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Long time readers know that I do NOT go out on St. Patrick’s Day but that blanket ban does not extend to March 16th. Especially when the 2 edition of the N’owt but Stout Festival lands on that day at Yorkshire Square Brewery. The Torrance based but British in heart brewery will be bringing the dark stuff from over 25 breweries for unlimited pours as well as a brewers panel for those who want to learn more about stout in 2019.
Make sure that you get in on the Early Bird tickets!
Must be a coincidence that the next Food GPS column selects 10 Great Stouts brewed in California one day before International Stout Day!
Or not.
If you haven’t joined in on the fun, then use tomorrow’s column to prepare yourself for Friday! And then follow the action at #Stoutday
Erin Peters, the founder of Stout Day recommends the following stouts for us in SoCal….
When I saw that issue # 48 of Beer Advocate had the tally of Top 25 Beers of 2010, I had to say that I braced myself for mostly monster stouts. And yes there are 5 in the top 10 alone and 10 overall (not counting the 5 strong ales, which fall under the same BIG BEER rubric for me). What surprised me was the strong showing of # 2 for the Kern River Citra DIPA one of my favorite beers of 2010 and I had only a teeny glass of one. The second surprise was 2 rye beers making the cut, one from Summit and one from Boulevard (granted in the 20-25 section).
SO I am pleased that anything broke through the Stout barrier of the top 10 and I like that rye is gaining acceptance. But still the list is tremendously one sided. Nothing in the top 10 is below 8% abv. Amazingly all but 2 beers are above that 8% mark and 14 of 25 beers are above 10% abv. It is almost as if a beer geek can take most of the year off and come cold weather time start drinking because that is where the great beers are apparently. No session beers to be seen. No brown ales. No hefeweizen. It’s really a turn off.
Click on the image below to see the full list and let me know what you think of the group. By the way, not to boast, but I sampled 7 of the top 25.
Special beer drinking occasions (like St. Patrick’s Day) can lead to staring at the store selection and going back and forth between the tried and true, Guinness, or something new. Here is my suggestion, do a stout/porter tasting. Start with Guinness then head off and try stouts from your local area. In California, try a Telegraph Stock Porter. On the East Coast try the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. In Oregon, Deschutes the Abyss is a monster and well worth the price. Or pick up a Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. Avery has some great dark beers or you can try Bell’s Expedition Stout. Give little tasters of each and have a vote. See which is a fan favorite.