Substitute for stout in brisket recipe

[nofunlatte]

i plan to make beer-braised brisket later on today and the recipe calls for a bottle of stout, though the notes say you can use any beer. I'm not much of a beer drinker and don't like heavy ones at all. In my fridge I've got pilsener (Warsteiner), Spaten Doppelbock, and Bell's Oberon ale ( a summer ale). Any suggestions or recommendations? I'm in Indiana, so I'm not going to buy anything else (Sunday sales are limited to locations where brewing actually takes place).

[nofunlatte]

Thanks, all. I opted for the Bell's. Result was a success!

[chefj]

As stated above either of the beers you have on hand will be fine.
I would skip anything that is sweet i.e.: soft drinks. All that corn syrupy sweetness would really change the dish.
Personally I would cook with the Bell's and drink the the Dopplebock while it braised ( - :

[acgold7]

Any will do, but the Dopplebock is probably closest to a stout.

[gilintx]

Agreed.

[MartiniGenie]

I, too would use the Pilsener and avoid any kind of lite beer. If you want to add more moisture, try some beef stock.

[tim irvine]

...or the one you drink and 1/3 Dr. pepper. Or just forget all the wet stuff, use a dry rub, and smoke it 14 hours on very low heat with pecan. Don't use sauce when you serve it.

[paulj]

In other words, instead of going out to buy a $3 bottle of stout, go buy a $100 smoker, and $3 bag of pecan chips?

[inaplasticcup]

I would use the one you like to drink the least and add coffee - maybe 2/3 beer, 1/3 coffee.

[magiesmom]

yes, I agree.

[CindyJ]

If those were my choices, I'd use the pilsner or the summer ale. My go-to brisket recipe uses a combination of beer and bottled chili sauce. I typically use a good quality ale. I've tried stout and don't think it made that much of a difference. What I would NOT use is anything called "lite" beer.

[wyogal]

You can also use a can of cola.

[Harters]

Use whatever you like. It really won't make much difference