Dry Irish Stout

Guinness Draught

Guinness Ltd. ABV: 4.2%

There’s not much else we can add to the Guinness mythology. It’s a creamy delight from night to morning—try dropping a few depth charges of espresso into your next brunch pint. The cagey Guinness cats will not fess up to this fact, but the beer’s signature twang allegedly comes from blending in about 3 percent sour beer aged in ancient oaken vats crawling with all manner of flora and fauna. Fact? Fiction? Who cares, if the beer tastes great?

Dark Starr Stout

Starr Hill Brewery ABV: 4.2%

If you ever find yourself cruising along the Virginia coast, we heartily recommend that you seek out the closest beer store and buy as much Starr Hill as you can find. Brewmaster Mark Thompson navigates the lower depths of alcohol with flavorful aplomb, devising sub–5 percent ABV delights that include Dark Starr, which has won nearly as many medals as Michael Phelps. Starr drinks like cashmere coated in coffee grounds (in a good way) and crushed dark chocolate.