Loch Lomond Oat Stout ?
Something a little more suited to Sunday tonight
It's the season here right now anyway...Just started a 19l keg of Imperial Stout. Approx 8%.
Well, the season is back in the northern hemisphere. MrsMC had a work trip to Galashiels this week and one of her meetings was cancelled, so she used her time productively 
MrsMC had a work trip to Galashiels this week and one of her meetings was cancelled, so she used her time productively
You married a good 'un.
Timely. Found this in the cupboard on Tuesday. I've had it for two years and haven't plucked up the courage - 11% is a bit hefty, and I guess it'll be sickly after the first few sips. Maybe this Christmas.... 
It's 1st November, which means it's Old Tom day!
https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/our-beers/about-old-tom/
I keep getting ‘stout season’ and ‘chub club’ mixed up
Just had a small number of these delivered.
https://thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/products/necessary-evil-13-abv-mezcal-barrel-aged-stout
If it’s as good as their previous versions then it’ll be fantastic. I might save them for NYE but very tempted to try one before then.
Nc’Nean distillery are doing a stout cask finished whisky, does that count?
I have in front of me a can of Ofrälse's "Big Oak" barrel-aged Imperial Stout. It's good and they are not joking that it is big; 12%, so a good job I am sitting down.
That Necessary Evil is wondrous stuff. Old Tom was responsible for one of the worst hangovers I've ever had. 🤢
why is it all so strong? or is just that STW readers prefer the strong stuff?
Stouts are, as a style, a bit sweeter and stronger than the average beer* and sweeter and more body is what people like on cold, dark, winter nights.
* Apart from NEIPA, DIPA, bockbier, Tripel, Quad, etc, etc.
Oh yeah, Imperial stouts are also heavier.
And Scotch Ales. And Wee Heavy.
ah right so Guinness (which is pretty much all I drink) is an outlier then?
I think it has it's own style (Dry sour stout?) so, yes, is an outlier. The whole Stout/Porter thing is also quite complicated. And the Baltic Porter...
Aldi coffee stout is worth a drink if they have it in stock.
A slight miss tonight - perfectly pleasant, but a tad fizzy and just not full enough flavour for what I expected of a stout.
Good brewery by the way - set up by two brothers in the pandemic after studying other courses at Uni.. On the A9 with a pizza and beer menu a few days a week.
First out the box is excellent, not too heavy, not too sweet, good strong flavour
Had a couple of great stouts from Amundsen Brewery last weekend at a beer fest.
Sticky Little Fingers, a 13.5% Sticky Toffee Cinnabun Ultra Pastry Stout and a 10.5% chocolate peanutbutter caramel brownie stout that you almost needed a spoon to drink.
This weekend we've just been on the standard issue Tempest Cresta Stout. Very nice and a much more manageable 5%.
Must be a Tempest convention - next out the box that MrsMC brought me back. It is incredible!
Rocket dog I’m with you, I love a Banks’s mild if you can find it, Hooky do a good one which was excellent at their beer festival but pretty rare also.
Happily bought some Mackeson stout from Lidl as it was my tipple in my pre teens, and found it both lovely and 2.8%, life gets no better than that.
Mate sent me a pic of 'this' the other day...
why is it all so strong? or is just that STW readers prefer the strong stuff?
It's actually the derivation of the style - stout, meaning strong. You could have had a pale stout once upon a time. Stout Porter was contracted to Stout and so Stout was originally actually a type of porter.
...it gets a bit fussy.
I haven't tried this one but it's a great name for a stout.
Oh and last night I had a couple of these which were very nice.
A couple of these last night in the taproom.
While the Big Country is a Scottish ale rather than a stout it's very stout like.
The Three Hills is definitely a stout though.
Andrew at the Mounting Stone in Bramhall (famously the "least worst bar in Bramhall") has brewed a honeycomb stout which is a bit like a lovely vanilla ice cream with honeycomb bits and chocolate sauce. The smell reminded me of Mr. Whippy. A bit sweet for my taste but very nice.
Yesterday I discovered the Crich Brewery and Tap in Belper, and had a half of their excellent Buffalo Stance.
Do people have recommendations for good stouts from supermarkets? I’m a Guinness drinker in pubs but interested in trying a few others over Xmas
Had some Thornbridge Cocoa Wonderland at the club the other day, after the Thornbridge tap takeover.
Was very tasty.
For supermarket stouts Tim Tailors/Northern Monk, Northern Rising is very tasty. Available at Morrisons and M&S locally to me.
Had a few of these last night in the taproom.
Bloody lovely it is.
https://www.tempestbrewco.com/products/doom-strolling
Mulligan's stout at Aldi is not bad if you don't want to spend a fortune on craft stuff
Do people have recommendations for good stouts from supermarkets?
M&S have a reasonable selection currently. The northern rising, as per Jeffl, a sirencraft and a couple of others.
Northern monk and Sirencraft both do decent stouts and are in most supermarkets.
Tried this at the weekend (in the White Horse in Disley, an excellent pub)
It's nice but quite sweet, I wouldn't want more than one pint.
(FWIW Robbies have really upped their game over the past few years. A "Robbie's pub" used to be a byword for a tatty boozer selling fairly crap beer, but no more. They've really invested in their estate and are also producing consistently great beers)
Shout out to Sheep in Wolfs Clothing Brewery
In Dunblane (next to M&S), close to the train station for Bridge of Allan and Stirling folk.
I highly reccomment Dark Nebula (3.4%)
They also do a PIECE OF CAKE IMPERIAL STOUT (10.4%)
Matty (owner) is a great bloke and lives on my street. Happily accepts muddy wet runners and most likely bikers too.
Also the fantastically named "Shandy Murray" a lager but a great name for the home of the Tennis Star.
A couple of goodies in the Beer52 Advent Calendar
This was December 12th
and this was December 14th
Been enjoying the range of stouts that seem more available in winter.
Worked my way through a Jamageddon by Vocation the other day, thoroughly enjoyable.
I'll be checking my local Systemet this weekend for some more to add to the beerbliotek, but the Poppels barrel aged I had last weekend was lovely.
Timothy Taylor's Landlord Dark, not sure if it is a stout but it's very nice
Burning Soul have just done a cask of Tiramasu Coconut Porter at 7% according to their fb page.
Been enjoying the range of stouts that seem more available in winter.
Dark, malty beers do seem to be considered more popular in winter, and bright hoppy beers a summer thing, to the extent that every brewer and his dog were competing to see who could make the most bitter lemon juice cosplaying as beer for a while; thankfully that’s no longer the case, but I’m perfectly happy drinking stouts and porters in summer, and more malty ales in winter.
Currently my regular pub has a Mocha porter on called ‘Three Times a Week’, by Milk Town Brewery in Melksham, which is where the pub is, and it’s very drinkable indeed!
I spent much of yesterday evening quaffing one or two* pints of Westwood Silverback Stout which was jolly nice.
*This might be a very slight underestimate
Do people have recommendations for good stouts from supermarkets?
Not quite a supermarket, but Fortnums do a really nice own branded Triple Chocolate Stout which I would quite happily drink any time of year.
Bollington Oat Mill Stout today after a visit to the Treacle Market in Macclesfield.
