It's March again, which means that for at least one day right around the middle of the month, millions of people across the globe will turn their backs on their ordinary golden lager or pale ale and choose instead a pitch black potation known as stout. They will do this largely because: a) Despite having been eclipsed in sales by lager, stout is still viewed far and wide as the beer of Ireland, and hence the beer of St. Patrick's Day; and b) Massive amounts of marketing money will tell them to do so.

     (Personally, I'll be spending March 17 in Seattle sampling barleywines at Brouwer's Café's Hard Liver Barleywine Festival, but that's just the way I am.)

     The irony is that many of those selfsame stout converts-for-a-day won't actually be enjoying their pints. At least that's the way I figure it, or else they would be drinking the porters, stouts, oatmeal stouts and Imperial stouts more at other times of the year, rather than just at mid-March.

     For those who want to partake of the black stuff but don't necessarily find it to their taste, then, I offer the deep, dark secret of stout: It's a great mixer! Yes, a mixer, as in complement to other beverages in the same glass. Don't believe me? Have your local barkeep fix you up with one of the following concoctions crafted with stout and sip in silent pleasure while your disbelief melts away.

     One tip, though: Don't try this at the packed-to-the-rafters Irish-style pub at 8:00 p.m. on the 17th. That would be just asking for trouble.

A Six-Pack of Stout Cocktails

Any Port in a Storm
Named for the impressive and intense Imperial stout of Pennsylvania's Victory Brewing, Storm King, but malleable enough to be made with any rich and malty Imperial stout. Try it as a most attractive and enjoyable nightcap.

2 oz. late bottle vintage port (eg: Taylor Fladgate LBV Port)
12 oz. Imperial stout (eg: Victory Storm King, North Coast Old Rasputin)

In a 16 oz. glass, pour the port and top with the full bottle of stout, allowing a generous head to rise.

Black Forest Cake
Dessert in a glass!

1 oz. Chambord Royale de France liqueur
12 oz. rich and roasty stout (eg: St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Rogue Shakespeare Stout)

In a large glass, combine the Chambord and stout. Sip slowly.

Irish Black & Tan
This is an Irish variation of the Bourbon Black & Tan I created for beerbistro in Toronto, which turned out to be for a time the chef's favourite after-shift drink.

1 oz. Irish whiskey (eg: Kilbeggan, Bushmills)
6 oz. oatmeal stout (eg: Wolaver's Organic Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout)
6 oz. brown ale (eg: Brooklyn Brown Ale, Bridgeport Beertown Brown)

Into a large glass, pour the whiskey and top with stout and brown ale. Adjust whiskey to beer ratio to taste.

Coffee and a Smoke
The relative proliferation of smoked and peated malt beers, not to mention coffee-flavoured porters and stouts, makes this recipe just that much more accessible. But let's face it, it's still a rather obscure combination, if a delicious one!

Coffee-flavoured porter or stout (eg: Kona Pipeline Poster, Mill Street Coffee Porter)
Smoked or peated malt porter or brown ale (eg: Alaskan Smoked Porter, Rogue Smoke)

Combine the two beers in equal proportions

Compass Box Cocktail
Okay, I'm the first to admit that this is one "out there" cocktail, but that doesn't change the fact that every whisky drinker I've served it to has enjoyed it tremendously! I invented this for a whisky dinner I co-hosted with the Compass Box Whisky Company's John Glaser.

1 oz. Compass Box Peat Monster (or other highly peaty malt whisky, eg: Lagavulin)
3 oz. Imperial stout
Angostura Bitters

Into an iced cocktail shaker, add the whisky, stout and three shakes of bitters. Stir very gently and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish a maraschino cherry and orange twist.

Spontaneous Sebbie
Named after the indefatigable east coast sales representative for Rogue Ales, Sebbie Buhler, whose face graces the label of the Rogue Chocolate Stout, I crafted this beauty for a beer dinner I hosted at Monk's Café in Philadelphia. We had to fool with the proportions a bit, but the end result was well worth the fiddling.

4 oz. traditional lambic kriek (eg: Cantillon Kriek, Hanssens Oude Kriek)
8 oz. chocolate stout (eg: Rogue Chocolate Stout, Young's Double Chocolate Stout)

Into a tulip-shaped glass, carefully pour the kriek and let the foam settle. Top with chocolate stout.

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