UKC

I tend to favour blonder, hoppier beers in summer and darker ones in the colder, darker months - so, as I'm now in tier 3 and therefore restricted to drinking from bottles (or cans) for the foreseeable, does anyone have any recommendations?

I've enjoyed a couple of German weissbier dunkels recently, Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Taddy Porter (and have his Christmas Ale on the shelf ready for imminent consumption), Tynt Meadow, Titanic plum porter... but very open to new ideas, especially the weirder ones. Go for it!

If tins are alright then Morrisons has a good selection. I have had a Northern monk & Thornbridge stout/porter recently and found them to be fantastic. 

In the tall cans section they have some more exotic ones but i need to work up to them and the massive (8%!) numbers they are brewed to. 

My favorites at the moment (unashamedly local for me) are Dartmoor Brewery Jail Ale or Legend (both extremely quaffable) and St Austell Mena Dhu stout (like an angel crying on the tongue).

I quite liked traquair offerings, fortunately my partner won a slab in a hill-race last year so I didn't have to pay....which I admit might have primed my palate nicely!

https://www.traquair.co.uk/product-category/brewery/

Otherwise McEwan's Champion is a good fallback, in fact she's working late tonight....so I have a cunning plan!

Poachers Choice by Badger Beers is good: dark and fruity.  I only have one ‘bottle’ of dark ale, a Muntons Docklands Porter. It’s a forty pint ‘bottle’, conditioning  nicely.

Re: tins, I think they’re totally fine and if poured into a glass not sure if I could tell any difference. 

Depends if your restricted to the supermarket it you can do online purchases?

Northern Monk do some excellent stouts, so do Brewdog, and Wild Beer Co. You might find this in supermarkets.

I've not seen any Buxton in a supermarket, sadly. If you go really niche, then Mikkeler, Evil Twin and de Molen won't let you down. I've just been delivered some 'staggeringly Good's stouts, who are a new beer to me.

This: https://www.drinksupermarket.com/schlenkerla-rauchbier-marzen-500ml-bottle?...

Tins used to be crap but have improved massively. Lots of good breweries have started using them now either with mobile canning companies or their own gear.

March of the Penguins from Williams Bros is a cracker, as is Hung Drawn 'N Portered from North Cotswold Brewing. 

And Janet's Treat, a porter from Brew Foundation in Sheffield, if only for the awful pun name. 

Another vote for morrisons if youre happy with cans.

Vocation Brewery - Sweet temptation - chocolate caramel stout. Absolutely love it

https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/vocation-brewery-brew-york-chocola...

Brewdog - Jet black heart nitro.

https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/brewdog-jet-black-heart-nitro-5334...

Fuller's 1845 and London Porter are both good. 

Think I had one of those once - iirc it was like drinking an old bonfire, and not in a good way. bleeuuurghh. sorry!

A couple that made me light up when I tried them were Gouden Carolous, (if you liked the Tynt Meadow, this is a notch up — rich, sweet and malty) and Rochefort 10 which I think gets 100 on ratebeer.com

I find my mind wandering back to both when sat at work sometimes.

(I know that’s not necessarily good)

Bradfield Breweries "Belgian Blue". Only brewed through the winter months, when you pour it, it's an odd purple colour, but then miraculously changes colour to a normal dark beer. A winter warming classic!

Yes Champion, and also Guinness West Indies Porter, are frequently my fallbacks as both are on sale (usually at 2 for £4) at my local corner shop

my local Morrisons has around 4 Buxton ales in at the mo, the large 440ml cans. 

You wanted weird! 😉

Not for everyone I appreciate, but I love it.

Mont Blanc Rousse worth trying too. Not weird, just a lovely amber ale. Beautiful stuff if you can get hold of it. 

The best I've ever had in a bottle is Titanic exhibition Plum Porter.... it's their standard brew with knobs on.  I've never had a mediocre milk stout or oatmeal stout in a bottle or can. Ruby beers can be good... Wychwood is cheap and common. Lots of varieties of coffee/chocolate/caramel beers are around these days with a stout or porter base. Older classic favourites are still worth a try... Innis and Gunn; strong dark ales like Old Tom; various even stronger barley wines, like Owd Roger;  and given the season, Christmas ales.

Got a couple of Xmas ales awaiting comparison - Byatts and Sam Smith's. Tonight though is stout night, Hook Norton Double and Kernel 1890 Export, an absolute flavour bomb, black and thick as crude oil with a head several shades darker than the crema on this morning's espresso

Orkney Dark Island is worth as punt if you can get it, I live in Caithness so it’s widely available.  They also do a reserve special edition of this ale. If you like Irish stout Murphy’s is the best in my opinion

A shout for St. Peter’s plumb Porter 

Old Tom is good. 

Ooh, this is interesting. Just cracked open a Rodenbach Alexander cherry sour. Strong cyder vinegar on the nose, initial clean sour sharp on the palate, fading to sour-sweet fruitiness. I wouldn't want to drink it all night but as a one-off aperitif it's very pleasant

https://www.weirdbeardbrewco.com/shop-1/black-perle

This stuff is really tasty and not too strong. The Double Perle version is also really tasty and approaching too strong...Weird Beard probably count as weirder? I've not tried any of the latest specials on the website but when I've been to brewery open days everything has been excellent with some really interesting darker stuff. Very small, very independent brewery.

Wiper & True do a stout and a porter, both of which my brother (an ale aficionado) rates highly.

I vaguely know some of the people involved in the brewery from when I lived in Bristol and they're good sorts and super obsessed with what they do.

Despite being strong enough to put you over the limit with one bottle, Adnams "Tally Ho" is surprisingly drinkable and tasty!!

https://www.adnams.co.uk/beer/shop-by-taste_1/ale/adnams-tally-ho.htm 

Old Peculiar surely deserves mention

certainly - but only if you're going to spell it correctly

I just thought some low/no alcohol choices might be useful

https://steadydrinker.com/reviews/dark-ale/

A second vote for Guinness West Indies Porter from me.

My most recent two (tins) were Brewdogs Jet Black Heart Nitro (also mentioned upthread) and Layer Cake.  Both great.  The layer cake was like drinking liquid dark chocolate gateaux, JBH not as sweet but still smooth and delicious.

On the more obscure side. Had a great pint in the Clachaig last winter, think it was called Selkie stout.

Guiness West Indies Porter and Old Peculier for me.  One of the dangers of working from home past the witching hour is that you  spill a pint of Old Peculier over your desk - very messy, sticky and lingering.  Not recommended.

That Poacher's Choice - not for me I'm afraid - fruity to that extent has no place in beer IMHO.

There are a few Christmas oddities - Bad Elf, Very Bad Elf, and Seriously Bad Elf (and more variations on the theme) from the Ridgway Brewery - strong and stronger, and a bit sweet for my taste, but the labels are great at this time of year

Drygate brewery’s Orinoco Mocha Milk Stout is superb.

Jason

Partly inspired by this thread, I've just opened a bottle of Little Valley 'Dark Vale'.  "Rich & roasted vanilla porter" it says on the label.

Yum! 

Ill second the Dark Island , my standard winter ale.

Already been mentioned but adding my votes;

Old Peculier and Owd Roger, be aware of ABV.

Cheers, 

I

So many good dark brews named so far. Makes me want to bolster my already healthy beer stash.

Cairngorm Black Gold, WilliamsBrothers Chokka Blokka Mocha Stout, FierceCafe Racer and Mousse Moose, Tempest Elemental Porter.

All some of my current and constant favourites, not sure how readily available they are south of the border.

St Peter's Plum Porter is good, not as good as Titanic's offering, but worth a go. Morrison's generally stock it.

Happy supping!

Bath Ales - Dark Side. Great beer!

Durham Brewery.  Temptation, 10%.  Fighting stout.  Bloody good.

so long since I had any....

Not yet bottled, still being brewed, but Doncaster Brewery and Tap do a Pumpkin Porter each year, it's stunning.

My Muntons Docklands Porter just before a hot soapy one. Fermented a bit more in the barrel which took the edge of the sweetness and developed a better head. It’s bloody good. 
 

Dear Mods: can’t upload photos, had this problem last week. Also got a message saying ‘30000 seconds timeouted’ or similar

Trying to post a photo... 

Dear Mods: ignore me, I’m rubbish with IT..

nice looking pint mick! (although I'd have a word with the landlord about the measure)

Well I had highish hopes for tonight's Siren Broken Dreams Nitro Breakfast Stout. Hipsterish name, 6.5 abv, artsy fartsy can design, pouring instructions... It was nice enough but not outstanding. Luckily though I had Westmalle Dubbel to fall back on

More dark beers than you can shake an empty glass at, trying to think of a few.

The Stay Puffed range from Tiny Rebel are good, the original and the silly 9% if you can get it. One or two didn't take my fancy but most I liked.

I don't know where in the country you are but around here (SE Manchester) we can get Torrside beers from New Mills, they do some good dark ales. Also some proper knock your socks of pales. Howard Town in Glossop do delivery and have a couple of dark offerings. I find Dark Peak a bit sweet most of the time, something to do with the few litres of run which goes in each batch. I get bag in box delivered, bonus of living local, from them and might swap to one of the dark beers for my next pick.