Dry stout is closely associated with Ireland in general, and Guinness in particular. These brews tend to be rich and dark with a definitive bitter note and a drying palate feel. They are classically paired with oysters, although any Irish stout drinker will tell you that a pint it is a meal in itself. Draught (draft) Irish stout is nitrogen-flushed to give it that tell-tale white creamy head that has made Guinness so recognizable. This process is also effected in cans and bottles with a nitrogen “widget.” The style is widely emulated throughout the world and is particularly popular with U.S. microbrewers and brewpubs, often as a more full bodied and dryer interpretation.
Cider is made from fermented apple juice; perry is made from fermented pear juice. As with wine, the character and quality of the resulting product will bear heavily on the variety and quality of the fruit used. The cooler climate of Vermont is well suited to high quality apple production, and produces a sizeable amount of quality sparkling hard cider. The finest ciders in North America may well emanate from the province of Quebec in Canada, which has an established artisanal cider industry with historical ties to Normandy cider. These Quebecois ciders are slowly starting to appear on the U.S. market.
Fortified porter and its sibling style, Russian imperial stout, were developed by English brewers to serve markets to the east. As these dark, strong beers gained favor, breweries along the Baltic trade route began brewing their own versions, and the porter lost its ale identity as these breweries used lager yeasts. The result is a beer that can resemble a very dark doppelbock, with alcohol levels between 7.5 and 9 percent. Black in color, the porters are very smooth with not much of the fruity characteristics you would find in a conventional porter. Roasted malts with dark sugars, caramelized sugars and hints of licorice show in the flavor profile. A hint of smokiness can also be present. Hop aroma is very low, maybe a hint of floral notes as long as they are not dominant. Medium- to-full bodied, and no sweet butterscotch or DMS in flavor or aroma.
Strong ales are sometimes referred to as old ales, stock ales or winter warmers. These beers are higher alcohol versions (typically between 5.5-7 percent ABV) of pale ales, though not as robust or alcoholic as barley wines. Usually a deep amber color, these brews generally have a sweet malty palate and a degree of fruitiness. If bottle conditioned, strong ales can improve for several years, in some cases eventually obtaining sherry-like notes.
Flavoring traditional beer styles is a particular feature of the ever-creative U.S. craft brewing scene. Flavorings used in porters are typically dark berry fruits and coffee, and when skillfully done the effect can be greater than the sum of its parts.
Porter was originally an English, specifically London, dark beer style that was the drink of the masses long before lagers were conceived or modern ales were fashionable. Porters are red-brown to black in color, medium to medium-full bodied, and characterized by a flavor profile that can vary from very subtle dark malts to fully roasted, smoky flavors. Being a centuries-old style, there are differences of opinion with regard to what a “true” porter was actually like and there can be wide variations from one brewer’s interpretation to the next. Roasted malt should provide the flavoring character, rather than roasted barley as is used with stouts. Stronger, darker versions (“robust” porter) and lighter more delicate versions (“brown” porter) are equally valid manifestations of the style. The influence of hops can often be notable in the richer craft brewed examples of the style. Although porter was the drink of the masses in 1700s London, it fell out of favor, and is only now seeing a resurgence, with a few outstanding English examples in production. In the United States, it is enjoying new-found popularity among U.S. craft brewers and many fine U.S. examples are produced.
97 Bourbon County Brand Stout, Goose Island Brewing Co. (IL) 2008. 13% ABV (1/09) Opaque brown black color with a
Simply put, this is a stronger version of a dry stout, with alcohol levels between 5.7 and 7.5 percent, very similar to foreign or export-style stouts. The initial malt sweetness leads to a rounded out, dry and balanced finish. Coffee-like roasted barley present in the aromas. A medium- to full-bodied mouth feel is common. Fruity esters are very low to non-existent. Strong stouts are well balanced with sweetness/bitterness of malt.
When I ask people to tell me the difference between porters and stouts, even if they can do it, most
OB Wit This is a classic witbier recipe, augmented with orange blossom honey. OB honey is ripe with citrus and
