When I drink beer I drink stouts, so I decided to organize my thoughts while I expanded a bit. Hopefully these are useful to somebody.
Guinness It’s hard to critique Guinness for some of the things it does wrong or could do better because it doesn’t have any real competition. Guinness is the only really universally available stout; the kind of thing you can find at any bar or grocery store. From the perspective of a high-distribution beer, it does very well. It doesn’t have the complexity or separation of flavors that a Samuel Smith’s or an Old Rasputin has, but the taste is still good, and has all of the things you would expect from a stout. It is also extremely drinkable, which is a definite plus. Very smooth mouthfeel. Guinness is the only beer on this list I would call casual in the sense that you could buy a six-pack and toss them all back no problem. PS Guinness is ALWAYS better on draught.
Guinness Extra Stout
Not altogether too different from Guinness, it adds some flavor and complexity without approaching the levels of bitterness in an Imperial. I’d recommend it as an easy stepping-stone to more complex stouts, especially if Guinness is starting to feel a little bland.
Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout
This was my first non-Guinness stout. The oatmeal flavors are prevalent but are well balanced. Flavor and mouthfeel aren’t too heavy, which is often a problem with oatmeal stouts. This is an extremely solid stout, and if you’re looking to find out what an oatmeal stout is like it’s a perfect starting point. It's really
the oatmeal stout.
Samuel Smith’s Russian Imperial Stout
My first imperial stout, this remains one of my highest in terms of flavor:drinkability ratio, where drinkability refers to primarily mouthfeel. In this case it doesn’t fill the mouth in the way many darker stouts tend to. I’d describe it as a drier stout; it flows smoothly, components well balanced without any standing out in any particular way. This might be a good first step towards imperials for those looking to move past Guinness.
North Coast Brewing Company Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
This is in my experience the “stoutiest” stout. It is the darkest, most bitter, most complex beer I’ve tasted. Not for the faint of heart or light of tongue. If Samuel Smith’s Russian Imperial is 72% cacao dark chocolate, this is the 95% stuff. It is not necessarily an easy drink, and you certainly wouldn’t want to be pounding these back. This is a brew for sipping and enjoying. The extremity of the flavor also makes it excellent for cooking. I’ve used it to deglaze a pan for a steak sauce and as part of a butter-beer injection for my family’s Thanksgiving turkey. One of my absolute favorites.
Green Flash Double Stout
Label says Big, Bold & Complex, but the first thing I notice is that the flavor is very one-note, in this case being bitter. In that sense it is absolutely still very Big and Bold, as it’s ratcheted the bitter concentration up to the point where it obscures the other flavors. Unfortunately this is the same issue I have with chocolate and milk stouts – the complexity is what I enjoy, so to reduce the flavor to one note is to ruin the stout. Mouthfeel is nearly syrupy. Overall wouldn’t recommend, except for possible use cooking with sweet meats. Gonna be honest and say I didn’t finish this one.
Founders Brewing Breakfast Stout (Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout)
The extended name essentially lists every flavor present, but by far the most prevalent is oatmeal, as expected from a breakfast stout. Complexity of flavor takes a bit of a hit for the same reason, though not too bad. Mouthfeel is good; this is a very drinkable stout, doesn’t expand when it hits the tongue. Very long aftertaste to this one. Similar overall to the Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout. I’d recommend either to anyone looking to try an oatmeal.
Founders Brewing Imperial Stout
My impression on first swig is that this is quite smooth for an imperial. Second thought is that unfortunately that smoothness is quickly revealed to be fairly simplistic. It’s as if someone made an imperial-flavored beer more so than brewing one from scratch. For as much as I enjoyed Founders’ Breakfast offering this was a disappointment. Mouthfeel is fairly similar to the Green Flash Double Stout, which is absolutely not a compliment. Also didn’t finish this one.
Chocolate stouts, mocha stouts, coffee stouts, etc. weren't reviewed because I don't like them.