Nitro beer: The creamy ones

“There’s something magical about nitrogenated beer,” said Miles Liebtag in October (Oct.co). Most drinkers learn that thanks to Guinness, which created draft nitro beer in 1959. But various brewers have since developed means to can or bottle the experience—that frothy head and smooth mouthfeel “evocative of a decadent dessert.”

Guinness Canned nitro beers debuted in 1989, when Dublin’s best-known brewery unveiled a widget that releases its gas when the can is opened. Bottles joined the fun in 2001.

Left Hand Milk Stout Longmont, Colo.’s Left Hand Brewing got the U.S. nitro craze rolling with this stout. Sweetly creamy, it offers “a lovely balance of dark chocolate and coffee flavors.”

Firestone Walker Nitro Merlin This “soft and chocolatey” stout is widget-free. The nitrogen is sealed in as a liquid and converts to gas upon opening. ■