Worthy Lights Out Stout – Beer Review

18 May 2021

Beer: Lights Out
Style: Stout
Brewery: Worthy
Location: Bend, OR
Hops: Cascade, Nugget, Santiam
ABV: 7.7%
IBUs: 30

Dark beers have always been my favorite style. This is perhaps explained by my first legal beer: Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter. Since that day in January 2008, I have always gravitated to stouts, porters, and other dark malty beers. When a friend visited from Montana recently we indulged in this trend and grabbed a six pack of Worthy’s Lights Out Stout (amongst other things!).

First impressions of a canned beer starts at the store, and Lights Out made a good one. The label is attractive, bearing the standard Worthy logo and an interesting stary sky backdrop. The price was also very average, being $9.99 plus deposit at Roth’s in south Salem. (What seems to be the average sale price for local microbrews these days.) The decision to purchase Lights Out was pretty easy.

There were no regrets once we cracked open the first cans. Immediately, you get a whiff of traditional stout scent. There is a strong malt smell, slightly sweet and a little smokey. The taste profile is very similar to this. The malt cuts through what hops are in the beer, which isn’t a surprise as it only clocks in at 30 IBUs. But, this is standard for the style. I would argue that in Lights Out, Worthy has found the perfect balance to achieve a traditional stout flavor. It’s smokey, smooth, with just a hint of hops on the finish. Strong notes of coffee stick out for me with slightly nutty undertones.

Everything about this beer is just right. I would compare it to McMenamins’ Terminator. As the latter has been one of my favorite brews for over a decade now, this is meant as a compliment. The best description for Worthy’s Lights Out Stout is that it is a well-made, pretty standard, stout that will not disappoint any fan of the style.

Rating: 4/5