Jym's Stout-Hearted Page

In German, a beer is either dunkel (dark) or hell (light). For me, light beers really are Hell; and "lite" beers are an inner ring of Hell that Dante never mentioned. No, give me a beer with body, a beer with flavor, a beer I can chew on. Give me a stout.

Ireland

Well of course, I've got to start with Guinness. If you've been to Ireland and tried a pint, you know what I mean. There's nothing else quite like it. I tried the other Irish stouts, but they just don't do it for me. It's not quite as good elsewhere, though; it works best as a fresh, locally-produced drink. One good reason (among many) to visit Ireland.

But it's got to be pulled properly.

Northern California

If you're not in Ireland, you'd better be in Northern California, because that's where some very good stouts are microbrewed:

·	Steelhead Extra Stout is about the best thing you can find in bottles around here.
·	Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is also very good, though for some reason the harder-to-find large bottles are much better than the small ones.
·	He'brew Messiah Stout is "the beer you've been waiting for," according to the label. I'm not going to get involved in thorny issues such as whether it's the Second Coming, or even the First Coming, but I will say that it's brewed at Anderson Valley and tastes a whole lot like their Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. Which is wonderful.
·	Stonehouse Stout is the best organic option I've found, except I can't find it anymore! Where oh where did it go?

Northern California Bicyclist once did a "Micro Brew Taste Test," which included my two favorite local stouts. They had this to say about them:

·
Steelhead Extra Stout
TASTE: chocolatey and hearty without that usual heavy stout aftertaste; whoa daddy!
KIND OF BIKER TO DRINK THIS BEER: backcountry biker with several weeks worth of dirt scum and several years worth of hair growth.
KIND OF BIKE: loaded-down mountain bike, sagging panniers and crusted-over cables.

·
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
TASTE: thick and creamy, super chocolatey, smokey & smooth.
KIND OF BIKER TO DRINK THIS BEER: hemp-loving pollution-free recycler.
KIND OF BIKE: anything with a milk crate on the back for roadside finds.

What I find most striking about this taste test is that it really had me pegged: the kind of biker I am is somewhere between the two described, and ditto for the kind of bike I ride. Whoa, daddy!

I've had some great microbrewed stouts on tap in Northern California, and even some tasty porters and brown ales. Why they're made so well around here is a mystery to me, but I'm not complaining!

"I would be happy to see the devil's buttermilk banned from Society."
-- Ian Paisley, on Guinness

·	Steelhead Extra Stout TASTE: chocolatey and hearty without that usual heavy stout aftertaste; whoa daddy! KIND OF BIKER TO DRINK THIS BEER: backcountry biker with several weeks worth of dirt scum and several years worth of hair growth. KIND OF BIKE: loaded-down mountain bike, sagging panniers and crusted-over cables.
·	Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout TASTE: thick and creamy, super chocolatey, smokey & smooth. KIND OF BIKER TO DRINK THIS BEER: hemp-loving pollution-free recycler. KIND OF BIKE: anything with a milk crate on the back for roadside finds.