Stay48's 10 Favorite Stouts: A February Field Note to Beer's Darkest Art
February belongs to stout. While the rest of the beer world shivers through another pale ale crisis or argues about hazy IPAs, stout drinkers know this is our month—the perfect marriage of winter's lingering cold and the promise of spring that makes a pint of something dark and substantial feel like both comfort and celebration.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we mark the occasion with Fort George's Dark Arts Festival in Astoria, Oregon—arguably the biggest and baddest gathering of stout excellence on the continent. By the way, tickets sell out in mere seconds of going on sale. It's the kind of event where barrel-aged behemoths stand shoulder-to-shoulder with sessionable Irish darks, where pastry stout zealots debate traditionalists over wooden tables sticky with imperial goodness, and where everyone agrees that February is when stout makes the most sense.
But which stouts, exactly? In a landscape cluttered with limited releases, brewery-only drops, and beers so hyped they've achieved mythical status despite being genuinely impossible to find, how do you build a credible, defensible list of your favorite stouts in the world?
You do the work.
Our 10 Favorite Stouts (In No Particular Order)
Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
Founders Brewing Co. | Grand Rapids, Michigan
Imperial Stout | 12.4% ABV
Why it made the list:
KBS is the Platonic ideal of barrel-aged stout—coffee-forward, bourbon-kissed, rich without being cloying, and complex enough to justify its cult status. But here's the thing: unlike most cult stouts, you can actually find KBS. It's released annually in February (perfect timing), widely distributed, and consistently excellent. It's won medals, inspired imitators, and remains the gold standard for what bourbon barrel-aged stout should taste like.
Ideal drinking scenario: Slowly, fireside, while pretending you're not checking your phone.
Availability: Annual release (February), widely distributed across the U.S.
Guinness Draught
Guinness | Dublin, Ireland
Dry Irish Stout | 4.2% ABV
Why it made the list:
Yes, Guinness. And no, I'm not trolling. Guinness Draught is the most important stout in history, the most consumed, the most imitated, and—when fresh from a well-maintained tap—genuinely delicious. It's sessionable, balanced, roasty without bitterness, and proof that stout doesn't need 14% ABV and adjunct chaos to be great. It's a masterclass in restraint and consistency, and if you're building a "best stouts" list without it, you're not serious.
Ideal drinking scenario: At an Irish pub. Or your couch. Or literally anywhere. It's Guinness.
Availability: Year-round, everywhere.
Bell's Expedition Stout
Bell's Brewery | Kalamazoo, Michigan
Russian Imperial Stout | 10.5% ABV
Why it made the list:
Bell's Expedition is the bridge between classic imperial stout and modern American intensity. Rich, chewy, deeply roasted, with dark fruit, molasses, and warming alcohol that never veers into fusel territory. Released annually since 2009, it's become a winter tradition for a reason. It's won multiple GABF medals and remains one of the most reliable, widely available imperial stouts in America.
Ideal drinking scenario: Shared with one other person and a good story.
Availability: Annual release (October–December), widely distributed in the U.S.
Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
Left Hand Brewing | Longmont, Colorado
Sweet/Milk Stout | 6% ABV
Why it made the list:
This is the beer that made milk stout mainstream again. Creamy, sweet but not saccharine, chocolatey, and ridiculously drinkable thanks to nitrogen conditioning that gives it a silky mouthfeel rivaling Guinness. It's won multiple GABF medals, earned a permanent spot in grocery stores nationwide, and introduced a generation of drinkers to stout as dessert-friendly rather than challenging. It's approachable, consistent, and genuinely good.
Ideal drinking scenario: With chocolate cake. Or as chocolate cake.
Availability: Year-round, widely available in bottles/cans nationwide.
Firestone Walker Parabola
Firestone Walker | Paso Robles, California
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout | 12.5% ABV
Why it made the list:
Parabola is everything a barrel-aged imperial stout should be: bourbon-soaked, intensely roasty, laced with vanilla and oak, but balanced enough that you don't need a spreadsheet to appreciate it. First released in 2009, it's become Firestone Walker's dark flagship and a benchmark for California barrel-aging prowess. It's distributed widely enough to find without heroics, released annually, and consistently excellent.
Ideal drinking scenario: Split between two people who have nowhere to be tomorrow.
Availability: Annual release (spring), distributed in 22oz bottles across much of the U.S.
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Samuel Smith | Tadcaster, England
Oatmeal Stout | 5% ABV
Why it made the list:
This is the stout your cool uncle introduced you to before you knew what craft beer was. Brewed using traditional Yorkshire Square fermentation, it's silky, slightly sweet, with coffee and chocolate notes and a creamy mouthfeel from the oats. It's been around since 1980, which makes it older than most of the breweries on this list. It's a living piece of brewing history, widely available, affordable, and proof that some classics don't need reinvention.
Ideal drinking scenario: When you want to feel refined without trying too hard.
Availability: Year-round, widely available in the U.S. and UK.
Deschutes Obsidian Stout
Deschutes Brewery | Bend, Oregon
American Stout | 6.4% ABV
Why it made the list:
Obsidian is the Pacific Northwest's answer to what an American stout should be: bold, roasty, espresso-forward, but balanced enough to drink more than one. It's been in Deschutes' year-round lineup since 1993, which means it's survived decades of trend cycles and still holds its own. GABF gold (2007). t's the kind of beer that reminds you great stout doesn't need a gimmick.
Ideal drinking scenario: After a hike. Or instead of a hike.
Availability: Year-round, available across the western U.S.
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
North Coast Brewing | Fort Bragg, California
Russian Imperial Stout | 9% ABV
Why it made the list:
Old Rasputin is the gateway imperial stout—intense enough to impress, accessible enough to not terrify newcomers. Roasty, espresso-bitter, with dark fruit and molasses complexity, it's been a staple since 1995. It's won GABF medals, inspired countless imitators, and remains shockingly affordable for a beer of this caliber. If you're new to big stouts, start here.
Ideal drinking scenario: When you want to feel like a Russian novelist without the despair.
Availability: Year-round, widely available in 12oz bottles nationwide.
Fremont Dark Star
Fremont Brewing | Seattle, Washington
Imperial Oatmeal Stout | 10.5% ABV
Why it made the list:
Dark Star is Fremont's love letter to both imperial stout tradition and Grateful Dead lovers alike—a rich, velvety imperial oatmeal stout with layers of chocolate, espresso, and dark fruit complexity. The oats add a silky mouthfeel that makes this dangerously drinkable for its weight class. Multiple GABF medals. It's released annually and distributed primarily in the Pacific Northwest, making it obtainable without requiring a ticket to the next Dead & Company tour—though it wouldn't hurt the vibe.
Ideal drinking scenario: When you want to contemplate the space between stars, or just really good beer.
Availability: Annual release (winter), primarily Pacific Northwest distribution.
Sierra Nevada Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing | Chico, California
American Stout | 5.8% ABV
Why it made the list:
Sierra Nevada doesn't get enough credit for its stout. Maybe because it's overshadowed by Pale Ale, or maybe because it's straightforward in an era of pastry stout chaos. But this is classic American stout done right—roasty, coffee-forward, dry, with just enough bitterness to keep things interesting. It's been around since the 1980s, widely available, affordable, and proof that sometimes "simple" is the hardest thing to do well.
Ideal drinking scenario: When you want a stout but don't want to commit to a stout.
Availability: Year-round, nationwide distribution.
Honorable Mentions
Fort George Cavatica Stout— The undisputed "obsidian commander" of the Astoria scene; it's a massive, 8.8% ABV American Double Stout that tastes like dark chocolate and espresso, famously named after the spider from Charlotte’s Web.
Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout – Still excellent, but availability has become spottier and hype has inflated expectations.
The Bruery Black Tuesday – Phenomenal, but limited release and high price knock it down a peg.
Stone Imperial Russian Stout – A classic, but less consistent in recent years.
Oskar Blues Ten FIDY – Solid imperial stout, just edged out by Bell's and North Coast.
AleSmith Speedway Stout – Coffee-forward excellence, but slightly harder to find than others on this list.
Dragon's Milk – Very good bourbon barrel-aged stout, just a notch below KBS and Parabola.
Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb! – Hugely popular, but consistency questions hurt its ranking.
Quick Buyer Guidance
Best stout for beginners: Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
Best classic stout: Guinness Draught
Best imperial stout: Bell's Expedition Stout
Best barrel-aged stout: Founders KBS
Best readily available stout: Sierra Nevada Stout
February is stout month. Whether you're braving Astoria's Dark Arts Festival or just cracking a bottle at home, this is the season to explore beer's darkest, richest, most comforting corner. These ten stouts represent the best of what that corner has to offer—balanced, credible, and defensible.
And if you disagree? Well, that's why February lasts 28 days. Plenty of time to prove us wrong, one pint at a time.
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