The Top Stouts to Cozy Up with This Winter

To your surprise, malt-forward beers are rather hard to find on beer lists, considering the myriad of malty styles that range from stouts and porters to bocks, extra special bitters, and brown ales. While drinkable all year round, one is particularly prompted to reach out for something: a can or a bottle of good liquid that displays different faces of malt.


Nothing wrong with a simple imperial Bourbon barrel-aged stout—or at least seems to be nothing wrong with it—for Firestone Walker. Planning not so much which game to shoot but how to cook Parabolita, its first canned vintage beer. Great ideas deserve great execution. Parabola was combined with Velvet Merlin milk stout. Then a blend of Madagascar vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and sea salt was poured into the mix.


The myth that all dark beers have a high alcohol content is also a lie. For US rotatable, porters may go as low as 5 percent ABV and do not tend to have an aggressive alcohol or thick body malt forward presentation. This particular stout has roasted malt, chocolate, and espresso flavors in plenty. One sips this beer and one surrenders to it.


The purpose of most stouts is not to be consumed but to be aged. However, in the case of North Sky, this beer is best sealed in a bottle and sampled, staring at the ingredients of the malts-in-cascade and Northern Brewer combined with Allagash's yeast. There's no need to save this one for after the meal. Thanks to its medium body, this beer will pair well with a traditional winter roast or a warm family gathering with a dining table set and a fireplace close by.


This imperial stout packs a punch with bold notes of chocolate and vanilla as well as that rich, creamy texture, thanks to aging in Heaven Hill storage barrels for a whole year. Fundamental Observation proves its annual release possesses deep, delicious complexity and a thick mouthfeel that is meant for savoring, not chugging. It is obvious why everyone raves about barrel-aged stouts from Bottle Logic. This one, however, let's keep it for friends.


In the northeastern region of the United States, there are very few places that have a better range of stouts than Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Ohio. From basic porters and barleywines and even distanced variations of such, any and every lover of dark beers is almost without a doubt assured that they will find something appealing. The Cuvee series, for example, consists of several previously selected beers whose combination creates something completely different.


If Breakside's barrel-aged series is primarily intended for the hard-core ABV percentage chasers, those who want something much more user-friendly do not need to look further than Black Swift Stout. This drinkable stout is as traditional a stout as they come. It has a medium body full of chocolate maltiness and controls a roast profile that consists more of coffee than espresso. The approach, the richness, and the balance become appetizing in any season.