Craft Beer Spotlight: The Stout

Jan 23, 2015Kyle Westfall

“Guinness is good for you.” – A slogan used in the 1920’s after market research found that drinking a pint of Guinness was often advised for post-operative patients, nursing mothers, pregnant women, and blood donors.

Description: Stout is a dark beer made with dark roasted barley to give the beer a dark appearance and roasty flavors.  Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters (typically 7 – 8% ABV) produced by a brewery. The first known use of the word “stout” to describe beer was documented in 1677 in an Egerton Manuscript where he stated that stout beer was a strong beer, not a dark beer. The name “porter” was first used in the 1721 to describe a dark brown beer that had been made with roasted malts. Because of the huge popularity of porters, brewers made them in a variety of strengths. The beers with higher gravities were called “Stout Porters”, so the history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The term “stout” has since become firmly associated with dark beer, rather than just strong beer.

History: This variety of beer originated in London in the early 1720s, and its popularity grew quickly due to its strong flavor, longer shelf life, high alcohol content, and cheap prices. Within only a few decades, porter breweries in London had grown “beyond any previously known scale.” Large volumes were eventually exported to Ireland and soon after they too became a well-known brewer and supplier of porter stouts. In the 19th century, stout beer gained its customary black color through the use of black patent malt and became stronger in flavor.

ABV Range: 4.0% - 7.0%

Food Pairings: Cuisine – BBQ, Cheese (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss, Camembert, Fontina), Chocolate, Beef, Shellfish, Smoked Meat, Game, Grilled Meat

Glassware: Pint Glass (or Becker, Nonic, Tumbler), Mug (or Seidel, Stein)

Temperatures: Cellar 40 - 45°F (not recommended for extended cellaring, unless ABV exceeds average range)/ Serving 40 - 45°F

Types of Stout: Dry or Irish Stout, Imperial Stout, Baltic Porter, Porter, Milk Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Chocolate Stout, Coffee Stout, Oyster Stout

Our Recipe, Your Brew: Try one of these Craft A Brew home beer brewing kits or recipe kits to create your own unique and tasty stout at home.

Chocolate Milk Stout Homebrewing RecipeChocolate Milk Stout: Dark Malt Extract, Chocolate Malt & Dark Crystal Malt Brewers Grains, Cluster Hops, Fruity Ale Yeast, Lactose, Videri Raw Cocoa Nibs

Bone Dry Irish Stout Home Brewing KitBone Dry Irish Stout: Dark Malt Extract, Chocolate Brewers Grains, Black Patent & Dark Crystal Brewers Grains, Goldings Hops, Premium Ale Yeast

Want some new stouts to try? Check out Beer Advocate’s list of Top 100 Rated American Stouts.

Resources: beeradvocate.com, Wikipedia.com

More articles

Comments (0)

There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!

Leave a comment

Please note: comments must be approved before they are published