Maybe if I drink enough of these I can pretend I'm skiing.

Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, CO

The hardest thing I have to live without on the East Coast is skiing. Though it’s been at least four years since I last found myself on a mountain, I really miss those early Saturday mornings filled with McDonald’s breakfast and a cramped red truck chugging its way toward the top of the local ski area as the temps outside dipped as low as -20. Those were great days, especially when you found great powder or a day when you skied a trail perfectly or tried a new trick you’d never accomplished before. Those days were a little bit before my drinking days, and definitely before my days of stout love, but seeing a bottle like Avery’s Out of Bounds Stout, with the skier on the front and the ski dictionary name-dropping in the title just makes a man want to fly out to Boulder right now and wait for the first major snow dump of the year. And the skiing might not even be the best part. The best part would be knowing that you could find Out of Bounds Stout on tap all over Boulder no matter the time of year. That would be quite enjoyable. But with a place like the Brickskeller, there really isn’t any reason to leave the bottled beer mecca of the US.

The Out of Bounds Stout doesn’t try to be too flashy or overly exuberant–it’s just a very well done Irish Dry Stout. Considering the cast of characters in the stout world, it’s nice to find a reliable standby. Pouring your standard dark of dark, the Out of Bounds smelled lightly of toasted malt and a touch of coffee. The beer didn’t look overly thick or viscous, which is nice to find from time to time. The taste was quite nice, as well, with a sprinkling of well-tuned, dry malt hitting the tongue immediately with a good dose of hops to balance out the roasted flavor. The dry malt flavor really penetrated every further sip but upon warming, the OOB really did start to thicken up and became a rich delight. It wasn’t overpowering, but the balance of flavor was executed to perfection.

As I said, there’s nothing commanding or outright dangerous about Out of Bounds. It’s a smartly-conceived stout that won’t burn the belly but will keep you warm on cold nights. As far as the name, maybe Out of Bounds is a bit off. Maybe something slightly tamer like The Groomers Stout would be better. You know what you’re getting, you’re going to enjoy it, and you probably won’t wash out. You can send your royalty checks to me directly, Avery, for the name change. Thanks.