Editing Stout

{{short description|Style of dark beer}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
[[File:Stadin Panimo Double Oat Malt Stout.jpg|right|thumb|210px|A "double oat malt stout"]]
'''Stout''' is a type of dark [[beer]] that is generally [[Brewing#Warm fermenting|warm fermented]], such as [[#Dry stout|dry stout]], [[#Oatmeal stout|oatmeal stout]], [[#Milk stout|milk stout]] and [[#Imperial stout|imperial stout]]. Stout is a type of [[ale]].{{dubious|date=March 2025}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=porter-stout-differences-explained |url=https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/porter-stout-differences-explained/ |website=wineenthusiast.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-14 |title=Stout {{!}} Definition, Types, & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/stout |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stout {{!}} What is a stout beer? |url=https://beerwulf.com/en-gb/blogs/beer-styles/stout-beer |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Beerwulf |language=en}}</ref>

The first known use of the word "stout" for beer is in a document dated 1677 in the [[Egerton Manuscripts]], referring to its [[Beer measurement#Strength|strength]].<ref name="Lewis2017"/> [[Porter (beer)|Porters]] were brewed to a variety of strengths, with the stronger beers called "stout porters". The history and development of stout and porter are thus intertwined.<ref name="node">''The New Oxford Dictionary of English''. Oxford University Press 1998 {{ISBN|0-19-861263-X}}</ref><ref name="camra">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120319235233/http://www.camra.org.uk/page.php?id=231  Porter and Stout – CAMRA], Web.archive.org</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000041.html|title=Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter – Porter casts a long shadow on ale history|website=Beerhunter.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnston |first1=Zach |title=Picking Apart The Minute Differences Between Porter And Stout |url=https://uproxx.com/life/difference-between-stout-and-porter/ |website=Uproxx |access-date=21 January 2020 |date=28 March 2018}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Beamish-Stout,-1919-.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Beamish and Crawford|Beamish]] advertisement, 1919]]
[[Porter (beer)|Porter]] originated in London, England in the early 1720s.<ref>Bamforth, Charles (2009). ''Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing''. Oxford University Press. p. 65. {{ISBN|978-0195305425}}</ref> The beer became popular in the city, especially with porters (hence its name): it had a strong flavour, took longer to [[Food spoilage|spoil]] than other beers, was significantly cheaper than other beers, and was not easily affected by heat.<ref>Unger, Richard W. (2004). ''Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance''. University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 244. {{ISBN|978-0812237955}}</ref><ref name="dictionary">Bender, David A. (2009). ''A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0199234875}}</ref> Within a few decades, porter breweries in London had grown "beyond any previously known scale".<ref name="dictionary"/> Large volumes were exported to Ireland and by 1776 it was being brewed by [[Arthur Guinness]] at his [[St. James's Gate Brewery]].<ref name=Garrett>Oliver, Garrett (2011). ''The Oxford Companion to Beer''. Oxford University Press, p. 492. {{ISBN|978-0195367133}}</ref> In the 19th century, the beer gained its customary black colour through the use of [[Black patent malt#Black malt|black patent malt]], and became stronger in flavour.<ref name="camra"/>

Originally the adjective ''stout'' meant "proud" or "brave", but after the 14th century it took on the connotation of "strong".  The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer was in a document dated 1677 found in the [[Francis Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater|Egerton]] Manuscript,<ref name="Lewis2017">{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Michael|year=2017|publisher=Brewers Publications|title=Stout (Classic Beer Style)|isbn=9781938469435|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqYoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1}}</ref> the sense being that a stout beer was a strong beer. The expression ''stout porter'' was applied during the 18th century to strong versions of porter. ''Stout'' still meant only "strong" and it could be related to any kind of beer, as long as it was strong: in the UK it was possible to find "stout pale ale", for example. Later, ''stout'' was eventually to be associated only with porter, becoming a synonym of dark beer.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Because of the huge popularity of porters, brewers made them in a variety of strengths. The beers with higher gravities were called "Stout Porters".  There is still division and debate on whether stouts should be a separate style from porter. Usually the only deciding factor is strength.<ref>{{cite web|title=So what IS the difference between porter and stout?|url=http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/so-what-is-the-difference-between-porter-and-stout/|access-date=20 July 2018|last=Cornell|first=Martyn|date=19 March 2009|website=Zythophile.wordpress.com}}</ref>

"Nourishing" and sweet "milk" stouts became popular in Great Britain in the years following the [[First World War]], though their popularity declined towards the end of the 20th century, apart from pockets of local interest such as in Glasgow with Sweetheart Stout.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Beer writer [[Michael Jackson (writer)|Michael Jackson]] wrote about stouts and porters in the 1970s, but in the mid 1980s a survey by ''What's Brewing'' found just 29 brewers in the UK and Channel Islands still making stout, most of them milk stouts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/endangered-beers/ |title=Endangered beers &#124; Zythophile |website=Zythophile.wordpress.com |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=15 August 2012}}</ref> In the 21st century, stout is making a comeback with a new generation of drinkers, thanks to new products from burgeoning [[microbrewery|craft and regional brewers]].<ref>Smithers, Rebecca (2012). [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/23/british-drinkers-toast-stout-revival "British drinkers toast stout revival". 23 April 2012.] ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref>

==Milk stout==
[[File:CastleMilkStout2016.jpg|thumb|150px|Castle Milk Stout from [[South African Breweries]]]]
''Milk stout'' (also called ''sweet stout'' or ''cream stout'') is a stout containing [[lactose]], a sugar derived from milk. Because lactose cannot be fermented by [[Saccharomyces cerevisiae|beer yeast]], it adds sweetness and perceived body to the finished beer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sweet Stout |url=https://byo.com/article/sweet-stout/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Brew Your Own |language=en-US}}</ref> 

The milk stout has historically been claimed to be nutritious, advertised to nursing mothers<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=390700|title=The Stout Without Gout – December 2008 Document of the Month – Dorset For You|website=Dorsetforyou.com|access-date=13 March 2009}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/food-drink/guinness-to-brew-anniversary-stout-to-mark-250th-birthday/28475212.html|title=Guinness to brew anniversary stout to mark 250th birthday – Food & Drink, Life & Style|date=December 25, 2008|newspaper=[[Belfast Telegraph]]|access-date=13 March 2009}}</ref> as helping to increase their milk production.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://byo.com/hops/item/1155-milk-stout-it-does-a-body-good|title=Milk Stout: It Does a Body Good|last=BurnSilver|first=Glenn|website=Byo.com|access-date=11 May 2017|language=en}}</ref> An archetypical surviving example of milk stout is [[Mackeson Stout|Mackeson's]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XRyxWu8rRnQC&q=Mackeson+Stout&pg=PA257|title=The Dictionary of Beer and Brewing|isbn=978-1-57958-078-0|date=1 October 1998|last1=Rabin |first1=Dan |last2=Forget |first2=Carl |publisher=Taylor & Francis }}</ref> for which the original brewers advertised that "each pint contains the energising [[carbohydrate]]s of 10 ounces [1/2 pint, 284&nbsp;ml] of pure dairy milk."  The style was rare until being revived by a number of [[Craft brewery and microbrewery|craft breweries]] in the twenty-first century.

Well known examples include the Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, the [[Left Hand Brewing Company|Left Hand Milk Stout]] and the Lancaster Milk Stout.<ref name="bjcp-sweet-stout">{{cite web |url=https://www.bjcp.org/style/2021/16/16A/sweet-stout/ |website=BJCP |access-date=20 March 2024 |title=Beer Judge Certification Program }}</ref>

There were prosecutions in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] in 1944 under the Food and Drugs Act 1938 regarding misleading labelling of milk stout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://refreshingbeer.blogspot.com/2011/10/milk-stout-prosecutions-1944.html|date=22 October 2011|access-date=21 November 2016|title=Milk stout prosecutions, 1944|work=I might have a glass of beer}}</ref><!-- blog gives additional, specific information about the cases, which were not listed in the newspaper -->

{{anchor|Dry stout}}{{anchor|Irish stout}}

==Irish stout==

With sweet stouts becoming the dominant stout in the UK in the early 20th century, it was mainly in Ireland that the non-sweet or standard stout was being made. As standard stout has a drier taste than the English and American sweet stouts, they came to be called ''dry stout'' or ''Irish stout'' to differentiate them from stouts with added lactose or oatmeal.<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford Companion to Beer|page=494|publisher=Oxford University Press|date= 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://allaboutbeer.com/article/milk-stout-2/|author=Klemp, Keith |title=Milk Stout|date=1 July 2012|magazine= All About Beer Magazine |volume=33 |issue=3 }}</ref> This is the style that represents a typical stout to most people.<ref name=eddings>{{cite web|url=http://beer.about.com/od/sto2/p/LaymansStout.htm|author=Bryce Eddings|title=A Layman's Guide to Stout – Introduction to Stout Styles|website=About.com|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526200531/http://beer.about.com/od/sto2/p/LaymansStout.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The best selling stouts worldwide are Irish stouts made by [[Guinness]] (now owned by [[Diageo]]) at [[Guinness Brewery|St. James's Gate Brewery]] (also known as the Guinness Brewery) in [[Dublin]]. Guinness makes a number of different varieties of its Irish stouts.<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470120521|url-access=registration|author= Yenne, Bill |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date= 5 October 2007|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470120521/page/186 186]|isbn=9780470120521 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://allaboutbeer.com/article/evolution-dry-stout/|title=The Evolution of Dry Stout|author=Klemp, K. Florian |date=17 March 2015|website=Allaboutbeer.com/}}</ref> Other examples of Irish dry stout include [[Murphy's Irish Stout|Murphy's]] and [[Beamish and Crawford|Beamish]], now both owned by [[Heineken N.V.|Heineken]].<ref name=eddings /> Native Irish stouts are brewed by independent [[List of breweries in Ireland|Irish craft breweries]], most of whom include a stout in their core ranges. Draught Irish stout is normally served with a [[nitrogen]] propellant in addition to the [[carbon dioxide]] most beers use, to create a creamy texture with a long-lasting head.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2012/09/09/good-beer-and-choice-return-to-ireland| title = Protz On Beer. ''Good beer – and choice – return to Ireland.''}}</ref> Some canned and bottled stouts include a special device called a "[[Widget (beer)|widget]]" to nitrogenate the beer in the container to replicate the experience of the keg varieties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/good-beer-gas-nitro-beers-explained |work=craftbeer.com |title=Good Beer Gas: Nitro Beers Explained |first=John |last=Holl |date=January 24, 2013 |accessdate=April 1, 2021 }}</ref>

===Gallery of Irish stouts===
<gallery mode="packed" widths="160px" heights="160px">
File:Guinness 7686a.jpg|Draught Guinness
File:HK drink SW Parkn shop goods Beer dark bottles 健力士 Guinness Foreign Extra June-2013 (cropped).JPG|Guinness Foreign Extra
File:Beamish Genuine Irish Stout.jpg|Beamish Genuine Irish Stout
File:Murphy's Irish Stout (cropped) (cropped).jpg|Murphy's Irish Stout
</gallery>

==Porter==
{{main|Porter (beer)}}
There were no differences between stout and porter historically,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zythophile.co.uk/2009/03/19/so-what-is-the-difference-between-porter-and-stout/|title=So what IS the difference between porter and stout?|first=Martyn|last=Cornell|website=Zythophile.co.uk|date=19 March 2009}}</ref> though there had been a tendency for breweries to differentiate the strengths of their beers with the words "extra", "double" and "stout". The term ''stout'' was initially used to indicate a stronger porter than other porters from a brewery.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=180680|title=Porter and Stout – CAMRA<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=Camra.org.uk|access-date=22 November 2006|archive-date=11 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411214902/http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=180680|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Oatmeal stout==
[[File:D Mendocino Oatmeal Stout beer bottle 8286690116 o.jpg|thumb|160px|An oatmeal stout from [[Mendocino Brewing Company]], a craft brewery founded in 1983]]
''Oatmeal stout'' is a stout with a proportion of [[oat]]s, normally a maximum of 30%, added during the brewing process.<ref name="bjcp-oatmeal-stout">{{cite web |url=https://www.bjcp.org/style/2021/16/16B/oatmeal-stout/ |website=BJCP |access-date=20 March 2024 |title=Beer Judge Certification Program }}</ref>

Even though a larger proportion of oats in beer can lead to a bitter or astringent taste,<ref>Lewis, Michael J. (1995). ''Stout'', p. 50. Brewers Publications, {{ISBN|0-937381-44-6}}</ref> during the [[medieval]] period in Europe, oats were a common ingredient in ale,<ref>Cornell, Martyn (2003). ''Beer: The Story of the Pint'', p. 49. Hodder Headline, {{ISBN|0-7553-1164-7}}</ref> and proportions up to 35% were standard. In 17th-century England, mixed oat and barley malt was referred to as 'dredge'. Despite some areas of Europe, such as Norway, still clinging to the use of oats in brewing until the early part of the 20th century, the practice had largely died out by the 16th century, so much so that in 1513 [[Tudor period|Tudor]] sailors refused to drink oat beer offered to them because of the bitter flavour.<ref>Page 78, ''Beer: The Story of the Pint'', Martyn Cornell, published 2003 by Hodder Headline, {{ISBN|0-7553-1164-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://libguides.lib.hku.hk/az.php|title=Databases|website=Libguides.lib.hku.hk}}</ref>

There was a revival of interest in using oats during the end of the 19th century, when (supposedly) restorative, nourishing and invalid beers, such as the later milk stout, were popular, because of the association of [[porridge]] with health.<ref>Page 158, ''Beer: The Story of the Pint'', Martyn Cornell, published 2003 by Hodder Headline, {{ISBN|0-7553-1164-7}}</ref> Maclay of Alloa produced an Original Oatmalt<!--correct spelling--> Stout in 1895 that used 70% "oatmalt", and a 63/- Oatmeal Stout in 1909, which used 30% "flaked (porridge) oats".<ref>Pages 59 & 60, ''Old British Beers'', Dr. John Harrison, published 2003 by Durden Park Beer Circle, {{ISBN|0-9517752-1-9}}</ref>

In the 20th century, many oatmeal stouts contained only a minimal amount of oats. For example, in 1936 Barclay Perkins Oatmeal Stout used only 0.5% oats.<ref>Barclay Perkins brewing records in the London Metropolitan Archives</ref> As the oatmeal stout was brewed in  a parti-gyle process with their porter and standard stout, these two also contained the same proportion of oats. (Parti-gyle brewing involves extracting multiple worts from a single mash through separate sparges. Each subsequent sparge extracts a more diluted lower gravity wort from the same ingredients in proportion. As a result each wort is boiled and fermented to produces a different strength beer from same ingredients) The name seems to have been a marketing device more than anything else. In the 1920s and 1930s Whitbread's London Stout and Oatmeal Stout were identical, just packaged differently. The amount of oats Whitbread used was minimal, again around 0.5%.<ref>Whitbread brewing records in the London Metropolitan Archives</ref> With such a small quantity of oats used, it could only have had little impact on the flavour or texture of these beers.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Many breweries were still brewing oatmeal stouts in the 1950s, for example Brickwoods in Portsmouth, Matthew Brown in Blackburn and Ushers in Trowbridge.<ref>Whitbread Gravity Book, Whitbread Archive in the London Metropolitan Archives</ref> When Michael Jackson mentioned the defunct Eldrige Pope "Oat Malt Stout" in his 1977 book ''The World Guide to Beer'', oatmeal stout was no longer being made anywhere, but [[Charles Finkel]], founder of Merchant du Vin, was curious enough to commission [[Samuel Smith Old Brewery|Samuel Smith]] to produce a version.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001674.html|title=Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter – Kisses, oats and stouts|website=Beerhunter.com}}</ref> Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout then became the template for other breweries' versions.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Oatmeal stouts do not usually taste specifically of oats. The smoothness of oatmeal stouts comes from the high content of proteins, lipids (includes fats and waxes), and gums imparted by the use of oats. The gums increase the viscosity and body adding to the sense of smoothness.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.byo.com/stories/beer-styles/article/indices/11-beer-styles/1194-oatmeal-stout-style |title=Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine – Beer Styles – Oatmeal Stout |first=Stephan |last=Galante |website=Byo.com |date=October 1997 |access-date=28 November 2011 |archive-date=9 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109210249/http://www.byo.com/stories/beer-styles/article/indices/11-beer-styles/1194-oatmeal-stout-style |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Oyster stout==
[[File:Marston's.Oyster.Stout.2012 (cropped).JPG|right |thumb|155px|[[Marston's Brewery|Marston's]] Oyster Stout]]
[[Oyster]]s have had a long association with stout. When stouts were emerging in the 18th century, oysters were a commonplace food often served in [[public house]]s and taverns. By the 20th century, oyster beds were in decline, and stout had given way to [[pale ale]]. Ernest Barnes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://barnesoysters.co.nz/about-us/ernest-barnes |title=Ernest Barnes|website=Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters|access-date=15 April 2018}}</ref> came up with the idea of combining oysters with stout using an oyster concentrate made by Thyrodone Development Ltd. in [[Bluff, New Zealand]], where he was factory manager.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19390511.2.145?end_date=1949-12-31&items_per_page=10&phrase=0&query=%22oyster+stout%22&sort_by=byDA&start_date=1839-01-01&title=AHCOG%2CBH%2CCL%2CCROMARG%2CDUNST%2CESD%2CLCM%2CLCP%2CLWM%2CME%2CMIC%2CMTBM%2CNOT%2COAM%2CODT%2COW%2COSWCC%2CSOCR%2CST%2CTT%2CWSTAR |title=Oyster Stout, ''Otago Daily Times'', Issue 23805, 11 May 1939|via=Papers Past|access-date=15 April 2018}}</ref> It was first sold by the Dunedin Brewery Company in New Zealand in 1938, with the Hammerton Brewery in London, UK, beginning production using the same formula the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19390512.2.32?end_date=1949-12-31&items_per_page=10&phrase=0&query=%22oyster+stout%22&sort_by=byDA&start_date=1839-01-01&title=AHCOG%2CBH%2CCL%2CCROMARG%2CDUNST%2CESD%2CLCM%2CLCP%2CLWM%2CME%2CMIC%2CMTBM%2CNOT%2COAM%2CODT%2COW%2COSWCC%2CSOCR%2CST%2CTT%2CWSTAR|title=Oyster Stout, ''Otago Daily Times'', Issue 23806, 12 May 1939|via=Papers Past|access-date=15 April 2018}}</ref> Hammerton Brewery was re-established in 2014 and is once again brewing an oyster stout.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE BREWERY |url=https://hammertonbrewery.shop/pages/hammerton-brewery |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Hammerton Brewery |language=en}}</ref>

Modern ''oyster stouts'' may be made with a handful of oysters in the barrel, hence the warning by one establishment, the [[Porterhouse Brewery]] in Dublin, that their award-winning Oyster Stout was not suitable for vegetarians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/ |title=Porterhouse |website=Porterhousebrewco.com |access-date=15 August 2012}}</ref> Others, such as [[Marston's]] Oyster Stout, use the name with the implication that the beer would be suitable for drinking with oysters.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==Chocolate stout==
''Chocolate stout'' is a name brewers sometimes give to certain stouts having a noticeable [[dark chocolate]] flavour through the use of darker, more aromatic [[malt]]; particularly chocolate malt—a malt that has been roasted or [[kiln]]ed until it acquires a chocolate colour. Sometimes, as with Muskoka Brewery's Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout, [[Young's]] Double Chocolate Stout, and [[Rogue Ales|Rogue Brewery]]'s Chocolate Stout, the beers are also brewed with a small amount of chocolate, chocolate flavouring, or cacao nibs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.charleswells.co.uk/our-company/our-products/youngs-double-chocolate-stout/|title=Young's Double Chocolate Stout – Charles Wells<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=Chalreswells.co.uk|access-date=30 January 2016|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116214459/http://www.charleswells.co.uk/our-company/our-products/youngs-double-chocolate-stout/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rogue.com/rogue_beer/chocolate-stout/|title=Rogue Ales & Spirits<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=Rogue.com}}</ref>

==Imperial stout==
{{See also|Baltic porter|Bourbon barrel aged beer}}
[[File:Worthingtons Imperial Stout reclame.JPG|right |thumb|150px|[[Worthington Brewery|Worthington's]] Imperial Stout advertisement]]

''Imperial stout'', also known as ''Russian imperial stout'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''RIS''), is a stronger stout. The style originated in 18th-century London, created by [[Anchor Brewery|Thrale's Anchor Brewery]] for export to the court of [[Catherine II of Russia]].<ref>{{cite book|title=A draught of contentment: the story of the Courage Group|author=John Pudney|year=1971}}</ref> In 1781 the brewery changed hands and the beer became known as "Barclay Perkins Imperial Brown Stout".<ref name=Tyrrell>{{cite book|last1=Blocker|first1=Jack S.|last2=Fahey|first2=David M.|last3=Tyrrell|first3=Ian R.|title=Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BuzNzm-x0l8C&pg=PA177|year=2003|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-833-4|page=177}}</ref> It was shipped to [[Russian Empire|Russia]] by [[Albert von Le Coq]] who was awarded a Russian [[Royal warrant of appointment|royal warrant]] which entitled him to use the name "Imperial".<ref name=Protz>{{cite web| url = https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2008/05/16/Protz-Back-to-black-Baltic-porter-is-heading-for-pole-position| title = Morning Advertiser. ''Back to black: Baltic porter is heading for pole position.''| date = 15 May 2008}}</ref> Historical analyses from the time period of 1849 to 1986 show that the beer had an [[Gravity (alcoholic beverage)#Original gravity (OG); original extract (OE)|original gravity]] between 1.100 and 1.107 and an alcohol content of around 10% ABV. This remained virtually unchanged over the whole time period.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/01/imperial-russian-stout-1849-1986.html
 |title=Imperial Russian Stout 1849 – 1986
 |last=Pattinson
 |first=Ron
 |date=2022-01-09
 |access-date=2022-01-21
}}</ref> A recipe from 1856 also indicates that it was hopped at a rate of 10 [[Pound (mass)|pounds]] of hops to the [[Barrel (unit)#Fluid barrel in the US and UK|barrel]] ({{convert|10|lb/impbbl|g/L|disp=out|0}}). When Barclay's brewery was taken over by [[Courage Brewery|Courage]] in 1955, the beer was renamed "Courage Imperial Russian Stout" and it was brewed sporadically until 1993.<ref name=OCB>{{cite web| url = https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/R5wczzUMCS/| title = Beer and Brewing. ''The Oxford Companion to Beer definition of imperial stout.''}}</ref> The bottle cap still said "Barclay's".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://boakandbailey.com/2017/08/barclays-russian-imperial-stout-1970/ | title=Barclay's Russian Imperial Stout, 1970 | date=31 August 2017 }}</ref>

In Canada, Imperial Stout was produced in [[Prince Albert, Saskatchewan|Prince Albert]] first by Fritz Sick, and then by [[Molson Brewery|Molson]] following a 1958 takeover.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://sain.scaa.sk.ca/collections/downloads/r-l-dick-sweet-breweriana-collection.pdf| title = University of Saskatchewan ''MG 401 – R.L. ("Dick") Sweet – Breweriana Collection. (p26)''}}</ref> Denmark's Wiibroe Brewery launched its 8.2 per cent Imperial Stout in 1930.<ref>[http://www.helsingorleksikon.dk/index.php/Wiibroes_Bryggeri Helsingør Leksikon. ''Wiibroes Bryggeri.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613230412/http://www.helsingorleksikon.dk/index.php/Wiibroes_Bryggeri |date=13 June 2013 }} (in Danish)</ref> The first brewery to brew an Imperial Stout in the United States was Bert Grant's [[Yakima Brewing]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001575.html| title = Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter. ''How Bert Grant Saved The World.''}}</ref>

Imperial stouts have a high alcohol content, usually over 9% [[Alcohol by volume|abv]], and are among the darkest available beer styles. [[Samuel Smith Old Brewery|Samuel Smith's]] brewed a version for export to the [[Beer in the United States|United States]] in the early 1980s, and today Imperial stout is among the most popular beer styles with U.S. [[craft beer|craft brewers]].<ref name=OCB /> American interpretations of the style often include ingredients such as vanilla beans, chili powder, maple syrup, coffee, and marshmallows. Many are [[Bourbon barrel aged beer|aged in bourbon barrels]] to add additional layers of flavour.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://thetakeout.com/venture-to-the-dark-side-of-the-brew-with-imperial-stou-1798256284| title = The Takeout. ''Venture to the dark side of the brew with imperial stouts.''| date = 20 December 2017}}</ref> The word "Imperial" is now commonly added to other beer styles to denote a stronger version, hence [[India pale ale#United States|Imperial IPAs]], [[pilsner|Imperial pilsners]] etc.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/jHAYJNoGZh/| title = Beer and Brewing. ''The Oxford Companion to Beer definition of "imperial".''}}</ref>

A similar beer style, [[Baltic porter]], originated in the [[Baltic region]] in the 19th century. Imperial stouts imported from Britain were recreated locally using local ingredients and brewing traditions.<ref name=Klemp>{{cite journal |last1=Klemp |first1=K. Florian |title=Big Baltic Porter |url=http://allaboutbeer.com/article/big-baltic-porter/ |journal=All About Beer Magazine |date=March 2008 |volume=29 | issue=1}}</ref>

===Gallery of imperial stouts===
<gallery mode="packed" widths="160px" heights="160px">
File:ImperialStout.jpg|{{center|[[Courage Brewery|Courage]] Imperial Russian Stout}}
File:Samuelsmithstout.JPG|{{center|[[Samuel Smith Old Brewery|Samuel Smith's]]<br>Imperial Stout}}
File:Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout.jpg|{{center|[[Founders Brewing Company|Founders]] Kentucky Breakfast Stout}}
File:Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti.jpg|{{center|[[Great Divide Brewing Company|Great Divide]]<br>Oak Aged Yeti}}
File:Three-Floyds-Dark-Lord-02.jpg|{{center|[[Three Floyds Brewing|Three Floyds]]<br> Dark Lord}}
File:North Coast Old Rasputin XII.jpg|{{center|[[North Coast Brewing Company|North Coast]]<br>Old Rasputin XII}}
File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Imperial stout (cropped).jpg|{{center|[[Carlsberg Group|Carlsberg]]<br>Wiibroe Imperial Stout}}
Sierra Nevada Narwhal.jpg|{{center|[[Sierra Nevada Brewing Company|Sierra Nevada]]<br>Narwhal}}
</gallery>

== Pastry stout ==
 
A pastry stout refers to a sweet stout style which is brewed to emulate the taste of various [[desserts]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reddy|first=Abhinav|date=2021-06-25|title=What Are Pastry Stouts? » Brewer World-Everything about beer is here|url=https://www.brewer-world.com/what-are-pastry-stouts/|access-date=2021-12-07|website=Brewer World-Everything about beer is here|language=en-US}}</ref> Many [[Brewery|breweries]] who produce pastry stouts will experiment with flavours such as chocolate, marshmallow, maple syrup, vanilla or fruit.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tavour.com/post/ditch-your-cake-for-these-10-pastry-stouts | title=Tavour }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Stout - Flavored / Pastry in the World |url=https://www.ratebeer.com/beerstyles/stout-flavored-pastry/161/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=RateBeer |language=EN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pastry stouts |url=https://brauwelt.com/en/topics/beer-brewing-history/646855-pastry-stouts |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=BRAUWELT |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Weitz |first=Grace |date=2024-02-22 |title=9 Breweries With the Best Pastry Stouts, According to You |url=https://www.hopculture.com/best-pastry-stout-breweries/#google_vignette |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Hop Culture |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline}}

{{Beer styles}}

[[Category:Beer styles]]
[[Category:History of alcoholic drinks]]