PrintGuinness Beer Options: Looking for Something Similar
What are some good options in a darker beer without getting something that's overly bitter. I enjoy Guinness, but want to look around. There's just no many good options at my local store, so I'm looking for suggestions. Boddingtons has been a good option, but again, selection is very limited. Hope this is the right place to post this.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
19 Comments:
Sam Adams makes a real good dark, also Chamey is rather strong you just got to try it once..
Markbb at 1:33PM on 01/21/08
If you can get it, Great Lakes Brewing out of Cleveland makes a number of darks. The Blackout Stout, named for the 2003 blackout from Michigan to NYC, was the first I tried and it was very nice. Their Elliott Ness is also goo, along with their Edmund Fitzgerald. I haven't had a bad beer from this company yet.
LunaPierCook at 1:37PM on 01/21/08
If you want to cheat on Guinness - Murphy's is always a good choice. We used to have an office in the same building as Mustang Harry's in Manhattan in which they have it on tap. Spent many a business meeting over that beer.
Otherwise I tend to like porters more than stouts. The Boulder Beer company has a Boulder Porter that is excellent which many stores sell. From the tap (only if you are in Boulder unfortunately) its truly nectar from the gods.
Having no idea where you live I would hunt down microbreweries in the area. Most have seasonal that are darker but not as heavy as stouts. I have never had good dark beer from the likes of Sam Adams, Coors, Miller, etc.
bravian at 1:46PM on 01/21/08
Samuel Smith's Stout is excellent, and is also organic.
seyo at 2:14PM on 01/21/08
Boddington's isn't dark. It's a pale ale: bitter and hoppy. Pale ales can range from light to dark in color, but they altogether different from Guiness, which is a stout.
Is pale ale more what you're leaning towards? If so, and you can get ahold of St. Arnold in your area, the Elissa IPA, the Brown Ale and the Amber Ale are truly excellent. Mainstream-wise, Bass makes a decent pale ale as does Sierra Nevada, but I prefer the smaller guys (microbrews) like Red Hook ESB, for example.
But if it's stout that you're after, New Belgium's Fat Tire is also a good place to start; it's got the nutty, chocolatey taste of Guiness but it isn't quite as strong. Young's Double Chocolate Stout is also deeeelicious.
And I agree with bravian: find some good microbrews and start there. Even better is a microbrew tour, if there are any in your town. Free beer and excellent beer guides along the way! :)
sheeats at 7:02PM on 01/21/08
Brooklyn Chocolate Stout is nice although its very different from Guiness. If like sheeats suggests you are just looking to try a variety of different beers check out beers made by the Dogfish brewery. They have an interesting selection.
bobbob at 9:11AM on 01/22/08
another vote for Sam Adams, their cream stout is like a beginners Guiness. dark, chocolately, smooth, delicious, and I hate Guiness.
protest at 9:31AM on 01/22/08
Thanks everyone. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do this weekend. :) Now I'm going to search the site for some good munchie food ideas, sit back, and relax. Appreciate the ideas.
goswim at 9:37AM on 01/22/08
I don't know if they have it around you, but Yuengling makes a really nice Black & Tan and their Porter is quite good as well.
segalbraith at 10:20AM on 01/22/08
Another vote for Young's Double Chocolate Stout! It's like dessert in a can!
Jennefur at 12:55PM on 01/22/08
Old Rasputin Imperial Stout is my favorite stout. Black Flag Imperial Stout is supposed to be good as well, but I haven't had the chance to try it.
brandonphx at 1:17AM on 01/24/08
Rogue Brewery in Oregon has a gold medal winning Renaissance Stout....slightly more carbonated than Guiness, and with a deeper flavor spectrum in the finish.
cv
coastalvicar at 2:19AM on 01/24/08
Beamish!
TodayIsTomorrow at 3:14AM on 01/24/08
Brooklyn Black Chocolate is definitely a different beast than Guinness, so I wouldn't recommend that. Agree with Old Rasputin - quite good, and have always liked Anchor Porter, but that's definitely not creamy like Guinness.
I think Sheeats misspoke on Fat Tire, which is an amber, definitely not a stout. Although it is definitely tasty.
Fillippelli the Cook at 3:21PM on 01/24/08
Beamish is an awesome beer - similar to Guinness, but a little sweeter and more chocolatey. Another favorite of mine is Shakespeare Stout - it even made 3Luxe's top three beers!
Link: http://www.3luxe.com/best_ofs/Beer/Shakespeare_Stout
Also, finding some local microbrews would be a good idea as well - and trying all the different beers is just fun! I know that most bars that carry a wide variety of beers in Chicago (where I live) have "tasting menus", where you can try two or three ounces of a bunch of different kinds of beer. It's a good way to sample new styles.
jazspin at 11:09PM on 01/24/08
Yeti by Great Divide (Denver) is my favorite. May be hard to find in the northeast, but worth the trouble.
banchodus at 11:35PM on 01/24/08
One of my favs: Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_oatmeal_stout.html
NorthernBBQer at 9:53AM on 01/25/08
The Sixpoint Craft Ales "Black Market Porter" which pours at The Spotted Pig (on tap and cask), or for a little hoppy a beer, their Brownstone. Both tops!
harlanturk at 10:33AM on 01/25/08
Guinness is an Irish Dry Stout. It style is very balanced between malt (sweetness) and hops (bitterness and spiciness). That said it appears that you haven't developed a taste for highly hopped beer. There are a whole range of balanced to malty beery styles out there. First I'd suggest any dark lager as they are all more malty than hoppy. Bock, Dopplebock, Marzen, Oktoberfest, Alt and Dortmunder are all good styles to explore for your taste preference. In the ale category try: brown, porter and cream/milk stouts. None of those styles are dominated by hops. You do not want: ESB, India Pale, Pale Ale, Imperial Stout, Barleywine or even some Trappist styles.
If you work with the above listed styles you are not likely to find a seriously hoppy porter as it doesn't fit the style guidelines.
Bunnyman at 9:59AM on 01/26/08