Get to know this dark, rich and roasty style of beer.
If you’ve ever sat in front of a fire in a pub on a miserable day with a pint of stout, you’ll know it’s one of life’s great beer experiences. And yet, for its well-earned winter reputation, stout comes in enough forms and styles to match up with every season – not to mention all the food and occasion-pairing options out there. Stout is a seriously great brew style that deserves to be part of every beer lover’s regular rotation.
From its velvety darkness to its rich, roasty flavours, stout is such a uniquely delicious beer style that’s having more than a bit of a moment. So, whether you’re a rusted-on stout drinker or a potential convert, here’s everything you need to know about the world’s favourite dark beer.
Stouts are known for their dark, often almost black, appearance, creamy white or tan head – that’s the foam on top – and a combination of bitter, rich and roasty flavours. Much of stout’s signature look and taste comes from brewers using dark malts, with grains like barley that have been roasted until the sugars caramelise.
Generally, brewers make stouts to be rich, with those dark, roasty malts providing most of the flavour. Hops are usually used sparingly, providing bitterness to balance out the malt.
While there isn’t just one type of stout (you’ll find some of the main styles below), you can usually make an educated guess about what a stout will taste like.
The use of dark malts generally brings flavours like coffee, chocolate or toasted bread, so you can be pretty sure those will all be there. Some stouts are typically quite dry, while others have a pronounced sweetness, but it will almost always have a bitter finish, thanks to bittering hops and those roasted malts.
When we say ‘stout’, we’re not actually referring to one beer – it’s more like an overall category. These days, there are nearly endless variations on the stout theme, but here are some stout styles to look out for:
Irish stout: Irish stouts (like ultra-famous Guinness Draught) tend to be on the drier side of the spectrum. These are styles usually made to be drinkable, so they tend not to be overly rich or sweet.
Oatmeal stout: Oats can give stout a creamy, silky mouthfeel, while adding a grainy oatmeal flavour. They are typically a smooth, easy-drinking style.
Imperial stout: These are the big guys. Imperial stouts are often viscous, super rich and intensely flavoured. Sometimes called Russian Imperial Stouts (apparently the style was popular with the Russian royals), expect high alcohol and big coffee and chocolate flavours.
Pastry stout: The craft beer world goes through plenty of trends and, a few years back, pastry stouts were big. As the name suggests, these stouts are made to replicate the sweet, dessert-like flavours of pastries and sweets. They tend to rely on additives like lactose, chocolate, coffee and maple syrup.
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Six stouts to try
1. Zytho Brewing Velvet Luxe Stout
You might hear some stouts described as ‘velvety’ or ‘luxurious’, and Zytho isn’t shy about shooting for both with its Velvet Luxe Stout. The idea is a silky smooth, decadently rich stout packed with chocolate, dried fruit and coffee flavours, though it never ends up heavy or cloying. Consider Zytho’s stout as one for the dessert-heads looking for a beer to satisfy those chocolate cravings. You might even pair it with a wee slice of chocolate mudcake and a dollop of cream.
2. Guinness Extra Stout
The famous Guinness of pubs, branded pint glasses and two-stage pouring is Guinness Draught – but it would be a mistake to ignore the humble Guinness Extra Stout. Unlike its keg-and-can brother, Guinness Extra Stout comes in a bottle and is traditionally carbonated, meaning it doesn’t have the nitro-style smooth texture of the Draught. Instead, Extra Stout is, well, a little extra, being richer, stronger (at 6% ABV) and more intensely flavoured. Expect a chocolatey, roasty style of stout – one that’s absolutely banging next to a Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
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3. Boatrocker Stout
As any dark beer lover who ever went to a festival, picnic or party can tell you, stout in a can used to be a rare treat. Thanks to pioneers like Boatrocker, it’s not all that uncommon now, but the Victorian Braeside brewery is still doing one of the best stout tinnies around. A little drier than some, but still rich and roasty, Boatrocker Stout is a classic English-style stout that’s perfect when you need to BYO and only a stout will do.
4. Coopers Best Extra Stout
Is this the best beer in the Coopers line-up? It certainly might be. The South Australian brewery’s Best Extra Stout may be an old-school beer brewed by one of the big guys, but it does everything a flavour-focused microbrewer would want. It’s intensely dark with an almost syrupy consistency and a bucketload of rich chocolate and coffee flavours. It’s a long-time favourite for many good reasons and consistently comes out on top.
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5. Pirate Life Stout
Some stouts can taste like a slug of bitter black coffee, which is good if you’re a long-black drinker, but not so much fun if you’re more of a flat-white fan. For those looking for a softer, sweeter, creamier sort of dark beer, Pirate Life Stout should tick plenty of boxes. There’s a little brown sugar here for extra caramel-like sweetness, some light coffee flavours and a balanced bitterness that never gets in the way of things. Put this one next to a chocolate brownie for a treat of a combo.
6. Shepherd Neame Double Stout
Twice the stout, twice the fun. While double stout is a bit of a misnomer (there’s nothing really ‘double’ about this), this one from Kentish brewery Shepherd Neame does pack a big, dark, malty punch, with plenty of bitter coffee and roasty cocoa flavours. Apparently the recipe was ‘rediscovered’ in an old brewer’s log, making this a bit of a time capsule beer, which should satisfy anyone growing tired of the craft-beer arms race. Do as the Brits do and pair this stout with a meat pie, mash and gravy.
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