Dark Beer ?
- Thread starter ddsmit
- Start date
I like both Sam Adams and Guinness. HOWEVER - In May I went on a cruise to Belize, C.A., and Costa Maya MX. On the ship I drank quite a bit of Sam Adams, and on the beaches of Belize I drank 'several' Guinness stout. While on shore in Costa Maya, I tasted 'a few' Dos Equis.bayoutider said:I am not a big fan of dark beers so here is one catagory where I can add very little input. Just on a guess, I would pick up a 6 pack of either Newcastle or Sam Adams. I think both Guinness and Murphy's would be a very different taste since both of those are stout beers. I once drank a 6 pack of Guinness Stout and needed a seeing eye dog to find my way home.
Let me say that there is a very big difference between what I was able to drink on the ship/ shore, and what is sold here in Alabama. That's because the state laws say that beers sold in retail stores in Alabama may be no more than 6% alchohol by volume. What was 'excellent' on the ship and on the beach is barely tolerable here. Kind of like milk...if you're used to whole milk, 2% just doesn't cut it.
Well, finally something I know about. If you want to know about beer, cooking, or audio, I'm your guy. Anything else I comment on simply dismiss...
There are really two basic types of beer: lagers and ales. Lagers are commonly known by brewers as 'bottom fermented' - they are fermented at relativly cool temperatures for longish periods of time. Ales are commonly referred to as 'top fermented' and are fermented at 'room temperatures', typically 65-75F. Ales also takes less time from wort to drinking, typically somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-5 weeks from initial brewing to enjoying.
That being said, there really aren't any dark lagers. If you want a dark beer, you want an ale - typically a brown or a stout. Browns are really typically considered medium ales (as compared to stouts (dark) and pales (light)), but are relatively well-bodied, often rather sweet as they utilize relatively few hops for flavoring (used to add bitterness - see IPAs). For real flavor in cooking, I recommend looking for a tasty stout - it'll be full in flavor which won't dilute in cooking, even over high heat.
Some brands to look for are Rogue, Dogfish Head, and Stone. Any of those medium/dark ales (browns and stouts) are wonderful to cook with - great flavors that compliment many foods. You may need to look in speciality stores to find those brands - they are unlikely to be found at your local grocery store...
Hope this helps.
There are really two basic types of beer: lagers and ales. Lagers are commonly known by brewers as 'bottom fermented' - they are fermented at relativly cool temperatures for longish periods of time. Ales are commonly referred to as 'top fermented' and are fermented at 'room temperatures', typically 65-75F. Ales also takes less time from wort to drinking, typically somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-5 weeks from initial brewing to enjoying.
That being said, there really aren't any dark lagers. If you want a dark beer, you want an ale - typically a brown or a stout. Browns are really typically considered medium ales (as compared to stouts (dark) and pales (light)), but are relatively well-bodied, often rather sweet as they utilize relatively few hops for flavoring (used to add bitterness - see IPAs). For real flavor in cooking, I recommend looking for a tasty stout - it'll be full in flavor which won't dilute in cooking, even over high heat.
Some brands to look for are Rogue, Dogfish Head, and Stone. Any of those medium/dark ales (browns and stouts) are wonderful to cook with - great flavors that compliment many foods. You may need to look in speciality stores to find those brands - they are unlikely to be found at your local grocery store...
Hope this helps.
FYI- Georgia passed a law last year allowing us to sell beer up to 16% (I think) My local liquor store has a whole section devoted to high alcohol beers (like the Belgian beers referenced)
I revived this thread instead of starting a new one, mainly because I just tried a new Sam Adams beer. It's another dark beer, and it's called Winter Lager. It's a seasonal beer, and a very nice stout. For you dark beer and lager lovers, I highly recommend this one.
I pick up the occasional Chimay or Rogue at the grocery store or the liquor store. I buy them for special occasion such as being thirsty. These beers for me are like buying a bottle of wine definately not drink six pack kind of beer. I am always looking for a new beer to try and wish I had kept bottle caps from all I have tried.
Not trying to be pedantic, but if it's a lager, it's not a stout - stouts are classified as ales.
It's likely a dunkel, a dark lager made by adding additional roasted malt to darken it and give it a richer flavor.
Now that's funny.....I once drank a 6 pack of Guinness Stout and needed a seeing eye dog to find my way home.
Interesting, actually - Guinness isn't that high in alcohol by volume (around 4.2% ABV typically, though it does depend on where you buy it) as most stouts are.I once drank a 6 pack of Guinness Stout and needed a seeing eye dog to find my way home.
I'd hate to see you drink a couple of Dogfish Head IPA90s (9% ABV)!
Tried it today, pretty good. Used Jacobsen Dark Lager. I'm not a beer guy, and it was the only dark beer I could buy that I didn't have to get a whole six-pack.
Had some Chimay Grand Reserve after dinner tonight, quite tasty. Next was the Samual Smith Imperial Stout (best imperial stout available, imo) followed by a Samual Smith's Oatmeal Stout (great 'dessert beeer') to wind down for the evening.
Very good Christmas...
Very good Christmas...
Ahh, I must've missed the 'extra' above. Standard GS is about 4.2, but the extra is indeed a more powerful animal...
The Winter brew from Sam Adams is indeed excellent as is their Black Lager
Best seasonal Dark I have found is the Festive ale from Atlanta's Sweetwater brewery. If you can still find it, it is excellent. I have even had it on tap at a place here in the Northern Atlanta 'burbs. (Smokejack in Alpharetta, if you eat there try the Fried Pickles, best I have ever had)
Other Great Dark Beers
My favorites in no Particular order
Murphy's Stout
Mackeson XXX Stout
Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout (or anything else from Sam Smith brewery)
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Devils Canyon Scotch Ale (available in northern Cal)
Abita Turbodog
Negra Modelo
Guinness but only when the above is unavailable
Best seasonal Dark I have found is the Festive ale from Atlanta's Sweetwater brewery. If you can still find it, it is excellent. I have even had it on tap at a place here in the Northern Atlanta 'burbs. (Smokejack in Alpharetta, if you eat there try the Fried Pickles, best I have ever had)
Other Great Dark Beers
My favorites in no Particular order
Murphy's Stout
Mackeson XXX Stout
Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout (or anything else from Sam Smith brewery)
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Devils Canyon Scotch Ale (available in northern Cal)
Abita Turbodog
Negra Modelo
Guinness but only when the above is unavailable
There for a while I got into making my own beer. It took several batches but eventually I hit on a pretty good formula. It was just way too much trouble to keep it up. I didn't have the time. I plan to start again when I retire.
::
Hello everyone, I brew my own beer. five gallons of great beer for about 30 bucks.
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