It’s stout season.

Clocker Stout is good on draught, the only place I’ve seen it though was at the KITTchEN (Pussy & Pints) in Hawkshead. Worth another road trip? Definitely.

https://www.kittchen.co.uk/

Clocker Stout

Another great stout I’ve tried recently was at the Station pub near the railway station in Dunbar, it’s pretty strong though, didn’t really taste that strong. Worth a road trip? Maybe, it’s at the end of the John Muir Way which is worth riding IMO.

https://www.station-yard.com/

https://untappd.com/b/winton-brewery-by-the-campfire-7-5-edition/5646431

Dug out a can of delicious  Chocolate Moose from Purple Moose brewery – chocolate and vanilla smoothness after a long day.

This, this is really good.

By Seven Sheds in Tasmania.

Many notes being made in preparation for the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

I’m currently on a sunbed in Crete so it’s local draught for me at the moment, as above its still a bit early…. although I spotted a bottle of something in the bar that looks like stout, I will take a look later 🙂

I’ve had this sitting in the cupboard since Christmas……every year a pal and I exchange silly beers. I’ve almost stopped drinking and haven’t plucked up the courage to crack it….yet, but this thread is tempting me!

This, this is really good.

By Seven Sheds in Tasmania.

Nice. That’s beer writer Willie Simpson’s outfit. I used to go to an outrageous monthly beer tasting he held at the New Sydney in Hobart. He gave us all a bottle of his first ever beer but I haven’t heard much about it since.

They’re still going strong up in Railton.
Had the prize giving for Tas Grav there. Glad I wasn’t driving home.

Mild drinker all year round. I hate the 6%+ stouts that seem all the rage these days, give me a session strength mild with some flavour anyday

This is me, really dislike the high percentage beers of any kind. First thing I check is the alcohol content, under 4 and it’s in the basket. Especially annoying is the strong IPAs. Just no.

Just to point out, historically IPA’s were brewed particularly strong because they had to travel by ship to our colonies abroad, particularly India, hence India Pale Ale – stouts and porters wouldn’t survive the journey.

The fad for very hoppy, citrus IPA and pale ales has, thankfully, died a well deserved death, and not before time.

6%+ stouts and porters aren’t a fad, that’s how they should be. I can see some people really don’t understand what a wide range of beers are available today, but at least two would have been happy forty-odd years ago, with the very limited availability brews on the market – not for nothing was Courage Best described as “like making love in a boat”…

Just to point out, historically IPA’s were brewed particularly strong because they had to travel by ship to our colonies abroad, particularly India, hence India Pale Ale – stouts and porters wouldn’t survive the journey.

Not technically correct. Beers that became called IPAs were already being brewed under other designations, they just happened to survive the journey well (comparatively). IPA as a term was about marketing, and believe it or not the first known use of the term in print was in an Australian newspaper.

Other beers were also exported – porter was very popular for example.

The fad for very hoppy, citrus IPA and pale ales has, thankfully, died a well deserved death, and not before time.

That hasn’t happened. There’s still absolutely loads of them around. You’re obviously avoiding them because you don’t like them 🙂

 Courage Best described as “like making love in a boat”…

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 1982 – referencing American beer 😉

I separate stouts and porters into the traditional smokey/coffee tasting and varieties with added flavour (usually fruit) which there is a bit of weird snobbery about.

Anyway as far as easy to get from a supermarket, I can vouch for:

Guinness West Indies Porter (already mentioned and at 6% ABV it’s got one foot in stout territory)

Saltaire Triple Chocolate Stout

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout

Shepherd Neame Milk Stout

Fullers Black Cab

Not as easy to get:

Brew York Imperial Tonkoko

Bollington Brewery Oat Mill Stout

BrewDog Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Some of the nicest I’ve ever had, I can’t remember the names of 😀 Imperial, pistachio, hazelnut and cherry stouts, ooommmh lush!!!

Just opened a can of “Robusto Combusto” coffee porter by Basqueland, which came in a trial box from Beer52 that MrsMC got for me.

Nice smell and flavour, more porter than coffee which I’m meaning as a good thing.

Just cracked a “research” can in preparation for a tasting next weekend. A bit different. The Bourbon notes are really subtle.

Montys dark secret and imerial stout well worth finding

To counter the white stout, I had a nice pint of “Black IPA” on Friday night.

https://untappd.com/b/wily-fox-brewery-black-pearl/1743627

Very pleasant while sat outside at my local, and only £3/pint.

the nigerian guiness is great if you can find it,

had a ‘creme beerlee’ (beertown) in untapp’d leeds last week, very nice but very very sweet

probably my favourite for cold christmas evenings, used to be £25 a crate at that ch5 farm shop barnsley
Samuel Smiths Organic Chocolate Stout

the nigerian guiness is great if you can find it,

I remember buying that and Dragon Stout from Henry’s Food and Wine in Homerton when I was a stoodent in the late 90s!

I think it was a bit rich for my tastes

the nigerian guiness is great if you can find it,

Tesco Extra next to Twickenham Stadium seems to be a reliable source.

yeah i’ve only ever seen the nigerian one in london tescos; i’m not a regular tesco shopper up north so never seen one.

just remembered at the start of summer crate_escape had 30 packs for £30 but it was already past its BBD and i’d struggle to drink them in smmer, so i didnt bother,

Funny that people are recommending Guinness Foreign Extra / Nigerian stout. The first time I had it was in Barbados many years ago, where it was served ice cold. So I always think of it as a summer drink.

I have a bottle of Vocation, Italian ganache or something based stout loitering in my cellar. . 10.8%.

I keep walking past it retrieving tools etc.  I’ll need a special mindset to crack that one open.

I’m finding that the Aldi Coffee stout is worthwhile. Like a poundshop Elland 1872 Porter (sobs quietly). But worth a go if you like that kind of thing.

Look out for an Estonian brewery called PuHaste. Was on one of their tasting sessions at Rivington Farm Trip and was the most incredible beers I’ve ever tasted

I’m finding that the Aldi Coffee stout is worthwhile.

I tried that on my Dad’s recommendation recently. A nice drop indeed.

Bought four small cans of Dark Arts Stout from Adsa. It’s a bit too fizzy and too much licorice taste for my liking. Won’t be buying again.

That hasn’t happened. There’s still absolutely loads of them around. You’re obviously avoiding them because you don’t like them 🙂

I’m not avoiding them, they just don’t exist anywhere that I happen to drink in my neck of the woods, probably because people aren’t buying them.
There are lots of golden ales around, plenty with a hoppy, citrusy quality, just not overwhelming so any more. There’s one in the photo below.

Here’s a stout/porter I had a pint of yesterday, a new one on me, although I’ve had a number of different beers from the brewery before – damn good it was, too.

Photo isn’t showing up for me 🙁

Nice pint of Thornebridge Cocoa Wonderland whilst waiting for the train.

Caught the bus down to Bath at lunchtime, and after a wander around I ended up at The Raven for the obligatory pie and mash, and a pint of whatever looked interesting, especially if it was a Porter or stout, and they had Pitchfork Ales ‘Old Slug’ on tap. So called, after a slug infestation at the brewery, and the condensation on the glass leaves trails down the side.

Damn fine it was, too!

Bought this in Sainsbury’s on a whim last night, very nice ?

Closer reading if the label reveals it’s made by Badger Beers in Dorset – they do some nice beers, so not a surprise this is good.

Beer52 have a mixed light and dark option that’s been giving me lots of new stouts to try but had a few lovely draught pints in the lakes last week but failed to make a note of them

these on the shelf at the moment (the Basqueland is very fine – went back for more).  Their advent calendar is also excellent value (have ordered 2 for us this year)

(obligatory referral link – half price first case https://www.beer52.com/join/HPN8ZK )

Bought this in Sainsbury’s on a whim last night, very nice ?

Closer reading if the label reveals it’s made by Badger Beers in Dorset – they do some nice beers, so not a surprise this is good.

Perfect to wash down a few doughnuts 😉

IIRC Panda Shandy was made with “Real Badger Beer.”

Old Rasputin from Tollgate Brewery – really rather good. MrsMC keeps having a taste.

Tonight Matthew,  I am rather enjoying Black Forest Stout, from Nostalgia.

Smells creamy somehow, quite a sharp cherry flavour. A nice change to other stouts I’ve tried recently. “That is not unpleasant” said MrsMC, having another mouthful to check!

 I am rather enjoying Black Forest Stout, from Nostalgia.

Northern Monk had a black forest one (think not on at the moment). Very drinkable, dangerously so at 8% but tasting rather less.

Going back to desperatebicycle’s comment about “strange folk saying everything over 6% is horrible. “. For me that was true up to say 5 years or so back. Didnt get on with the imperial stouts but there seems to have been a shift in good strong stuff not just for stouts (also the other way with decent table beers and even alcohol free).

Currently got a vocation sweet temptation stout. Think the remnants of a cold is getting in the way since tastes muted compared to what i remember. Luckily got a pack so will try again next week.

If anyone is passing Church Stretton the CoOp usually stocks Export Guiness (yummy) Guiness Zero (almost as good) and their own bottled chocolate stout which I really like.

The problem is that I live two hours away, so if you can drop off any of the above, esp. the export to me here in Carmarthenshire I would be very grateful.

not for nothing was Courage Best described as “like making love in a boat”…

As I remember that was applied to Watney’s – long but not sadly missed.

Nearly the end of stout season down here, but I couldn’t resist.

As I remember that was applied to Watney’s – long but not sadly missed.

I used to cycle past their brewery in Barnes everyday on the way to school – and I’m probably one of the few people in the world that misses Watney’s. Or at least its wonderful, evocative smell 🙂

In its last days it brewed Budweiser under licence, which wasn’t much of an improvement over their own products!