American Stouts
A robust stout is the perfect winter beer.
By Daniel Schumacher
There is nothing quite so comforting on a long winter night as a silky smooth stout. American brewers looked to their lighter-bodied Irish forebears, notably Guinness Draught, and added roasty notes and robust flavors such as chocolate and coffee during the brewing process. Fill an unassuming pint glass, look for colors ranging from dark caramel to nearly black and marvel at its thick, foamy head.
That head is one of the stout’s hallmarks, and when one sticks around for more than a minute the beer is said to have good “head retention.” Without getting into the science of starches, suffice it to say that a stout with a good head is typically a good one indeed.
Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout, a new kid on the block in Alabama, can retain a healthy head for three minutes easily, while Rogue’s Chocolate Stout dissipates almost immediately. Rogue’s tastes slightly acrid with malted milk undertones and contrasts sharply with the anise-touched, mellower Kalamazoo. Both have a moderate alcohol level, 6 percent by volume, and are almost too easy to drink.
Find Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout by the 6-pack ($9.99) at Gypsy Market, Piggly Wiggly and Whole Foods, while the Rogue Chocolate Stout is available on draft at The J. Clyde.
