What is stout beer?
If you’ve ever wondered what is stout beer, where it comes from or what it tastes like, you’re in the right place.
Stout is one of the world’s most iconic dark beer styles. From creamy Irish pints to bold Russian Imperial Stouts, this rich and complex beer has earned a loyal following across the globe. In this guide, we’ll explore the origins, flavour profiles, brewing methods and the most popular types of stout beers.
What is a stout beer?
Simply put, a stout is a dark, top-fermented, full-flavoured ale with an alcohol percentage ranging from 4% to 14%.
Stout beer definition
A stout is defined by its deep colour and full-bodied flavour profile. Typically brewed with roasted malt or roasted barley, stouts often feature notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. They can vary in sweetness, bitterness, and alcohol content, offering a diverse range from sweet or milk stouts to dry stouts and imperial stouts.
Where does stout come from: is stout English or Irish?
Of course, we all know the famous Guinness stout hails from Ireland, yet the origins of stout as a style of beer date back to 18th century England. The term "stout" originally referred to a strong beer, and the style evolved over time to become a distinct type of dark and robust ale.
The development of stout is closely tied to working class porters, the men responsible for transporting various goods, including barrels and tankards of beer, to and from the markets, warehouses, and inns of East London (hence the name). Later, brewers began crafting stronger and more full-bodied versions of porters, leading to the creation of what we now know as stout beer.
Give our article a history of porter and stout a read to find out more about the relationship between porters and stouts.
Dark stout beer characteristics
What makes stout unique?
The signature dark stout beer characteristics come from roasted malt or roasted barley. These ingredients create:
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Deep brown to black colour
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Notes of coffee and espresso
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Dark chocolate and cocoa
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Caramel and toffee
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Occasionally smoky or earthy tones
Some stouts are dry and bitter, while others are sweet, creamy or intensely strong.
Types of stout beers
Over the years, brewers have experimented with creating lots of different kinds of stout beer. The most popular ones include:
Milk stout
Also known as 'sweet stout' or 'creamy stout'. As the name suggests, lactose is added to these beers, giving them a certain sweetness and richness.
Oatmeal stout
Rich and full bodied with a sweet, velvety smooth finish.
Oyster stout
An oyster stout is brewed with oyster shells, which are added to the brew during the cooking process. The result is a rich and complex stout with a subtle oceanic influence, combining the dark malt character with a touch of saltiness.
Irish dry stout
Characterised by its dry finish and coffee-like bitterness, exemplified by the iconic Guinness.
Export stout
Export Stout has a higher alcohol volume and a distinctive character. You can taste the wheat and toasted malt with smokey notes of coffee and chocolate.
Russian imperial stout (RIS):
By far the strongest of all the stouts with bold and intense flavours, often featuring notes of chocolate, coffee, and dark fruits.
What glass is best for stout?
A stout is best served in a tulip or pint glass. A tulip glass, in particular, will bring out the best of the aromas and dark stout beer characteristics. The wider bowl of the glass allows for better appreciation of the complex flavours. The design also creates a creamy head, which is a desirable characteristic in many stout varieties.
The best temperature to serve a stout is around 10-14 degrees Celsius, so slightly warmer than you'd serve a lager or lighter ale.
Interested in learning more? Read our article all about beer glasses!
How to pour stout
When pouring stout into a glass, start with the tulip or pint glass at a 45-degree angle. Start to pour and as the glass fills, start to straighten it up so that it becomes vertical. You want to build a head that's roughly 1-1/2 inches thick.
For a more detailed description, check out our article: how to pour a pint.
Stout ice cream float
Stouts are perfect for making a typical 'ice cream float'. Pour a generous dash of beer over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice-cream and enjoy.
They're also ideal for baking pies, stews and cakes, and their lightly roasted flavours make them a great addition to biramisu.
Stout storage and barrel aging stouts
Heavier varieties (> 8%) of stouts are ideal for storing. These beers are aged in the bottle, which gives them a rounder and more intense flavour. You can also age them in wooden barrels where other drinks have been stored previously, such as bourbon or cognac. Barrel aging adds even more flavour to the beer in two ways: by imbuing it with the flavour of the drink that was in the barrel before, and through the barrel itself. Think of vanilla, herbs, wood and coconut alongside smoky and caramel tones.
From its London porter roots to modern barrel-aged interpretations, stout has evolved into one of the most versatile and respected beer styles in the world. If you’ve been asking what is stout beer, now you know:
It’s bold, complex, roasted, rich — and endlessly varied.
Whether you prefer a smooth Irish dry stout or an intense Russian Imperial, there’s a stout for every palate.