Black in Red

I live more or less between two breweries, Yuengling and Stoudt’s. Each produces a fine assortment of beers. In the thick of winter, when the evenings are cold and dark, I prefer to enjoy beers that match the season. On top of that, I like them to be heavy and sweet. I bear no grudge against Guinness. It is, after all, an icon of alcoholic beverages. It’s uniqueness is paramount, but sometimes it’s nice to have a thick and dark pint that’s a bit more like typical beer. For my taste, you can’t beat this selection of red labeled, tasty beverages.


Yuengling Porter is a gem. I’m sure it’s a bit hard to find outside of the region, but a few local establishments have it on tap. This beer has a more popular incarnation as half of a Yuengling Black & Tan. It’s a premixed counterpart to the Guinness - Harp tradition.


Fat Dog (Imperial Oatmeal Stout) from Stoudt’s (that can get confusing) is also recommended. Probably even harder to find than Porter, it almost resembles candy flavored coffee when you smell it. And it goes down just as smooth. I have to admit, I’m probably only partial to this one because I have an overweight black Labrador at home.


Mackeson Triple Stout is the best of the bunch. I used to frequent a pub that had bottles of this stuff and it was my bread and butter for a long time. The last time I was there the bartender claimed to have never even heard of it. I even had to petition my local take out place to invest in it. I could hardly complain when he charged me $15 for a six pack because that might have been the only one he sold. By the time I finished it, spring had rolled around and this is not what I would call a warm weather beverage.

Photos lifted from Flickr