Celebrating The Stout

A Guinness Anniversary

I am grateful this time of year as it is the time around which I discovered that, after a 10 year hiatus, that I could once again drink beer. You can read about my journey of beer discovery on the Research page of this site. That first beer was none other than Guinness Stout. I have previously posted on Guinness, both from a researching the supply chain standpoint and from the actual test. To read about the test results, see the prior Guinness post, or check out the summary table of results, which includes Guinness.

Over the years, I continue to see other sites with questions about Guinness and its suitability for consuming. As, mentioned in the Nerd Disclosure, I am not a doctor, so the intent of my site is to share information that may help you in your own journey, and not to advise on consumption. It ends up, there are a few sites with the same intent. I like low gluten.org, they use different kits, which may use different anti-bodies than what Beer Science uses. You can review which kits I used for testing on the Test Kit page.

Other Fine Stouts

Okay, so I don’t mean to diminish the brilliance of these libations by referring to them as “Other” Stouts, they are fine stouts to be sure. I am fascinated by how very different they are in taste and, notably in ABV. For instance, Guinness is 4.2% ABV, really low, yet Sierra Nevada’s Narwhal is over 10%. Ends up they are two different styles since, among other reasons, one is Imperial and the other is not.

The two I chose to test are Imperial; one is barrel-aged which changes a number of the beer’s characteristics resulting in an entirely different drinking experience. So to be fair, you really can’t compare the styles, so I will just test them and hope that I can drink them! I chose to test Sierra Nevada’s Narwhal and North Coast’s Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Both brewing companies have a wide distribution, so you can easily find their products in grocery stores, etc. I tried to find Sierra Nevada’s original stout, but could not find any in Portland, OR.

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

North Coast Brewing Co, produces Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout and is based out of Fort Brag, Ca. Established, 1988, North Coast has a significant distribution with availability in 48 US states and export to Europe and the Pacific Rim.

A multi-year award winning brew, Old Rasputin has been produced for many years by North Coast. North Coast produces special batches of Old Rasputin to barrel-age. Regular Old Rasputin is not barrel-aged, but due to the heavy style, still carries a high ABV of 9%.

Test Results

I was excited to find that this passed my testing. If you haven’t read my posts before, you can read about the test kit and how to read results on the Testing Kit page. But in general, if there are lines over the C and the O and no line over the T, the tests is negative.

I tasted it. This stout is luscious, rich, there is a tanginess, but its sweet. I would have this beer for dessert. Interesting discovery: my test procedure requires I bring the liquids to room temperature before testing. I must say, this stout is significantly more flavorful at room temp than a chilled version of it. If you do imbibe, do yourself a solid, take a small taste when you bring it out of the fridge, then let it sit for 30-45 minutes before pouring, and marvel at all the flavors that emerge.

Narwhal Imperial Stout

Narwhal Imperial Stout is produced by Sierra Nevada. It’s a seasonal brew, so while it is widely distributed, it only appears on shelves in Winter. That said, Sierra Nevada recommends it as a great candidate for Cellar in that it improves over time.

Malts used in this high ABV (10.2%) treat are Two-row Pale, Caramelized malts, Chocolate, Carafa III, Honey, Roasted Barley. Hops used are Challenger and Magnum. It uses Ale Yeast.

Test Results for Narwhal were favorable for me, meaning negative. See Pic below. This kit was a little harder to read, but using jeweler’s glasses (massive magnification), I verified there was no sign of a line over the T.

I drank it, It is smooth, fairly flavorful, a little syrupy at room temp. I like this one better chilled than not. And I referred to it as a “treat” for a reason: it is not only a high ABV at 10.2%, but also packs 344 calories for a 12oz. Yowzer.

Don’t forget to check out the summary table of beers I have tested on the Test Outcomes page!

This month of December, I am continuing to celebrate the stout, and some porters. I will be back before the New Year with more on that!