Hardly a cold day passes that there isn’t some form of black beer in my refrigerator. These rich, dark beers with notes of chocolate, coffee, and dark roasted grain are perfect for cold weather sipping.

The difference between stout and porter is almost indistinguishable these days. There are so many variations on each – chocolate, coffee, sweet, imperial, etc. – that both styles manage to cover the spectrum of dark beer tastes. One general truth remains – porters, like most other beer styles, rely on hops to balance the natural sweetness of beer while stouts include a type of dark roasted barley that contributes a particular sort of bitterness along with hops. It’s a subtle difference that’s difficult to distinguish in the glass.

Dry stouts, of which Guinness Extra Stout is an example, are my favorite. Many breweries brew a dry stout all year long but even if they don’t, they often will introduce a seasonal dry stout in January or February in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day in March. So, I have plenty of dry stout options to choose from during these cold months.