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13 - Stout
13 - Stout

Stout beer styles

Are Stouts and Porters related and if so how? Where did Russian Imperial Stouts originate? What is the difference between a Milk Stout and a Sweet Stout? Read on to find out…

Previously we examined Porters, in this article we will cover BJCP Category 13, Stout, which includes the following Beer Styles:

First we will cover the history of the category, then take a look at the specifications of each style highlighting the similarities and differences. We then sample commercial examples of each style.

History

13 - Stout
13 – Stout

Stouts derived their name from “Stout Porters” as a way of referring to the strongest Porters in terms of alcohol content plus those with more body and that were creamier back in the 18th century. Porters were dark beers brewed in London which were aged and hence increased in strength over time and did not spoil as quickly as lower gravity ales. Modern day stouts are usually lower in strength than they used to be.

Guinness of Ireland had been brewing Porters since the late 18th century but in the early 19th century they started to use the name Stout Porter to refer to their Dry Stout with this eventually being shortened to “Stout”. Guinness along with Beamish and Murphy’s are probably the most well known brands of Stout.

Milk or Cream Stouts, which tended to be “sweet”, were popular in the UK in the early part of the 20th century following WWI but declined in consumption towards the end of the century. Lactose was used as an ingredient in the stout to help provide the sweetness but had to be removed during rationing in WWII.

13 - Stout (additional examples)
13 – Stout
(additional examples)

Oatmeal Stout gets its name from the use of oats as an ingredient in the beer. Oats have been used in brewing beers since the 16th century but tended to be used in higher percentages than they are now giving the beer a more oatmeal or porridge-like taste. Over time the percentage of oats was reduced and is now mainly used to improve smoothness and mouth-feel.

Foreign Extra Stouts were typically brewed for tropical markets and are hence often also known as Tropical Stouts, they are often stronger versions of Dry or Sweet Stouts.

Russian Imperial Stouts were originally brewed in London to a higher strength in order to better survive the journey when exported to Russia and other Baltic countries in the 18th century.

Other types of stouts exist though do not necessarily fall straight into BJCP categories, these include:

  • Chocolate Stout – named after the texture and taste from the darker, aromatic, and chocolate malted barley being used rather than actual chocolate being added.
  • Coffee Stout – named after the coffee-like taste that the use of dark roasted malted barley imparts to the beer rather than actual coffee being added.
  • Oyster Stout – named after the inclusion of oysters in the beer which were at one time more common place in an everyday diet than they are today.

Overview

According to Jamil Zainasheff in his book, Brewing Classic Styles, any stout will be very dark and have some level of roast character. They do not necessarily have the consistency of motor oil and high levels of alcohol – their characteristics in this regard depend on the style of Stout within this category that you are drinking.

These beers should all be as follows:

  • Dry Stout – a lower-alcohol, very dark, roasty, bitter, creamy ale.
  • Sweet Stout – a dark, sweet, rich ale full of roasted flavors and aromas.
  • Oatmeal Stout – a dark, full-bodied, roasty ale with a slight oatmeal note in the background.
  • Foreign Extra Stout – a very dark, roasty, and moderately strong ale.
  • American Stout – a roastier, hoppier, Americanized version of a Foreign Extra Stout.
  • Russian Imperial Stout – an intense and rich, dark, roasty ale with substantial alcohol warming.

The following tables* show how the 6 styles of Stout vary:

Characteristic Dry Stout Sweet Stout Oatmeal Stout
Original Gravity: 1.036 – 1.050 1.044 – 1.060 1.048 – 1.065
Final Gravity: 1.007 – 1.011 1.012 – 1.024 1.010 – 1.018
ABV (alcohol %): 4.0 – 5.0 4.0 – 6.0 4.2 – 5.9
IBU’s (bitterness): 30 – 45 20 – 40 25 – 40
SRM (color): 25 – 40 30 – 40 22 – 40

 

Characteristic Foreign Extra Stout American Stout Russian Imperial Stout
Original Gravity: 1.056 – 1.075 1.050 – 1.075 1.075 – 1.115
Final Gravity: 1.010 – 1.018 1.010 – 1.022 1.018 – 1.030
ABV (alcohol %): 5.5 – 8.0 5.0 – 7.0 8.0 – 12.0
IBU’s (bitterness): 30 – 70 35 – 75 50 – 90
SRM (color): 30 – 40 30 – 40 30 – 40

The above tables show that Dry Stouts tend to have the lowest alcohol content with the lower starting and finishing gravities reflecting this. Sweet and Oatmeal Stouts can have an alcohol content of 1% higher than Dry Stouts and they usually start off with a higher gravity and attenuate (ferment out) less.

Foreign Extra and American Stouts have similar starting and finishing gravities though the former is usually a bit stronger in alcohol content. Russian Imperial Stouts have the highest starting and finishing gravities contributing to a bigger mouth-feel and the highest alcohol content out of all the Stout beer styles.

Dry, Sweet and Oatmeal Stouts tend not to be as bitter as Foreign Extra, American and Russian Imperial Stouts with the latter generally being hopped the most. All of the above stouts tend to have similar ranges for color with Dry and Oatmeal Stouts being the lighter if brewed towards the bottom of their styles.

In the following sections we will look in more detail at each of the above Beer Styles.

Dry Stout

Commercial examples of this style include Murphy’s Stout, Beamish Stout, O’Hara’s Celtic Stout, Russian River O.V.L. Stout, Three Floyd’s Black Sun Stout, Dorothy Goodbody’s Wholesome Stout, Orkney Dragonhead Stout, Old Dominion Stout, Goose Island Dublin Stout, and Brooklyn Dry Stout. We decided to sample Guinness Draught Stout.

Guinness Draught
Guinness Draught

Guinness Draught Stout has the following characteristic which is within style, though towards the bottom of the range, for alcohol content:

  • ABV = 4.2%

This beer is black in color with a thick cream head that lasts. A slight roasty aroma and roast flavor. Very low carbonation with an average but smooth mouth-feel.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include the following according to the BJCP Style Guidelines:

  • The dryness comes from the use of Roasted unmalted barley in addition to Pale malt, moderate to high hop bitterness, and good attenuation.
  • Flaked unmalted barley may also be used to add creaminess.
  • A small percentage (perhaps 3%) of soured beer is sometimes added for complexity (generally by Guinness only).
  • Water typically has moderate carbonate hardness, although high levels will not give the classic dry finish.

Sweet Stout

Commercial examples of this style include Mackeson’s XXX Stout, Watney’s Cream Stout, Farson’s Lacto Stout, St. Peter’s Cream Stout, Marston’s Oyster Stout, Sheaf Stout, Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout (Lacto), Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, and Widmer Snowplow Milk Stout. We decided to sample Lancaster Milk Stout.

Lancaster Milk Stout
Lancaster Milk Stout

Lancaster Milk Stout has the following characteristics which is within style for alcohol content and towards the bottom of the range for bitterness:

  • ABV = 5.3%
  • IBU’s = 22

This beer is black in color with a coffee-colored head. Roasty and bitter aroma. Flavor is bitter and of coffee. Moderate carbonation with a thin mouth-feel.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include the following according to the BJCP Style Guidelines:

  • The sweetness in most Sweet Stouts comes from a lower bitterness level than Dry Stouts and a high percentage of unfermentable dextrins.
  • Lactose, an unfermentable sugar, is frequently added to provide additional residual sweetness.
  • Base of Pale malted barley, and may use Roasted barley, Black malt, Chocolate malt, Crystal malt, and adjuncts such as corn/maize or treacle.
  • High carbonate water is common.

Oatmeal Stout

Commercial examples of this style include Young’s Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Oatmeal Stout, Maclay’s Oat Malt Stout, Broughton Kinmount Willie Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Tröegs Oatmeal Stout, New Holland The Poet, Goose Island Oatmeal Stout, and Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout. We decided to sample Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout has the following characteristic which is within style for alcohol content:

  • ABV = 5.0%

This beer is black in color with a coffee colored head. A slight roasty aroma. Flavor is roasty with some sweetness. Moderate carbonation with a slickness in the mouth-feel.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include the following according to the BJCP Style Guidelines:

  • Pale, Caramel and dark Roasted malts and grains.
  • Oatmeal (5-10%+) used to enhance fullness of body and complexity of flavor.
  • Hops primarily for bittering.
  • Ale yeast.
  • Water source should have some carbonate hardness.

Foreign Extra Stout

Commercial examples of this style include:

  • Tropical-Type: Lion Stout (Sri Lanka), Dragon Stout (Jamaica), ABC Stout (Singapore), Royal Extra “The Lion Stout” (Trinidad), and Jamaica Stout (Jamaica).
  • Export-Type: Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout, Ridgeway of Oxfordshire Foreign Extra Stout, Coopers Best Extra Stout, and Elysian Dragonstooth Stout.

We decided to sample Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

Guinness Foreign Extra
Guinness Foreign Extra

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout has the following characteristic which is within style for alcohol content:

  • ABV = 7.5%

This beer is black in color with a brown head. A molasses aroma and flavor. Moderate carbonation with a good mouth-feel.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include the following according to the BJCP Style Guidelines:

  • Similar to Dry or Sweet Stout, but with more gravity.
  • Pale and dark Roasted malts and grains.
  • May use adjuncts and sugar to boost gravity.
  • Hops mostly for bitterness.
  • Ale yeast (although some tropical stouts are brewed with lager yeast).

American Stout

Commercial examples of this style include Rogue Shakespeare Stout, Deschutes Obsidian Stout, Sierra Nevada Stout, North Coast Old No. 38, Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout, Avery Out of Bounds Stout, Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout, and Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout. We decided to sample Mt. Pleasant Steam Engine Stout.

Mt. Pleasant Steam Engine Stout
Mt. Pleasant Steam Engine Stout

Mt. Pleasant Steam Engine Stout has the following characteristic which is within style for alcohol content:

  • ABV = 6.4%

This beer is black in color with a cream head. A roasty aroma with a coffee and roast flavor. Low carbonation and an average mouth-feel.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include the following according to the BJCP Style Guidelines:

  • Common American base malts and yeast.
  • Varied use of Dark and Roasted malts, as well as Caramel-type malts.
  • Adjuncts such as oatmeal may be present in low quantities.
  • American hop varieties.

Russian Imperial Stout

Commercial examples of this style include Three Floyd’s Dark Lord, Bell’s Expedition Stout, North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, Stone Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, Scotch Irish Tsarina Katarina Imperial Stout, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, Deschutes The Abyss, Southampton Russian Imperial Stout, Rogue Imperial Stout, Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout, Great Lakes Blackout Stout, Avery The Czar, Founders Imperial Stout, Victory Storm King, and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. We decided to sample Great Divide Yeti.

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

Great Divide Yeti has the following characteristic which is within style for alcohol content:

  • ABV = 9.5%

This beer is black in color, pours syrupy and has a dark head that does not last very long. A fruity aroma. Flavor is hoppy and chocolate with a bitter after-taste. Low carbonation with a thick and oily mouth-feel.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include the following according to the BJCP Style Guidelines:

  • Well-modified Pale malt, with generous quantities of Roasted malts and/or grain.
  • May have a complex grain bill using virtually any variety of malt.
  • Any type of hops may be used.
  • American or English ale yeast.
  • Alkaline water balances the abundance of acidic roasted grain in the grist.

What next?

Our next article will look at BJCP Category 14, ‘India Pale Ale (IPA)‘, where we will examine the three styles making up this category.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, please do not hesitate to contribute to the discussion below.

* Beer Styles’ data is courtesy of BJCP.org.

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