|
Winter is upon us, and rain and dark nights. Holiday seasonals excepted, nothing warms as well as stout. Something like a crackling fire in liquid form, stout comforts, soothes and relaxes. An extremely diverse beer, it ranges from light, dry examples to extremely rich, alcoholic ones. In fact, one of the few things that definitively distinguishes stout from any other ale is the color. Beyond that (and, perhaps, a certain magic), anything's game. The modern history of stouts began, at least in America, in 1982, when Bert Grant opened the doors to his brewpub in Yakima, Wash. On tap: Scottish ale and imperial stout. Now, the style has become an Oregon favorite. Even though it costs more to make (in some cases twice as much), most breweries offer at least one black, high-gravity beer. It's not always called stout, nor do some beers called stout conform to standard definitions. Take Full Sail's stout and porter offerings. Contrary to expectations, the stout, Main Sail, is a light, low-alcohol version of an Irish stout, while the seasonal Imperial Porter weighs in with a heavy body and twice the alcohol. The lesson? Don't worry about the label, taste the beer. Because there are so many versions on the market, the following list is not meant to be exhaustive. Instead, it represents a general range of the styles available. Guinness Stout It would be impossible to discuss stout without a nod to Guinness. Perhaps with the swirl of those tiny bubbles into that perfect brown head, stout first began developing its mystique. In any case, St. James Gate in Dublin may be the most famous brewery in the world, and for good reason. The dry flavor of the roasted barley characterizes the Irish stout style, and the lip-smacking twang makes it unmistakable. McMenamins Terminator Stout What if they had called it McMenamins Dark? Beer drinkers might never have ventured past IPA. While Grant's imperial was the first on the market, Terminator has probably introduced more Portlanders to stout than any other brand. Both are examples of the imperial style, though perhaps a touch lighter than the most extreme versions. Since its introduction in 1985, Terminator has become a Portland standard. Rogue Shakespeare Stout Nutritional beer? Well, no. But when English brewers began to add oatmeal and lactose to their recipes earlier in the century, they claimed remarkable health benefits of their milk and oatmeal stouts. Rogue doesn't add lactose, but the touch of oatmeal they use gives Shakespeare a little more body and smoothness. It tastes healthy, anyway. BridgePort Blackstrap Stout The addition of about 5 percent molasses into the boil produces a semi-sweet, earthy flavor. Karl Ockert, the general manager at BridgePort, says the beer is inspired by Theakston's Old Peculiar. Combined with a healthy dose of black patent, roasted barley and caramel malts, it is no demure beer. Love it or find it a bit peculiar, it is distinctive and worth a try. The Northwest also has some less traditional variations. Redhook's Double Black Stout is made with Starbucks coffee, which nicely complements the black malt (not to be confused with Pyramid Espresso Stout, which contains no coffee). Saxer has created a lager version of stout, perhaps closer in style to a black beer. Get it while you can; the brewery plans to discontinue it during the next few months. |
|
