The Wonderful World of Stouts!
At A Woman’s Brew: The Podcast we had a request from listener Layla to do an episode about stouts. We finally managed to get it out on Monday - sorry for the delay Layla!
Stouts are my faves so I jumped at the chance to talk about this wonderful umbrella of beer styles. I really feel there is something for everyone in a stout - you just have to find the right one!
On the podcast we go through a brief history of stouts - take a listen to the episode to find out more! We also tried four types of stout - the export stout, the oatmeal stout, the milk stout and the oyster stout. Here are my thoughts on the ones we tried.
Export Stout
Albino Pheasant by Verdant
I’m going to be controversial and say, I’m not a huge fan of Verdant. They make well-crafted beers - but their beer styles are not for me. I’m not a DIPA fan and I don’t like the bitterness and alcohol burn that comes with it. That’s just me. So when we found an export stout by them I was interested to try it.
Malt forward. Very dark brown with a chestnut highlight and a fizzy mocha head. Roasty, coffee and bitter chocolate aroma, some metallic maltiness. Lightly carbonated, full-bodied, bitter, dark roast coffee and a dry finish.
There was a bit of an alcohol burn for me at the end of this, it was definitely strong as an export should be. I felt it fit into the style guidelines for an export stout well, but Tori thought it had more nuttiness. And interesting side to see of Verdant for me.
Oatmeal Stout
Oatmeal Stout by Samuel Smiths
We grabbed a classic, traditional beer for this style of stout - Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal stout. Brewed in stone Yorkshire squares - open topped fermentors that allow the yeast to enjoy itself - Samuel Smiths craft beers that are perfect for trying against style guidelines.
Malt forward. Very dark brown with a gold highlight and a low beige head. Dried fruit aroma - raisin and currant like fruit cake. Thinner than expected, rich fruitcake, nutty, raisin and currants, lightly sweet.
With this being a oatmeal stout I would have liked it to be thicker on the mouthfeel, but overall this was one of my favourites of the tasting session. I like a fruity, sweet beer though, so make of that what you will!
Milk Stout
Milks Stout by Wiper & True
Milk stout is one of my favourite beer styles. I want it to be rich, thick, sweet and dessert-like. Wiper & True make solid beers. I haven’t drunk as much of theirs as I should - we discuss why in the episode. Their milk stout is beautiful, however.
Chocolate forward. Black with red highlights and a creamy beige head. Sweet milk chocolate aroma, some vanilla. Carbonation tiz at the beginning, smooth creamy mouthfeel. Full. Chocolate, vanilla. A tiny bit of roast to balance out the sweet. Very well balanced.
This beer is sweet, but it’s not like you are drinking a can of sugar. The sweetness comes from the addition of milk sugars and vanilla but it is paired with roasty chocolate notes to balance it out. So well balanced and beautifully crafted! Highly recommended!
Oyster Stout
Deep Sea Dating by Brewdog x Two Tones
People shy away from oyster stouts because they think they are going to be briny, fishy or taste like seafood. This is not the case. Mostly, they don’t even have oyster in them. They are a roasty beer that pairs well with oysters. Some do contain crushed up oyster shells as a fining agent and some innovative brewers have added actual oysters to the beer. But this does not produce a briny beer!
This offering from Brewdog USA and Two Tones was a good example:
Malt forward. Black with red highlights and a low brown head. Light roast coffee malt aroma, almost cola. Some smokiness. Carbonated but a light creaminess. Lightly sweet, then roasty malt. Salted caramel sweetness. Dry finish.
Full disclosure - these were not fresh! They were quite lively as they were just past their BBE, but as a stout, this wasn’t an issue. The salted caramel notes were more prominent than when I tried this fresh, but it added to the experience of an oyster stout! If you haven’t tried this style before - go find one!!
There are so many other stout styles out there - we mentioned a few in the episode - go listen! If we missed anything let us know, and tell me what your favourite stout style is in the comments!
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