Variations
Many great stouts are complex and low in alcohol, beautifully round, and with a roasty touch. The presentation of a “traditional” pint of stout has changed over the past 40 years. Before then, Irish stout was dispensed from a cask by gravity or beer engine, or later via pressure. The invention of a draft system that uses a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide filled the glass with a wholly different beer than before.
Some stouts brewed in England and America are sweeter or stronger than Irish dry stout. Brewers may add milk sugar (lactose) for sweetness, or brew with a small amount of oatmeal, an ingredient that adds complexity, silkiness and a touch of sweetness. Other brewers enhance the chocolate and coffee notes in stout with the addition of real chocolate or coffee!
The strongest beers in the stout family—the “stoutest” stouts—are the Russian imperial stouts. These potent, inky beers are named for their popularity in the Russian court of Catherine the Great. With intense flavors of espresso, dark chocolate and licorice, and alcohol content in the range of many wines, these are beers for quiet sipping.
To fans of dark beers, the likes of stouts and porters are quite familiar. Known for their silky smooth mouthfeel and roasted malts, stouts often weave rich flavors such as chocolate or coffee, leaving you with a well rounded jet black brew.
Traditionally called a stout to distinguish a stronger version of a beer, 1677 saw the first introduction of this term, and it was never meant to be synonymous with dark beers.
Porters were the popular tipple in the 1720s as they imparted a strong flavor, aged well, and didn’t spoil as easily as other styles at the time, and brewers found that they were also cheaper to brew.
As brewers went on experimenting with recipes, porters began to intertwine with stouts, whereby consumers and brewers alike eventually began associating stouts with dark beer, even seeing Black Malt make its way onto the scene to deepen the color and amp up the malt flavor profile.
Roasty coffee and chocolate lead to a decadent, full-bodied richness of near uncharted depths with a velvet mouthfeel from the addition of oatmeal and a touch of wheat. This is complemented at every turn by the Magnum and Sorachi Ace hops, with the latter bringing an intensity of smooth vanilla and dark berry fruit on the long, rewarding finish.
Our American Jet Black Heart will soon be available on Nitro in cans, and in DogTap. This dispense method elevates the richness and the mouthfeel of a stout to a whole new level. If you thought you had tasted a Nitro stout before – buckle up. Jet Black Heart is here to blow shit up.
If you’re on the search for a craft-brewed stout in the Columbus area, head over to Lineage Brewing to try their Oscura Obscura – a wickedly smooth and coffee forward blonde stout. Our neighbors on this side of the 270 feature awesome local breweries such as Loose Rail with Coal’s Cousin and Combustion Brewing’s Dark Black Past. Give them a whirl and tell us what you think in the comments!
