Short and Stout

I used to be a little scared of stout beers. Why? Well, they look a lot more dangerous than they actually are. Dark, and black, like oil, with a stark contrasting beige foam head. How could that be a beer, my much younger self thought? Isn’t beer supposed to be yellow? And fizzy?

I’m glad I didn’t wait too long to correct my misconceptions and (wo)manned up to try a black and tan. And God damn, I’d be lying if that didn’t become my drink of choice for a while. The smooth and creamy taste of a stout on top, finished off with the more bitter taste of an ale of some sort. It’s like the chocolate covered pretzel of beer drinking.

With Pumpkin Bread Pudding  

One of my favorite stouts is made by Left Hand Brewing Company. Their Imperial Stout is smooth going down, starting off across your tongue with a bitter, coffee-like, and organic taste, and finishing with the sweeter taste of molasses and currant juice. This stout pours almost black in color, but there’s a little bit of a red tinge to it in the right light. This beer has high alcohol content at 10.4%, so be weary when tossing it down your gullet.

Imperial Stouts, in general, pair well with rich, hearty, and super sweet desserts. Ask yourself what kind of delicious pastry and sweets would you drink coffee with. And an Imperial Stout will pair up just as nicely. In fact, on more than one occasion, I’ve been known to pour a stout for breakfast and plop down with a strawberry frosted from Dunkins. Tweet @LA786, try it, and tell me it’s not good. Go ahead, I dare ya! – Written by LA