Top 5 Local Dark Drafts

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1) Listermann Brewing Company is famous for sweet, full-bodied beers like Chickow! Hazelnut Brown Ale and the Nutcase Peanut Butter Porter, but it would be hard to choose a favorite from their current line-up of sugary stouts. A pint of Father Kyle’s Cinnamon Roll Stout or the sticky-sweet Cookies for Breakfast is the best way to chase away those January blues. 1621 Dana Ave., (513) 731-1130, listermannbrewing.com

2) Although the indisputable queens of Girl Scout Cookie-dom— Thin Mints—won’t be arriving on door steps for a couple of weeks, you can get a jump on the action at Woodburn Brewery with their limited edition Chocolate Mint Imperial Stout. It’s smooth, refreshing, sweet but not syrupy, and delightfully boozy with an ABV of 9%. 2800 Woodburn Ave., (513) 221-2337, woodburnbrewery.com

3) Streetside Brewery’s unexpected collaboration with new(ish) nitro coffee bar, Smooth Cincy, paid off. Too Sweet Me Bro is a chocolaty milk stout flavored with Smooth’s Gingerbread cold brew nitro coffee. The result is a sweet and creamy beer with a slight spice in the finish. Get it while its…cold. 4003 Eastern Ave., (513) 615-5877, streetsidebrewery.com

4) The new kid on Pleasant Ridge’s block, Nine Giant, boasts a solid selection of dark varieties, and the limited coconut lemongrass version of their West End Girls East India Porter is a daring and drinkable take on one of their flagships. The tropical combination cuts down the bitterness and coffee-flavor of the porter to a pleasantly subdued finish. 6095 Montgomery Rd., (513) 366-4550, ninegiant.com

5) MadTree Brewing does dark well, and their seasonal Rubus Cacao is one of the best examples. The annual winter release of this well balanced raspberry chocolate stout has become an anticipated event in recent years, meaning that today’s can release is a reason to celebrate. A 6-pack of this stuff is a surefire way to cure a case of the Mondays, so grab one tonight from anywhere that sells MadTree beer. 3301 Madison Rd.,  (513) 836.8733, madtreebrewing.com

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