The Naked Pint (26 page)
Authors: Christina Perozzi
STOUT
As we mentioned earlier,
Stout
was originally a general term for a strong dark beer. Stouts today range from chocolaty and smooth to bitter and intense. They are often the beers found on nitrogen taps at pubs, benefiting from a creamy mouthfeel and dense head. The implication of strength is really no longer applicable, because the ABV can be quite low. Too many people turn away Stout because they think it is too heavy or too high in alcohol; others feel a sense of overwrought pride because they were “man enough” to drink a Stout. Most people don’t realize that a Guinness is as low in alcohol, often lower, than a Pale Ale. In fact, Guinness, which is classified as a Dry or Irish Stout, is considered light in the realm of Stouts and Porters. This may come as a shock. The rich color, along with the coffee, toffee, and sometimes bitter notes, have confused drinkers for years. Dry Stouts tend to have that coffee, chocolate flavor that Guinness has, ranging from sweet to bitter chocolate or even sour.
Stout
was originally a general term for a strong dark beer. Stouts today range from chocolaty and smooth to bitter and intense. They are often the beers found on nitrogen taps at pubs, benefiting from a creamy mouthfeel and dense head. The implication of strength is really no longer applicable, because the ABV can be quite low. Too many people turn away Stout because they think it is too heavy or too high in alcohol; others feel a sense of overwrought pride because they were “man enough” to drink a Stout. Most people don’t realize that a Guinness is as low in alcohol, often lower, than a Pale Ale. In fact, Guinness, which is classified as a Dry or Irish Stout, is considered light in the realm of Stouts and Porters. This may come as a shock. The rich color, along with the coffee, toffee, and sometimes bitter notes, have confused drinkers for years. Dry Stouts tend to have that coffee, chocolate flavor that Guinness has, ranging from sweet to bitter chocolate or even sour.
On the opposite end of the Stout continuum are Sweet or Milk Stouts—full-bodied English-style Stouts with the same chocolaty/coffee notes but quite low on bitterness and higher on sweetness, due to the addition of lactose sugar. This sugar is not fermentable and therefore hangs out in the brew and imparts a sweet milky flavor. This beer is quite rare these days. Most of you have heard of Oatmeal Stouts, another classic style. Yes, these Stouts do have oats in them—an excuse to have them with breakfast? Why not? The oats are added to the mash, lending a grainy complexity to the flavor and silkiness in the mouth. They are anywhere from sweet to bitter, depending on the brewer’s recipe.
Stouts from other countries that aren’t quite of the Irish Dry or British variety can fall under the term Foreign Extra Stout. This is a fairly general style that includes many versions of Stouts from many countries. These Stouts can range from about 6% to 8% ABV. They can be sweet, bitter, toasty with notes of dried fruit, sour, and dry. Basically, they are all over the place.
NITRO: NOT A CHARACTER FROM THE MATRIX
Many beer lovers crave the milkshake mouthfeel of a Bod dingtons or a Guinness but don’t know what makes the magical creamy head at the top, or the cascading bubbles that flow through the glass. Well, it’s not magic at all—it’s science.
Beer taps (meaning on draught) add CO
2
gas to the keg. This puts pressure in the keg, keeping the CO
2
trapped in the beer until it is released out of the tap and into the glass, allowing the beer to be carbonated and well balanced. Sometimes an establishment will also add some nitrogen to the CO
2
. The mix is significantly higher in CO
2
than nitrogen, but the percentage varies from bar to bar. This produces a beer that has bright bubbles and fairly good head retention.
2
gas to the keg. This puts pressure in the keg, keeping the CO
2
trapped in the beer until it is released out of the tap and into the glass, allowing the beer to be carbonated and well balanced. Sometimes an establishment will also add some nitrogen to the CO
2
. The mix is significantly higher in CO
2
than nitrogen, but the percentage varies from bar to bar. This produces a beer that has bright bubbles and fairly good head retention.
Some beers are hooked up to a faucet that has a higher percentage of nitrogen than CO
2
(often 75/25). These are called creamer faucets or sometimes nitro taps. The higher percentage of nitrogen creates bubbles that are smaller and more stable than the CO
2
bubbles, and these bubbles displace the unstable carbon dioxide bubbles, creating the illusion of a creamy, dense-looking head. Nitrogen is less soluble than CO
2
and can take the air pressure without popping too quickly. The nitro tap is the one reserved for Guinness at any local pub, and if you look closely, which many of you have, you can see tiny bubbles cascading down the glass. These are the nitro bubbles. The creamy taste is not just pretty but gives us a weighty mouthfeel, which complements some styles of beer. This is meant to re-create the mouthfeel of a cask-conditioned beer. The widget that has been invented for cans of Guinness Export serves the same purpose. By releasing some nitrogen into the can, the creamy mouthfeel comes through, if not authentically.
2
(often 75/25). These are called creamer faucets or sometimes nitro taps. The higher percentage of nitrogen creates bubbles that are smaller and more stable than the CO
2
bubbles, and these bubbles displace the unstable carbon dioxide bubbles, creating the illusion of a creamy, dense-looking head. Nitrogen is less soluble than CO
2
and can take the air pressure without popping too quickly. The nitro tap is the one reserved for Guinness at any local pub, and if you look closely, which many of you have, you can see tiny bubbles cascading down the glass. These are the nitro bubbles. The creamy taste is not just pretty but gives us a weighty mouthfeel, which complements some styles of beer. This is meant to re-create the mouthfeel of a cask-conditioned beer. The widget that has been invented for cans of Guinness Export serves the same purpose. By releasing some nitrogen into the can, the creamy mouthfeel comes through, if not authentically.
Stouts in particular, with their chocolate and coffee notes, handle the weightier, creamier feel quite well. Nutty English Ales become a thing of beauty when the cream is added to their subtle flavor notes. But remember that the creaminess comes from science: it is not actual cream, it does not mean that the Stout on a nitro tap is a meal, it is not higher in calories than it would be if it were on a regular tap. It may seem like a meal because of the perceived milkshake mouthfeel, but it does not have any more calories because it is heavy in nitrogen bubbles.
Nitro taps drive home the fact that the carbonation in a beer has a huge effect on the flavor and entire taste experience of a beer. Try a Guinness on a creamer faucet next to a Guinness from a regular bottle; compare the experience and marvel at science.
Our domestic American Stouts tend to have a bold coffee flavor with chocolate notes. They can stand apart from other Stouts by using
American-bred hops, which have a piney, citrusy, resiny flavor. Breweries may add some oats to these Stouts as well. They range anywhere from 5% to 7% ABV.
And last, for dessert, we have Chocolate Stouts. These have become quite popular among craft brewers, extending the natural chocolate flavors dark malt can give a Stout by adding actual chocolate. This can be of the sweeter variety or in the form of a cacao powder or bitter baking chocolate. A Chocolate Stout after a meal can be heaven. Similarly, brewers have been putting coffee into Stouts for some time as well. They can be an interesting ride, with the alcohol and caffeine giving you a nice freak-out. Both Stouts and Porters stand up well to these additions, and even spices like vanilla can show up in these styles. Succumb to some of these Stouts:
SHAKESPEARE STOUT: Rogue Ales Brewery, Newport, Oregon. Roasted chocolate and coffee, sweet and bitter. 6% ABV.
BARNEY FLATS OATMEAL STOUT: Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boonville, California. Bold coffee, resiny bitterness. 5.7% ABV.
BELL’S KALAMAZOO STOUT: Bell’s Brewery Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bittersweet chocolate, licorice, burnt sugar. 6.5% ABV.
MACKESON TRIPEL XXX STOUT: Whitbread PLC, London, UK. Rich caramel character and smooth hops. 4.9% ABV.
YOUNG’S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STOUT: Wells & Young’s Ltd., Bedford, UK. Sweet, rich, dark chocolate milkshake flavors; a perfect dessert. 5.2% ABV.
SHAKESPEARE STOUT: Rogue Ales Brewery, Newport, Oregon. Roasted chocolate and coffee, sweet and bitter. 6% ABV.BARNEY FLATS OATMEAL STOUT: Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boonville, California. Bold coffee, resiny bitterness. 5.7% ABV.BELL’S KALAMAZOO STOUT: Bell’s Brewery Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bittersweet chocolate, licorice, burnt sugar. 6.5% ABV.MACKESON TRIPEL XXX STOUT: Whitbread PLC, London, UK. Rich caramel character and smooth hops. 4.9% ABV.YOUNG’S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STOUT: Wells & Young’s Ltd., Bedford, UK. Sweet, rich, dark chocolate milkshake flavors; a perfect dessert. 5.2% ABV.All right, Sophomore, hit the showers. Actually, no, hit the pub. Get specific and try some of these darker brews. Embrace the varied and international flavors of beer. We find that once beer lovers cross this threshold and find a roasty, toasty beer they can love, their apprehension dissipates and they are game for anything. Perhaps this is because dark beer suffers the most stereotypes. But once male and female drinkers alike find the nuance of flavor in beers that aren’t pale in the glass, they feel altogether well-educated in brew. So take hold of this confidence. Down a Dunkel or a Stout, wink at the Neophytes, and keep on the fast track to graduation. Who says you can’t be a beer sommelier?
FIVE
The Devout
But if at church they would give some ale.
And a pleasant fire our souls to regale.
We’d sing and we’d pray all the live long day,
Nor ever once from the church to stray.
And a pleasant fire our souls to regale.
We’d sing and we’d pray all the live long day,
Nor ever once from the church to stray.
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