Beer Primer Stout

Welcome to Beer Primer, The A.V. Club’s never-ending quest to help readers attain a better understanding of all things boozy. Last week, The A.V. Club covered porter, and this week, we bring you stout.

Stouts are among the heaviest beers out there. While the alcohol content won’t necessarily knock you on your ass, the big body on these beers might. So take them slow, and don’t worry if it takes so long to finish a pint that it’s almost room temperature by its end. Like porters, a well-made stout opens up as it warms, with subtle aromas and flavors coming through that weren’t there at first.
This year’s release of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout weighs in at 13 percent alcohol—about the same as a glass of wine. It spent about three months aging in used bourbon barrels, which gives the finished beer added levels of complexity. Good luck finishing a pint: Most places serve it in a 10-ounce goblet at most. The incredible complexity and layering of this beer pretty much forces you to take it slow, so the goblet will last a while.
The first few sips are dominated by very strong coffee and chocolate flavors with noticeable heat from the alcohol. Let this one sit for a few minutes. Next, brown sugar and caramel flavors emerge, as well as a hint of port wine. And after the stout warms up for 30 minutes or so, you can taste creamy oatmeal and walnut. Mmm, breakfast-y.
If it’s still too strong for you and you’re pretty patient, get some bottle from the brewery and stick them in the back of your closet for a year or three. Beers like this age a lot like wine and the hot alcohol notes mellow out with time.

Where to find it: Uncommon Ground on Devon.

Try it with: A chunk of dark bittersweet chocolate, because this beer will overpower most entrées. A good dark chocolate that’s at least 70 percent cocoa will level with it, though.