Stout Beer Style

In today's craft beer age, Stouts and Porters are often spoken in the same breath as being nearly the same beer.  I would have to say, today, this is true because the two styles have indeed overlapped one another.  However, back in the 1730’s when the first Stout was introduced in London, it was known as a Stout Porter, which was simply a stronger Porter beer.  This style soon enjoyed popularity throughout both England and Ireland. In fact, the Guinness Brewery was started, primarily brewing solely the Stout Porter style. It was not until the 1820s when Stout was separated from Porter to become its own style.  It was known as a darker, hopper, and higher gravity beer versus the Porter style. A typical Stout has an original gravity of 1.070-1.090, 90+ IBU and a shade exceeding 40SRM. The newly introduced black unmalted barley assisted brewers with this midnight black style. 

Today, although the Stout style is still a dark shade, it now is less in bitterness and the primary grains include crystal, chocolate and a roasted barley which allows for a balanced and interesting dry coffee, caramel, and chocolate flavor. I might argue that the modern Stout is once again very similar in style to the Porter style. The most popular Stouts have a full month feel as a result of nitrogen gas instead of the more typical CO2 for carbonizing. 

The American Stout, which has a slight citrus backbone, compliments a dish of Oysters well, but also, pairs well with a garden salad.  The Stout is a wonderful choice on a cold winter’s night with the fire a blaze!