All-American Stouts

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2007 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Drew Beechum

The darkness of night terrifies us. The monsters in the closet or under the bed come alive, snaking out
to drag us into their nightmare world.

Instead, imagine the inky night found camping in the mountains. As the glare of city lights fades to a
vague pink haze, it is there in the darkness that we finally see the multitude of stars burning brightly
above. The white collar of the Milky Way rings our view. Wind shushes through the pines, wafting a
spicy and earthy scent past our supine forms locked in meditation on the day and dreaming of the
morning’s coffee.

This is exactly how I picture the American Stout experience: dark and bracing with pine and citrus
tinged American hops, the bitter acidic espresso character of roasted barley and as clean and crisp as
the night air.

Comparing American stouts with the other stouts of the world, the American brash nature blasts like
a klaxon alarm next to their more restrained flavors…