Food Encyclopedia

stout

A strong, dark beer that originated in the British Isles. Dry stout or Irish stout has a hoppier character and is less malty. American versions are often made with a combination of pale malt and dark-roasted unmalted barley, while European stouts are generally made totally with malted barley. Guinness is the most famous of the dry stouts. Sweet stout, an English version, is less bitter and often lower in alcohol. Some are referred to as milk stouts because of their slightly lactic flavor. Oatmeal stout is a style of sweet stout that uses oatmeal, which adds a silky-smooth mouth feel. Russian (or Imperial) stout was originally a very strong-flavored, high-alcohol brew produced in Britain from the late 1700s until the early 1900s for export to Russia. Modern versions—also strongly flavored and high in alcohol—are unpasteurized, cask-aged for 2 months and bottle-aged for a year.