As for guilty pleasures, and we’re talking serious guilty pleasures here, Guinness looms large for me.

Too often the weightiness of its history or the emphasis on its packaging and dispense overwhelms the virtues of the beer itself; but this giant remains one of my closet favorites. Low in alcohol and calories, but with an unmistakable texture and hints of espresso and chocolate, this stout has all the stuff of a good session beer. Even the slight sourness on the finish reflects the beer’s legendary pedigree. While other stouts rest on the weightiness, their complexity, their personality, this one hangs around and around and around.