What dark beer is preferable when called for in a recipe?

On Friday, we discussed gingerbread made with ale, and that got us thinking: Does it make sense to use a dark beer like porter (e.g. Dark Russian) or stout (e.g. Guinness) in this recipe? And, if so, what is the difference? So it seemed like true serendipity that over at Serious Eats we found an article called “Beer Mythbusting: The Truth About Porter and Stout.” The article gives an interesting history of the two, but, in the end, it turns out that beers can be labeled with whatever name the brewer wants to use. So choosing beer to cook with is just like choosing wine – just go with what tastes good. If you like to drink it; you’ll like to eat it.

And while we’re on the topic of booze, we thought we’d give a shout out to Mike Rowe’s 3-part documentary on the Discovery channel: How Booze Built America. It’s light history, but quite humorous and provides a history lesson in a very painless way. If you get a chance, check it out.