Highest-rated stouts in Minnesota

Written by:
November 2, 2022
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Highest-rated stouts in Minnesota

They're dark, creamy, and may have the consistency of used motor oil—and stout lovers wouldn't have their beer any other way.

Stouts are technically ales, a group of flavorful beers made with yeast fermented at a higher temperature. These brews are dark brown or black in color due to a key ingredient: charred, unmalted barley. This also imparts a roasted flavor to the beer, resulting in notes of bitter coffee or sweet chocolate.

Other ingredients can add different flavors and mouthfeel to the stout. Oatmeal leads to a caramel color and a more malty flavor. Milk stouts contain lactose for sweetness and body, while American Imperial stouts are richer in taste thanks to additional malts and hops. Pastry stouts brewed with cake, candy, or even peanut butter are a dessert drink for some.

Stout flavor profiles also vary by region. English stouts have a dry finish and get their characteristic bitterness from roasted barley. Irish dry stouts, the best known of which is Guinness, have a creamy taste and a distinctive foamy head produced by nitrogen gas taps. American stouts contain American hops and dark malt for a more bitter flavor.

While stouts can be highly drinkable—Irish dry stouts can be as low as 4.2% ABV—the beer style also allows brewers to push the envelope in terms of alcohol content. The strongest of the group, Imperial stouts, can be upwards of 12% ABV; for example, the 2024 iteration of Goose Island Brewing Company's famed Bourbon County Stout clocked in at 14.7%.

Although lager is the most popular type of beer in the United States, roughly 1 in 5 beer drinkers enjoys stouts regularly. That gives America's almost 9,800 craft brewers plenty of reason to develop new riffs on the style. With this variety in mind, Stacker compiled a list of the best stouts from Minnesota using data from BeerAdvocate and sorted according to their weighted ranking. Beers without images were excluded. Only stouts that made BeerAdvocate's top 100 list by state were included.

#16. Olaf The Stout

- Rating: 4.14 (57 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.8%
- Brewery: HammerHeart Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Coffee Shop Assault Vehicle

- Rating: 4.21 (44 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Lupulin Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Worthy Adversary

- Rating: 4.12 (431 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Fulton Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Darkness - Double Barrel (2024)

- Rating: 4.39 (21 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. The Queen

- Rating: 4.24 (66 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Indeed Brewing Company - Minneapolis
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Darkness - Parker's Heritage 15 Year Heavy Char Bourbon Barrel-Aged

- Rating: 4.38 (25 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. War And Peace

- Rating: 4.19 (412 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Fulton Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. 13

- Rating: 4.27 (100 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.5%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Lobster Stuffed with Tacos

- Rating: 4.42 (33 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.0%
- Brewery: Fair State Brewing Cooperative
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Czar Jack Imperial Stout

- Rating: 4.34 (436 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.3%
- Brewery: Town Hall Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Magnus

- Rating: 4.65 (44 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 15.0%
- Brewery: Forager Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Barrel Aged Double Shot Double Black

- Rating: 4.45 (352 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.2%
- Brewery: Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Darkness - Bourbon Barrel-Aged

- Rating: 4.45 (373 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Darkness

- Rating: 4.48 (4,295 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Barrel-Aged Silhouette

- Rating: 4.50 (551 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Lift Bridge Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Nillerzzzzz

- Rating: 4.58 (156 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.0%
- Brewery: Forager Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 48 states.

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