New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
5 Guinness alternatives brewed in CT to try on St. Patrick's Day
Every March when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around even those who don’t normally drink stouts are often drawn to the unofficial patron saint of stouts and Irish beer: Guinness.
I love a good Guinness as much — if not more — than the next person, and I’m a firm believer it is one of the quintessential beers produced by humans.
But this St. Patrick’s Day, when you find yourself craving Guinness, consider trying some Connecticut-brewed stouts instead.
Many of these beers have similar flavors to Guinness, but because they are made in small batches with high-quality ingredients, they can be richer tasting and more intense in a good way.
But before we get to these alternates, a quick lesson in terminology. Guinness is carbonated by nitrogen instead of the standard CO2 used for the majority of beers. This gives it a creamier feel and its signature cascade after being poured.
Several of the Connecticut stouts I am drawn to when I’m looking for a Guinness replacement are milk stouts, which means they are made with lactose (milk sugar), which does not ferment during the brewing process, leaving some of its sweetness intact in the finished beer.
When I get a good milk stout from a nitro pour it reminds me of everything I like about Guinness only sweeter and more creamy. Here are some Connecticut-made stouts to try. Just note that not all these beers are available yearround so check each brewery’s tap-list on social media to ensure availability.
Beer: Cattle Call Brewery: New Sylum Brewing Co., Newtown
The secret to a good milk stout is not to make it too sweet, says Mark Tambascio, manager and founding partner of New Sylum. “You have to use lactose sparingly,” he says. “You want that silky mouthfeel you get from use of flaked oats to balance well with roast malts.”
Cattle Call uses six different malts to accomplish this. It is available at the brewery on a nitro pour as well as to-go cans with standard CO2 carbonation. The nitro version gives it an extra velvety feel that will be familiar to Guinness fans.
Beer: Horseshoe Stout Brewery: The Brewery at Maple View Farm, Granby
Some breweries add coffee or chocolate and other ingredients to their milk stout, but for the Horseshoe Stout here, the team keeps it more traditional without sacrificing any flavor.
“I’m super proud of the amazing roast and chocolate flavor we get from just malt,” says Kate Bogli. “We don’t add any coffee or chocolate to this beer, yet it is super roasty and chocolatey. Plus the mouthfeel is like velvet.”
The beer is available on nitro exclusively at the farm, but it is worth the trip for stout lovers, and it doesn’t hurt that the farm has a beautiful setting.
Beer: Quake n’ Bake Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Black Hog Brewing Co., Oxford Black Hog Brewing Co. was one of the earliest breweries in the state to start offering beers on nitro tap lines. Currently, the brewery is featuring nitro pours of the Quake n’ Bake Oatmeal Stout. A traditional oatmeal stout made with flaked oats from Thrall Family Malt, a Connecticut malt house.
“It’s smooth and easy to drink off our nitro tap,” says Tyler Jone, head brewer at Black Hog. Another nitro offering to watch for from Black Hog is the Granola Brown, an award-winning American Style Brown Ale.
Beer: Coffee Breath Brewery: New England Brewing Co., Woodbridge
No roundup of Connecticut beer is complete without a mention of an offering from New England Brewing Co., and this in-your-face stout is a personal favorite. Though boozier and more intense than Guinness, it definitely is celebratory.
The beer features five different roasts of malt and has a rich and creamy mouthfeel that is topped off with Dominican and Sumatran coffee from One World Roasters. With its 8.4 ABV, it will keep you toasting St. Patrick’s Day from the very first sip.
Beer: Sweet Stout Brewery: Brewery Legitimus, New Hartford
Chris Sayer, head brewer and co-owner of Brewery Legitimus, makes this milk stout every winter. Using lactose in the beer allows it to “maintain a little more sweetness,” he says.
Sayer would like to offer more stouts year-round, but it is difficult to do as the consumer demand is not there. Many assume incorrectly that all stouts are high in calories and alcohol, Sayer says, and that’s part of the reason people drink less of them these days.
He hopes that consumer preference might soon evolve. “People’s tastes are always changing. Fifteen years ago, everything was Belgian. You couldn’t sell Saison fast enough,” he says. “Maybe in five years, or maybe next year, people will say, ‘Oh what stout do you have?’”