Taylor, Moreno and I met in Whiner’s taproom on a Thursday morning with a box of crackers (to keep our palates clear) and plenty of water (to stay hydrated) to taste through the 18 stouts. Key to the undertaking was Whiner’s head of sales, Adam Schulte, who kept deft track of the beers across the four-hour tasting. He presented two samples at a time in elegant stemmed glasses, beers known to us only as samples A and B.