Two German beers well worth checking out are Weihenstephaner Bayrisch Dunkel and Kostritzer Schwarzbier (“Black Beer”) which are both flavorful but not too heavy or filling.
Weihenstephan claims to be the world’s oldest brewery, continuously brewing beer since 1040, but I am not sure if they export to the USA.
I enjoy the Oktoberfest type beers in the fall. Left Hand Milk Stout is a bit too sweet for my tastes, though I will have it every once in a while. My go-tos are more whatever Oktoberfest is on tap–I don’t much care, but my preference is for Ayinger and Hacker-Pschorr, if available.
Then, if I’m feeling in more high-alcohol mood, I go for stuff like Spaten Optimator, which is a doppelbock, or Ayinger Celebrator. Both are more on the sweet side for my tastes, but still pretty tasty.
I just got a few 1/2 liter bottles of Lowenbrau Oktoberfestbier, (actually brewed in Munich, not at one of their satellite locations) for the equivalent about 65 cents (U$D) apiece.
I am incredibly mad at myself for not buying a case or two, as they are not available any longer, at least at the store I bought them at.
I do not drink anymore, but when I lived in China, there was a pretty wide selection of Tsingtao beer and I really fell in love with a dark one they made.
Can not find an image of it anywhere, but it was very dark brown, like this.
However, that isn’t it. I’m guessing it was discontinued even there, as I never see or hear about it anywhere.
My favorite dark-ish beer is either Paulaner Salvator or the aforementioned Spaten Optimator (such a good name), both double bocks. Not as dark as some of the beers mentioned, but they bring the alcohol - and the calories, either one is at least 230 cal/12oz.
Augsburger Bock - yeah, I’m old
I brew my own. There are a ton of English session porters and stouts. Hell, standard Guinness (which is always a great choice) is a session beer.
Chuck Papazian’s original Sparrow Hawk Porter is quite tasty and one I do at least annually.
Tonight I just finished brewing a 1966 Oatmalt stout [URL=“Shut up about Barclay Perkins: Let's Brew Wednesday - 1966 Maclay Oat Malt Stout”
.I’ve done the original 1909 version and literally just finished a bottle but the ABV is a high for me at ~7%. The 1966 is more like 3% ABV and in line with my tastes. Ask in a couple of weeks how it turns out!
I have good but not superlative Irish Stout recipes so open to suggestions
Anything made by Samuel Smith’s. Their nut brown ale is the greatest beer on the planet. Their stouts are fantastic as well.
Beat me to it. The Samuel Smith Old Brewery Taddy Porter has been a favorite of mine for many years.
It’s also hard to better a full imperial pint of Guinness. It’s good for you, you know.
I make my own. I whip up a wicked Chocolate-Raspberry Stout every year for Christmas season.
Its VERY subtle and better than it sounds.
Great Basin Brewery has Wild Horse which is pretty good.
The trinity for me is Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, Old Rasputin, and Dovish Head Siracusa Nera. I’m looking forward to trying Duck Rabbit imperial Milk Stout.
I just finished a Backwoods Brewing Pecan Pie Porter. Sometimes these gimmick beers work…but this one didn’t.
Visited England this summer, and went to the Buxton Tap room. Ordered a Buxton Brewery Double Stout. So dense it clunked when poured. If you spread a drop of it across a searchlight, no light would come out. I wanna go back, spend a month in Buxton, and get one of those stouts every day.
Can’t buy that here in the US, but my current fave has been mentioned many times by others here: Old Rasputin.
I’m drinking a 16 oz. PBR. In the dark. So that’s my vote.
Me too! On nitro at the bar is way better than bottled, though.
Local brewery Darling produces two I like: Black Mist is a nice chocolatey poorter, and Silverback is a dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer).
Another local brewer, Riot, had (has?) a barrel-aged Imperial Stout that was sublime.
And shoutout to silenus for 2 excellent homebrew stout recipes he shared once. I should make those again…
Not a fan of Stouts or Porters, but I do love a dark Ale. Here in Aus, the White Rabbit Dark Ale is pretty good, and Tooheys Old is great for a high-volume mainstream brew.
Velvet Merkin for me. Nice and soft. Hard to get though. Velvet Merlin seems to be widely available. Here anyway.
I wouldn’t be able to make it past the name.
