13 Aug Three Popular Indiana Stouts that Define the Definition
By Andrew Dickey for Indiana On Tap
Stouts are certainly a major player in craft beer history, and it’s a legacy to its history in Europe. My early visits to brewpubs back in the 90s always found a stout featured on most of the beer menus. Now I’m picking three outstanding stouts made in Indiana, not counting coffee or oatmeal stouts, as they will be covered separately.
I like stouts a lot and researched all the Indiana made ones I could. I tried a Pina Colada Stout from Hoosier Brewing that was fascinating and something I recommend, but not something I could drink on a regular basis. I have had Coconut Stouts, Creme Brûlée Stouts, and even Habanero-Cinnemon Stouts, but I would like to get back to the basics of the Stout for this piece, and that will require a little background.
Stouts and Porters were originally the same style with the strongest evolving into “Stout Beers!” Guinness use this as a selling point which is humorous today since Dry Irish Stouts are light in body and hardly heavy in ABV! Stouts became most robust in the 18th century when a style was made stronger to endure the long trip to the Baltics. This beer style became favored by the Russian Imperial Court, and that is where we get the name of this style. In the 1970s, the stout as we know it was basically reinvented during the first wave of craft brewing. It didn’t take long for a variety of stout styles to be brewed, and today you can probably find more kinds of stouts than most people have time to try.
Today, I am going to discuss the three stouts I think are among some of the best that are made here in Indiana. There were a lot of stouts to choose from, and that by itself is exciting. Across the state, dark beer is being brewed with excellence! With 20 years of stout drinking under my belt, I feel qualified to have an opinion. The following three beers are amazing and I hope you find my choices favorable.
The first stout I’m choosing is Upland’s Teddy Bear Kisses. It’s a Russian Imperial Stout, clocks in at 10.2 % ABV, and is one of their rotating releases. It has lots of chocolate in the taste,and aroma, with a little bit of sweetness. It is thick, and the heavy malts create a lot of flavor. There are hints of fruit present, and for me, it’s raisins or dates. It’s all very roasty and one of the “stoutest” beers made in Indiana.
18 th Street Brewing has turned heads with their Hunter Stout series, and it has been on my radar since I tried it at their Gary taproom last April. It’s 8% ABV and includes cocoa nibs and lactose. It’s a chocolate milk stout through and through. It has a creamy feel to it that goes beyond the smoothness. There are hints of roasted vanilla, and moderate nuttiness. The bitterness of the chocolate also finishes well with the hops. All in all, a phenomenal stout.
For my third and final stout, I am picking a beer made in Indiana that might be the best known nationally. 3 Floyd’s Dark Lord is one of the most sought after beers in this country, available one day only each April, on a day known as Dark Lord Day (at the brewery in Munster). I’m sure everyone is familiar with this Russian Imperial Stout, but maybe you haven’t tried it. It’s 15% ABV, and like the brewers say, it defies description. If you get to try it, you will see for yourself that it is big, rich, and robust. And because of its limited nature, it’s a rare beer, and I beg you to never pass down a chance to try it! I have been fortunate, and loved every drop I tried!
I realize I went big with my choices for three of Indiana’s best Stouts. But if stout means big, then I certainly stayed true. I picked three awesome stouts and I hope you get to try all three of them at some point.
Agree with me? Disagree? Let me know. I’d love to know what stouts I need to add to my list for next time.
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