Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

Porters and Stouts

Always Bet on Black

Sweet Stout

Sweet stouts are largely a British specialty. These stouts have a distinctive sweetness to the palate and often show chocolate and caramel flavors. They are sometimes known as milk or cream stouts. These beers obtain their characters by using chocolate malts and lactic (milk) sugars in the brewing process.

Interpreting the 100-point Scale

Consumers can translate the point score to the following quality bands:

Point Range Quality Band
96-100 points Platinum
90-95 points Gold
85-90 points Silver
80-84 points Bronze
Less than 80 Not Recommended
Legend
  • = Brewpub
  • ABV = Alcohol by volume
  • Date denotes the date on which the beer was tasted

90 Mobay Stout, John Harvard’s Brew House, Framingham (MA). 7% ABV (1/09)
Dark brown color. Charred pecan, cocoa powder and roasted vegetable aromas follow through on a smooth supple entry to a dryish medium body with a chocolate crème brulée note and a long dried fruit, pepper and nut accented finish. A rich, drinkable stout. Tasty!

90 Lion Stout, Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd. (Sri Lanka). 8% ABV (12/07)
Sourdough toast, chocolate, anise and pear-peach compote aromas. A bold entry leads to an off-dry full body of sweet chocolate-covered fruits, oily nuts and white clay with a long, velvety tangy finish. Delicious.

88 Steel Toe Stout, Ska Brewing (CO). 5.4% ABV (1/07)
Dark chestnut color. Charred walnut, burnt sugar and light coffee ground aromas. A round, lightly frothy entry leads to a tangy light-to-medium body of dark roasted nut, brown sugar and dark toast flavors. Finishes with a slightly bitter, slightly sweet, nutty praline and pretzel fade.

88 McCleary’s Stout, Bastone Brewery (MI). 5.5% ABV (1/09)
Opaque brown-black color with a lacy taupe head. Sweet, creamy mocha candy aromas follow through on a round, frothy entry to a dryish medium body with good roasted grain and coffee bean character. Finishes with a balanced nutshell-like astringency and a hint of dried fruits.

87 Samuel Adams Cream Stout, The Boston Beer Co. (MA). 4.9% ABV (1/09)
Dark brown-black color with a fine taupe mousse. Sweet melted milk chocolate malt ball aromas follow through on a silky entry to a fruity-yet-dry light-to-medium body with tangy nut bread toast and chocolate phosphate tinged fade. A nice quaffer.

87 Martello Stout, Garrison Brewing Company (Canada). 4.8% ABV (1/09)
Opaque brown-black color with a light brown head. Melted chocolate and toast aromas follow through on a soft, supple entry to a dryish medium body with raisin, coffee and nut skin notes on the smooth. A nice easy drinking stout.

86 Snow Plow Milk Stout, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. (OR). 5.4% ABV (12/07)
Chocolate milk, Sour yeast, buttery toffee and musty nut aromas follow through to a off-dry medium-full body with cedar and sweet fig notes and a tangy finish.

85 Spetsnaz Sweet Stout, Grumpy Troll Brewery (WI). 5.8% ABV (1/09)
Dark brown color with a high rocky tan head. Singed chocolate, dark rye toast and leafy earth aromas with a soft, satiny entry leads to a dryish medium body with a touch of cream and charred nut on the breezy fade. A nice quaffer.

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