While I’ll enjoy a porter or stout any time of year, the cool weather here in the NE U.S. has me hankering for the dark stuff. Founder’s has a good porter, Left Hand Milk Stout is high on my list and, while I haven’t had it for years (availability issues where I live), I found Fuller’s London Porter to be quite good. We have many local micro-breweries around but most seem to have a hard time making a straight up porter. They always want to add coffee or chocolate or something. What’s your go-to dark?
I don’t drink a ton of dark beer, but my favorite is from a local brewery: Highland Brewing’s Black Mocha Stout. On a cold night, alongside fried onion rings, it’s spectacular, rich and bitter and toasty and just delicious with food.
Storm King by Victory. It’ll make you a bit wobbly, though.
I like Black Butte porter by Deschutes.
My beer choices are pretty boring:
Guinness if I have it, but I almost never do. I just don’t think to buy it when I’m at the store for whatever reason.
Negra Modelo is the closest I have to a “regular” dark beer.
Recently I had a Sam Adams Coffee Pale Ale that was interesting. It was good; I’d have it again.
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I prefer porter or stout to most anything else and will select them unless not on the menu. I do not have a go-to dark, but around here Deschutes Black Butte seems to have wide availability. Fortunately, most of the local micro-breweries in the area offer at least one porter or stout (along with a myriad of IPA).
I love Founders Breakfast Stout. I’ve met some of the people from the brewery and they seem to be cool people. So I’m hoping all the controversy gets worked out.
You already hit two of my favorites (Founder’s porter and Left Hand Milk Stout). I will add Evolution Lucky 7 Porter if you can get it (Evolution is a Delaware brewery). Old Rasputin is another favorite, but like Victory Storm King it’s a bit higher ABV.
Dragon’s Milk.
(I once bought some that I didn’t realize was Dragon’s Milk Reserve, la de da. It was 18 percent ABV.)
Add me to the fan list for Old Rasputin. Oskar Blues’ Ten Fidy is another favorite. However, both are so smooth that’ll sneak up and knock you on your ass if you’re not paying attention.
I loves me some Sam Adams Chocolate Bock.
Same here, specifically the Milk Stout Nitro.
Black Butte Porter is my “go to” easy to find anywhere beer. I once stumbled on a Deschutes brewery pub that was serving cask conditioned Black Butte from a little keg set up on a cooling blanket on the bar and it was so good I admit I overindulged a bit. I’m also quite fond of Rogue Shakespeare Stout and Hazelnut Brown. Basically, though, Portland in specific and Oregon in general has no dearth of really great dark beers so I’m seldom at a loss for something yummy to drink should I be in the mood to do so.
Ya kno, I much prefer stout and porter to ales and lagers (“I like my beer like I like my worldview: dark and bitter”), but most of the time I’ve gone for some craft beer or microbrew they’ve usually been so overly clever that they’ve ruined the thing (NB microbreweries: “chocolate orange stout” may sound nice but the orange oil does not play nice with the rest of the beer and it’s like drinking out of a soapy glass). And in the end I go back to Guinness.
Oddly, although I’ve had bad luck with expensive craft porters I’ve developed a fondness for the cheap and cheerful Spill the Beans Coffee Porterfrom The Great British Brewing Company. It’s not for everyone but there’s just something about the flavor that works for me, and at under £1 a bottle is a winner from where I’m standing.
I also vouch for Old Rasputin.
Left Hand Milk stout is great as far as stouts go, although I don’t drink it very often- stouts aren’t really my thing.
Do Belgians count? I’m a pretty big fan of Ommegang’s Three Philosophers…
Ol’ Raspy or Black Boss Porter for me.
Enjoying revisiting the Edmund Fitzgerald from Great Lakes Brewing. I also remember that VJ Black and Choklat were both excellent.
Polygamy Porter. Motto: Why stop at just one! Bring some home to the wives!
I have the t-shirt; you wouldn’t believe how much commentary it generates!
Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout. Everyone I’ve ever exposed to it loves it. It’s definitely my cold-weather beer.
I exposed myself to it and got kicked out of the bar. :mad: