For a lot of craft brewers, stout is a topic they feel deeply passionate—if not romantic—about. In what can only be considered an ode to the style, these brewers rave about their favorite stouts.
Luke Holgate
Head Brewer at Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina
“I love Oak-Aged Yeti from Great Divide (Denver, Colorado) because it isn’t a bourbon stout, a rum stout, or a red wine stout; it is a straightforward, neutral, oak-aged stout. They don’t use barrels based on the previous spirit or wine in it, so the beer doesn’t have any flavors to hide behind. They have managed to create a really complex beer with oak characteristics.”
Dave McLean
Brewmaster at Magnolia Pub & Brewery in San Francisco, California
“I started drinking stouts in the late eighties in Boston and found a few early local craft examples plus some classics from the United Kingdom (such as Samuel Smith’s). But when I moved to California in 1991, I discovered Marin Brewing Company’s San Quentin Breakout Stout (Larkspur, California). I was blown away by the combination of assertive roast character and smooth creamy mouthfeel from the flaked barley. It also had a brighter hops character than anything I had found in other stouts. To me, it was very West Coast and became a reference standard for what I liked about big American stouts. I love it just as much today as I did twenty-five years ago.”
Ryan Krill
President of Cape May Brewing Company in Cape May, New Jersey
“Sweet and coating Oskar Blues Ten FIDY (Lyons, Colorado)! I enjoy the molasses and density of the beer. And at 10.5 percent ABV, it makes all the worries of running a brewery disappear.”
Ethan Osborne
Head Brewer at Great Divide Brewing Co. in Denver, Colorado
“Right now, my favorite barrel-aged stout has to be Deschutes The Abyss (Bend, Oregon). What I pick up first is the aroma of vanilla and roasted malts followed by huge notes of bourbon. It is viscous and sticky with chocolate lacing and has an incredible mouthfeel. The beer tastes of coffee, heavy roasted malts, and oak followed up with hints of red wine. Yay, beer!”
Shaun O’Sullivan
Cofounder and Brewmaster at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, California
“High Water Brewing Campfire Stout (San Leandro, California). It is arguably the most interesting stout out there. Here is a beer that has captured exactly what the name describes—a s’more while sitting around the campfire. Brewed with graham crackers and toasted marshmallow flavor coupled with chocolate and dark malts, it works on all those levels. There is a reason this beer is an award-winner.”