I say ‘stout’, and you think black; and so do I. But beyond that, there are many subtle differences between stouts and each can typically be categorized by their ancestry and variation within.

Since all stouts are relatively similar, I will try and describe each style, defined by the Brewer’s Association, starting with the Irish Stout, since it was in Dublin where the style of porter that was thicker, or stouter, was popularized and point out the deviations from there. I will also give recommended examples for each, but let me briefly describe all stouts.

All stouts…

• …will be dark, if not black.
• …will be moderate to heavy bodied beers.
• …will have decent to excellent head retention.
• …will be sweet from malt. They can have a high hop bitterness, but not be out done by the sweet malt.
• …that have a pronounced bitterness will have it come from the roasted malts.

Irish Stout – In the classic Irish-style dry stout, the initial taste will be a malty profile with some light caramel flavors, but it will finish strong with a distinctive, bitter, dry-roasted, taste. There is a high hop bitterness mixed in with the high malt and high roasted barely tastes. However, there will be no hop aroma as the primary nose character will be from coffee-like roasted malts. Irish stouts have a medium body (heavy, by most people’s standards) and head retention should be part of its rich character. These stouts are also very low in alcohol, 3.8% – 5% by volume. Guinness, Murphy’s, and Beamish are all examples of Irish dry stouts.

Irish Export-Style Stout – Much like the classic Irish stout, but perhaps sweeter with the malt over taking the high hop bitterness a bit more. The alcohol is typically higher, around 5.7% – 7.5% by volume. Guinness Special Export Stout is an example of this style.

British Imperial Stout – The only stout that might not be “black” and instead a very dark copper, the imperial stout does everything else strong. It will have an extremely rich malty flavor and aroma balanced with assertive hop character, also for both aroma and bitterness. The roasted malt flavors should not be the primary malt characteristic, but may be perceivable. It will typically have a whopping 7% – 12% alcohol by volume. A great imperial stout made in Brooklyn New York is Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout.

British Sweet Stout – Also referred to as a cream stout, this beer will have less of a roasted malt bitterness with a very full-bodied mouthfeel. Typically, the extra body is added before bottling by using lactose (sugar from milk) instead of, or in addition to, maltose (sugar from malt). Hops will balance the sweetness in this stout which is comprised primarily of malt, chocolate and caramel flavors; however, the hops will not be perceivable in the aroma. Alcohol varies 3% – 6% by volume. Sam Adams makes a nice Cream Stout.

British Oatmeal Stout – Oatmeal stouts will include oatmeal in their grist, resulting in a pleasant, full flavor and smooth profile that is rich without being grainy. The roasted, chocolate and caramel maltiness will be present in varying degrees but will be smooth and never bitter. The aroma will present coffee-like and sometime chocolate and nut-like character. Hop bitterness is moderate, not high, and while it can vary, it will never over power the balance. Alcohol is typically 3.8% – 6% by volume. The best oatmeal stout I have ever had off a shelf is Tractor’s Oatmeal Stout.

American Style Stout – The initial taste of an American Stout will have low to medium malt sweetness with caramel, chocolate and roasted malt character but finish with a distinct dry-roasted bitterness. The hop bitterness will be moderate to high and hop aroma can also be present, specifically with American citrus-type character. It will be medium bodied (heavy, by most people’s standards) and have excellent head retention. Alcohol is typically 5.7% – 8.8% by volume. Rogue Ales Brewery Chocolate stout is a highly rated American stout that I don’t think I have ever had.

American Imperial Stout – Similar to the British Imperial, the American has similar strengths for flavors, aromas and alcohol. However, it is black to extreme black in color and additionally can have even higher hop bitterness but always balanced with its malt sweetness. Hop aroma, floral, or citrus, can also be very high. Unfortunately, I don’t have an American Imperial Stout to personally recommend.

Specialty Stouts – There are other varieties of stouts that do not fit any one of these categories in particular. Often, they deviate from the style in a particular characteristic, such as the amount of perceivable hop bitterness, or malt flavors. Some have adjuncts. For an excellent stout that I can’t put in any one of these categories, try Young’s Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, or Stoudt’s Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout.

For all the proper beer style classifications, visit the Brewer’s Association at Beertown.org.

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Edit Update- Just re-reading… my last statement about all stouts leads you to believe you shouldn’t taste bitterness from the hops; that’s misleading. It can be balanced, the hops just shouldn’t be an overpowering source of bitterness.