. Seconded. Around these parts (NC) I can get [Duck-Rabbit](http://www.duckrabbitbrewery.com/beers.html) Milk Stout. It has some strong coffee flavor with a hint of sweetness. Very drinkable. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/13 "2009-04-22T12:23:54Z")
[Anchor Porter](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28/61) ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/14 "2009-04-22T12:30:37Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > Victory Storm King Oooh yeah, seconded with warm approval. The whole Victory line is good, in my book. 'Specially Hop Devil. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/15 "2009-04-22T12:42:22Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > I had my first stout a few weeks ago. It was a Bridgeport Black Strap Stout. I don’t know whether Black Strap is a comparatively good stout, but I knew from the get-go that I liked stout. I liked dark beer. So, what did you like about it? Don’t worry about using the “right” terms, just tell us what flavors or sensations you liked about the beer you drank. (I haven’t had Bridgeport Black Strap, but I’ve probably had something similar.) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/16 "2009-04-22T17:26:28Z")
The best dark beer for me is **Chimay** , although (maybe someone can help me here) I’d imagine it’s not a Porter or Stout but an Ale. Sure is good though. One of the best descriptions I’ve heard is that it’s like drinking a loaf of bread. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/17 "2009-04-22T17:42:46Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The best dark beer for me is **Chimay** , although (maybe someone can help me here) I’d imagine it’s not a Porter or Stout but an Ale. Sure is good though. One of the best descriptions I’ve heard is that it’s like drinking a loaf of bread. Indeed. I’m pretty sure it’s not a porter or stout, either (I really don’t know shit about beer for one who’s drank so much of it), but it’s damned good. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/18 "2009-04-22T17:51:08Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Oh, how I expose my ignorance! Is there some sort of online beer guide that can tell me what all the types of beer are? > **[Beer style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_style)** > > Beer styles differentiate and categorise beers by colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin. > The modern concept of beer styles is largely based on the work of writer Michael Jackson in his 1977 book The World Guide To Beer. In 1989, Fred Eckhardt furthered Jackson's work publishing The Essentials of Beer Style. Although the systematic study of beer styles is a modern phenomenon, the practice of distinguishing between different varieties of beer is an... ---
**Author:** ![Wash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@Wash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wash)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/19 "2009-04-22T18:16:43Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Shiner makes a kick ass Black Lager seasonally too. Very nice stuff. Shiner Black Lager is year-round now. It was originally their 97th anniversary beer but it sold so well, and there was such high demand for it after production ended that they started brewing again and put it into their full line-up. > [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Oh, how I expose my ignorance! Is there some sort of online beer guide that can tell me what all the types of beer are? I can’t link to it from work, but put Beer Advocate into Google and you’ll find what you’re looking for. They have a lot of information on various styles and sub-styles of beer, as well as user ratings, descriptions and experiences of pretty much any individual beer you care to think of. It’s also a great resource for answering those “Hey, I just discovered this beer and really like it; is there anything else similar out there?” and “Wow, that beer was bad; is it me, the style, the beer or just this particular bottle?” kind of questions. As far as recommendations go, I cannot recommend Fuller’s London Porter highly enough - no other porter in the world comes close to its complexities. Also look out for Meantime London Porter, Sam Smith’s Taddy Porter, Real Ale Shade Coffee Porter (only available in Texas, I think) and, if you like lots of coffee, Kona Pipeline Porter. For stouts, beyond what’s already been recommended, look out for Oskar Blues Ten Fidy imperial stout. It pours like motor oil (and trust me when I say that’s a good thing), and I just don’t have the vocabulary to describe all the wonderful tastes your mouth will experience with each sip. It’s a limited release seasonal and as we’re approaching summer, you may not see it for a while now, but if you can get hold of a can or two, do so. Welcome to the wonderful world of non-yellow-overly-fizzy beer! ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957/20 "2009-04-22T18:22:01Z")
If you can get Deschutes Brewery beer where you are, I suggest Black Butte Porter and Obsidian Stout. Snowplow Milk Stout from Widmer is also excellent and smooth. I also like that Imperial Russian Stout mentioned above. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-dark-beers-suggestions/493957.md?page=2)