Stouts

St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is brewed by McAuslan Brewing in Montreal. On the label is a picture of the mythical animal the griffon (which happens to be the name of McAuslan’s Brown Ale). The griffon is one half lion, and one half eagle. What a fitting metaphor for this stout. It has both the robust majesty and strrong body of a lion, yet somehow manages to keep an airy, almost soaring quality reminiscent of an eagle. Clearly not as heavy or rigid as more traditional oatmeal stouts, this piece of liquid heaven brings to it a unique character of contradictions: It is black in color yet crystal clear in taste; its grains are deeply roasted, yet appear fresh and vivacious; it is both heavy and light at the same time. What could it be? The fact that it is a New World beer brewed in a French city? A stout that sought to right the wrongs of more flavorful styles by showing them how to come alive within the context of a stout? Is Peter McAuslan just a brewing genius?

I discovered St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout on a solo trip to the Liquor Barn in Lexington in the Fall of 1996. It is a fitting reminder of how some of life’s greatest discoveries are stumbled upon by having an open mind, not being afraid to try something new, and cherishing that which you fnd to be truly great. I prefer to drink the Saint of Beers by itself. No meal can enhance an already perfect taste. I have tried it both on tap in the bottle, and frankly prefer the bottled version. While the draught style is pumped with nitrogen (as Guinness made popular some years ago) it loses some of the character which the bottled version proudly proclaims. All the above statements are merely words. Nothing can top the entire experience of slowly sipping a St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. LONG LIVE THE SAINT!!!!

Rogue Shakespeare Stout
Rogue Ales. Newport, Oregon.

The label of Shakespeare Stout says that it 'hints of seagoing crustaceans.' I really have no idea what that means. Its taste is probably the most complex of any beer that I write about. It contains flavors of coffee and hints of chocolate. It is brewed with oatmeal, yet is not really a classic oatmeal stout. A little bit of licorice from time to time, and I even thought I picked up the flavor of cherries a time or two. All of these flavors and yet it is not at all a busy beer. Rogue has blended these flavors together perfectly in a way that is entirely unoffensive yet deep and rich.

I had read about Shakespeare Stout as well as other Rogue ales on numerous occasions but had not had the opportunity to try it until August of 1997. While staying in Ann Arbor I met a few other guys who shared my love of both political science and a good stout. We decided to rate all of our favorite stouts according to taste, color, and smell. Todd Belt thankfully entered the Rogue into the competition, where it finished a close second to St. Ambroise. While both excellent stouts they are very different beers with almost opposing personalities. The Saint is more pungent with a sort of 'zing' to it. The Rogue is more full bodied and rich. A little variety in life as well as in stout is nice. I'm ecstatic to know both stouts on a fairly intimate level.

Young's Oatmeal Stout

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout
Breckenridge Brewery. Denver, Colorado

Its a breakfast beer. I realize that statement may qualify me for several 12 step programs, but frankly, I don't care. So, without further ado, here is the story of Tony and the breakfast beer:

It was a Wednesday morning in the Spring of 1997. I had just woken up from a dream about Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout, probably because I had drank one before going to bed the night before. Needless to say, I was craving one - even at 8:00 in the morning. So the internal dialogue began: "You can't drink a beer at 8:00 a.m." "Its a sign of an alcoholic to drink this early." "What will they say at school?" But, none of this changed the fact that I genuinely wanted the Oatmeal Stout. Not to catch a buzz, not to kill any pain, just for what it was. I wanted that Oatmeal Stout the same way many people want their morning coffee or danish (and, Breckenridge really isn't too far removed from a cup of coffee).

So I started to think about societal conditioning. Let me ask you this - Who has the bigger problem: Person A who blindly adheres to societal norms which cannot be justified at the individual level? Or, Person B who knows what he wants, and if he sees no harm in pursuing it other than offending the societal norms which he sees no need to accept, satisfies those wants? Needless to say, it was a damn good breakfast.

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout is rich and dark. Its smooth and full bodied with definate hints of coffee and molasses. It doesn't overpower you, and its not the kind of beer you have to eat with a fork, but it certainly lets you know that its there. In case you're wondering, no I don't drink a beer for breakfast every morning. It happens about once ever couple months, when the mood strikes. But, it usually turns out to be a pretty great day.

Oasis Zoser Stout

Sierra Nevada Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Chico, California.

Sierra Nevada is fast becoming my favorite American brewery, and their stout is a major reason why. This is the dryest stout that I have tasted. It leaves a slight aftrtaste of dried hops on your palate. I’m not sure why most people associate aftertaste with negativity. I thoroughly enjoy the aftertaste of this stout. It has the perfect amount of hops to make it fairly bitter, but it is certainly not offensive. This has been a fairly highly publicized beer over the past five years, so I do not know why I have had such a difficult time finding it. Finally (perhaps because of my repeated begging at the Liquor Barn) they have begun to carry it in Lexington. It has been well worth the wait.

Guinness Stout

Mackeson Triple Stout
Whitbread PLC. London, England

Mackeson Triple Stout is one of the major reasons why I am a beer lover today. I did not always love good beer. As a matter of a fact, I used to only drink your standard mass produced American and Canadian Lagers. Needless to say, when my friend Jonathon Hoover brough over a Mackeson in the Summer of 1991, my tastes forever changed. So rich, so heavy, so full bodied, my first sip was like biting into a Black Forrest Cake. At the time I could barely finish it. But I never forgot Mackeson, and still frequently purchase a four pack of it.

It was quite ironic, when four years later my roommate Junior and I bought a case of Mackeson. The two girls (girls is putting it nicely - they were a pair of airheads) we were with that night asked if they could try some of this strange brew. Of course, we said yes. They began to chug the beer like there was no tomorrow, which is probably the biggest reason why we haven't seen them since. Its a good metaphor for how some people rush through life without stopping to suck the marrow out of it.

Mackeson is not my favorite beer, its a little too sweet for that honor. But, to me Mackeson Triple Stout symbolizes the awakenings we all go through in life when we realize that we don't know everything that there is to know about life, and that exploring unchartered territory can be very rewarding. Thanks, Jon. I owe you a Mackeson.

Pike XXXXX Stout

Murphy's Irish Stout

RedHook Double Black Stout