NYTimes.com Article: Loving Stout for All the Right Reasons

This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by mbehrendt(a)mn.rr.com. An interesting article in yesterday's NY Times. //Mike mbehrendt(a)mn.rr.com /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ Loving Stout for All the Right Reasons September 17, 2003 By FRANK J. PRIAL SOLEMNLY and with not a bit of Irish guile, the Guinness people in Dublin will tell you that each day of the year, through feast and famine, war and pestilence, 10 million glasses of their rich, dark stout are consumed around the globe. A good, round number that, and at a recent tasting of stouts, including Guinness, it set us, the members of the Dining section's tasting panel, to wondering whether we had raised that day's Guinness total to 10,000,004. Stout is one of the world's most popular drinks. Guinness alone is brewed in 51 countries, and Americans are among its most avid fans; only in England, Ireland and Nigeria is more of it downed. Stout was popular with the panel, too. "This was enjoyable," said Eric Asimov, one of our regular panelists, after the tasting of 17 canned or bottled brands. "It's easier to accumulate world-class beer than wines." Amanda Hesser and I, the other regulars, agreed, as did our guest, Richard Scholz, an owner of Bierkraft in Park Slope, Brooklyn, which carries 650 beers. He called stouts "lots of fun, with a wide range of flavors." I thought they were full flavored, lively and assertive, and that they could be enjoyed alone, with food or, in some cases, as a pleasing after-dinner drink. The stouts ranged from relatively light to robust; since our tasting started at 11 a.m., Ms. Hesser said that tasting the heftier ones was "like drinking your breakfast." When it was over, alas, Guinness's overwhelming presence in the market cut no ice with us. We tried 17 stouts, from England, Ireland, the United States, Japan and Australia. Guinness Extra did not make our top 10. Then again, maybe we did not do it justice. What was most available in several New York City supermarkets and at the Manhattan beer distributorship from which we bought our stout was Guinness Extra, brewed in Toronto. Guinness coming out of taps, maybe from other breweries, particularly in Dublin, may indeed be an entirely different ballgame. Stout, for the uninitiated, is a dark, hefty, complex ale that is made in a multitude of styles, from dry and bitter to thick and sweet, and has a distinct roasty quality. Its dark color, almost black in some instances, dark ruby in others, comes from brewing with dark, roasted unmalted barley. Its alcohol content ranges from a modest 4 percent up to a heavy 10 percent, and its flavors can resemble strong coffee, even espresso, and chocolate. The styles are so diverse that Mr. Scholz, for one, thought they should not all be compared in one tasting. Some of them, he noted, were even winey, and like good wine, he said, "good beer can age, especially those with over 6 percent alcohol." Though stout is served at different temperatures in different parts of the world, Mr. Scholz recommends serving it at cellar temperature, 40 to 50 degrees. Two stouts in our tasting scored three and a half stars. Our favorite, from England, was a Samuel Smith Imperial, 12 ounces, $2.25 a bottle. Imperials are high-alcohol drinks that emulate the stouts that were made for the market in czarist Russia and other countries on the Baltic. Mr. Scholz said the imperial stouts were made stronger and hoppier to survive the trip from England to Russia; they can be 9 percent alcohol. Mr. Asimov said the Smith Imperial had a winey quality, meaning complex, almost fruity flavors. Mr. Scholz, too, picked up the winey element and called it sweet and chocolaty. Ms. Hesser likened it to sake. I, too, found it fruity, with an intriguing floral component. Also garnering three and a half stars was an Oregon entry called Rogue Shakespeare Stout, 22 ounces, $5. This was Mr. Scholz's favorite; he liked the contrast between bitter and sweet tastes. Two three-star winners were oatmeal stouts: a Samuel Smith and a Young's. Popular in the 19th century, oatmeal stouts have made a comeback in recent years. Added sparingly to the fermenting brew, oatmeal gives a special creamy texture to the beer. Besides, who now remembers Dr. Johnson's infamous definition? "Oats: a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people." Samuel Smith, a Yorkshire brewery, is credited with reintroducing oatmeal stout around 1980. Its version, 18.7 ounces, $4, was "rich and delicious," according to Mr. Asimov. Young's Oatmeal Stout, 16 ounces, $3.25, was called smoky and clean by Mr. Scholz and Ms. Hesser. A controversial stout was an Imperial Extra Double Stout from A. Le Coq, from England, at 11.2 ounces and $5.50. We all gave it different scores; Ms. Hesser gave it no stars, and Mr. Scholz handed it three, saying it deserved its own separate category and needed time to mature. I should mention that tasting stout from bottles and cans is akin to tasting vegetables from cans. There is no substitute for the real thing. In this case, the real thing is a pint pulled by a skilled bartender at a tavern where the stock is replenished daily. Brewers are painfully aware of this. Shake some of these cans before opening, and you will hear a faint clicking noise. This is a marble-size container of nitrogen gas that is released into the beer when the can is opened, creating a gush of foam that is meant to replicate what happens when stout is drawn from a keg or tap. It's amusing, but it isn't the same. One more aside. The panelists, who usually sniff, sip and spit out wine, learned that there is one major difference between wine and beer tastings. "Beer guys don't spit," Mr. Scholz said. "Beer tasters swallow." Tasting Report: Ales That Are Complex and Winey, Too Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, $2.25, England, 12 oz. *** 1/2 One of the best, said Frank J. Prial, almost fruity with a floral component. Eric Asimov agreed, calling it rich and elegant. Amanda Hesser said it reminded her of sake. Richard Scholz called it sweet and chocolaty. Rogue Shakespeare Stout, Oregon, $5, 22 oz. *** 1/2 The favorite of Scholz, who liked its contrast of bitter and sweet. Dark, creamy and classic, Asimov said. Prial liked the complexity, and Hesser found it straightforward with flavors of molasses, bread and tobacco. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, $4, England, 18.7 oz. *** Asimov detected creamy oatmeal flavors. Hesser called the nose concentrated and fruity, but said she would have trouble drinking much of it. Prial found it complex with a sweet finish. Scholz said it lacked some of classic stout's roastiness. Young's Oatmeal Stout, England, $3.25, 16 oz. *** What stout should be, Scholz said. Hesser called it smoky and clean, and Prial found chocolate tones. Asimov tasted chocolate, too, and coffee. Old Rasputin Stout, California, $1.75, 12 oz. ** 1/2 A big beer with big flavors, Scholz said. Prial found sweetness, fruitiness, chocolate and depth. But Hesser said it had too much of everything, and Asimov thought that though complex, the sweetness was too much. Sierra Nevada Stout, California, $1.50, 12 oz. ** 1/2 Complex but balanced, Asimov said. Hesser called it light but hefty in flavor. Prial found good things, but in a lighter package. For Scholz, it was not roasty enough. Hitachino Nest Beer Lacto Sweet Stout, Japan, $8, 24.3 oz. ** 1/2 This split the panel. Hesser found it odd but likable. Asimov called it a dessert stout, tasting chocolate-covered cherries. Prial didn't like it, and Scholz said it was not stout-like. Barney Flats Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout, California, $1.60, 12 oz. ** Enjoyable flavors of caramel and toasty chocolate, Hesser said. Scholz and Asimov found it very sweet. Prial called it correct. Cooper's Best Extra Stout, Australia, $1.65, 12 oz. ** Another split decision. Prial and Asimov liked its coffee flavor. Scholz, though, said he was not a coffee drinker, and Hesser found an ash flavor. A. Le Coq Imperial Extra Double Stout, England 2001, $5.50, 11.2 oz. ** Bizarre - so much going on, said Asimov. Prial, too, found it odd. Hesser dismissed it as awful, but Scholz said it simply needed time. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/17/dining/17WINE.html?ex=1064901089&ei=1… --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! 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