Dark British Beer

Category 16. DARK BRITISH BEER

• Category intro: This category contains average to strong, bitter to sweet, modern British and Irish stouts that originated in England even if some are now more widely associated with Ireland. In this case, “British” means the broader British Isles not Great Britain.

16A. Sweet Stout

Overall impression

• A very dark, sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty stout that can suggest coffee-and-cream, or sweetened espresso.

Vital statistics

Judging anchors

• Aroma: Mild roasted grain aroma, sometimes with coffee or chocolate notes. An impression of cream-like sweetness often exists. Fruitiness can be low to moderately high. Low diacetyl optional. Low floral or earthy hop aroma optional.
• Appearance: Very dark brown to black in color. Clear, if not opaque. Creamy tan to brown head.
• Flavor: Dark, roasted, coffee or chocolate flavors dominate the palate. Low to moderate fruity esters. Moderate bitterness. Medium to high sweetness provides a counterpoint to the roasted character and bitterness, lasting into the finish. The balance between dark grains or malts and sweetness can vary, from quite sweet to moderately dry and somewhat roasty. Low diacetyl optional. Low floral or earthy hop flavor optional.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-full to full-bodied and creamy. Low to moderate carbonation. High residual sweetness from unfermented sugars enhances the full-tasting mouthfeel.

Context

• Comments: Gravities are low in Britain (sometimes lower than the statistics below), higher in exported and US products. Variations exist, with the level of residual sweetness, the intensity of the roast character, and the balance between the two being the variables most subject to interpretation.
• History: An English style of stout developed in the early 1900s. Historically known as “Milk” or “Cream” stouts, legally this designation is no longer permitted in England but may be acceptable elsewhere. The “milk” name is derived from the use of the milk sugar lactose as a sweetener. Originally marketed as a tonic for invalids and nursing mothers.
• Characteristic ingredients: Base of pale malt with dark malts or grains. May use grain or sugar adjuncts. Lactose is frequently added to provide additional residual sweetness.
• Style comparison: Much sweeter and less bitter-tasting than other stouts, except the stronger Tropical Stout. The roast character is mild, not burnt like other stouts. Can be similar in balance to Oatmeal Stout, albeit with more sweetness.
• Entry instructions: none

Commercial examples (as listed)

• Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, Firestone Nitro Merlin Milk Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, Lancaster Milk Stout, Mackeson’s XXX Stout, Marston’s Pearl Jet Stout

Tags

• standard-strength, dark-color, top-fermented, british-isles, traditional-style, stout-family, malty, roasty, sweet

16B. Oatmeal Stout

Overall impression

• A dark, roasty, full-bodied stout with enough sweetness to support the oat backbone. The sweetness, balance, and oatmeal impression can vary considerably.

Vital statistics

Judging anchors

• Aroma: Mild grainy, roasty, coffee-like character with a light malty sweetness that can give a coffee-and-cream impression. Low to medium-high fruitiness. Medium-low earthy or floral hop aroma optional. A light grainy-nutty oatmeal aroma is optional. Medium-low diacetyl optional but typically absent.
• Appearance: Brown to black in color. Thick, creamy, persistent tan- to brown-colored head. Clear, if not opaque.
• Flavor: Similar to the aroma, with a mild roasted coffee, milk chocolate, or coffee-and-cream flavor, and low to moderately-high fruitiness. Oats can add a toasty-nutty, grainy, or earthy flavor. Medium bitterness. Medium-sweet to medium-dry finish, which affects the perception of balance. Malty, roasty, nutty aftertaste. Medium-low earthy or floral hop flavor optional. Medium-low diacetyl optional but typically absent.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-full to full body, with a smooth, silky, velvety, sometimes an almost oily slickness from the oatmeal. Creamy. Medium to medium-high carbonation. Stronger versions may be lightly warming.

Context

• Comments: When judging, allow for differences in balance and interpretation. American versions tend to be more hoppy, less sweet, and less fruity than English examples. Bitterness, sweetness, and oatmeal impression varies. Light use of oatmeal may give a certain silkiness of body and richness of flavor, while heavy use of oatmeal can be fairly intense in flavor with an almost oily mouthfeel and dryish finish.
• History: A variant of nourishing or invalid stouts around 1900 using oatmeal in the grist, similar to but independent of the development of sweet stout using lactose. An original Scottish version used a significant amount of oat malt. Later went through a shady phase where some English brewers would throw a handful of oats into their parti-gyled stouts in order to legally produce a ‘healthy’ Oatmeal Stout for marketing purposes. Most popular in England between the World Wars, was revived in the craft beer era for export, which helped lead to its adoption as a popular modern American craft beer style that uses a noticeable (not symbolic) quantity of oats.
• Characteristic ingredients: Pale, caramel, and dark roasted malts (often chocolate) and grains. Oatmeal or malted oats (5-20% or more). Hops primarily for bittering. Can use brewing sugars or syrups. English ale yeast.
• Style comparison: Most are like a cross between an Irish Extra Stout and a Sweet Stout with oatmeal added. Several variations exist, with the sweeter versions more like a Sweet Stout with oatmeal instead of lactose, and the drier versions more like a more nutty, flavorful Irish Extra Stout. Both tend to emphasize the body and mouthfeel.
• Entry instructions: none

Commercial examples (as listed)

• Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Broughton Stout Jock, St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Summit Oatmeal Stout, Young’s London Stout

Tags

• standard-strength, dark-color, top-fermented, british-isles, traditional-style, stout-family, balanced, roasty

16C. Tropical Stout

Overall impression

• A very dark, sweet, fruity, moderately strong stout with smooth, roasty flavors, yet no burnt harshness.

Vital statistics

Judging anchors

• Aroma: Moderate to high intensity sweetness is prominent. Moderate to high coffee or chocolate roasty aroma, but not burnt. Medium to high fruitiness. May have a molasses, licorice, burnt sugar, dried fruit, or vinous aromatics. Stronger versions can have a subtle, clean aroma of alcohol. Low hop aroma optional. Low diacetyl optional.
• Appearance: Very deep brown to black in color. Clarity usually obscured by deep color. Clear, if not opaque. Large tan to brown head with good retention.
• Flavor: Quite sweet with a smooth dark grain flavors, and restrained, medium-low to medium bitterness. Smooth, roasty flavor, often like coffee or chocolate, although moderated in the balance by the sweet finish. No burnt malt flavor or harsh bite in the finish. Moderate to high fruity esters. Can have a sweet, dark rum, molasses, or burnt sugar-like quality. Low hop flavor optional. Medium-low diacetyl optional.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-full to full body, often with a smooth, creamy character. May have a warming but not hot alcohol presence. Moderate to moderately-high carbonation.

Context

• Comments: Surprisingly refreshing in a hot climate. Sweetness levels can vary significantly. Tropical implies that the beer originated in and is popular in the tropics, not that it has characteristics of tropical fruit from hops or fruit.
• History: A local adaptation of Foreign Extra Stouts brewed with indigenous ingredients and methods in the Caribbean and other tropical markets. Bitterness lower than export-type stouts since these beers do not have to be shipped abroad, and to suit local palate preferences.
• Characteristic ingredients: Similar to a Sweet Stout, but higher gravity. Pale and dark roasted malts and grains. Hops mostly for bitterness. May use adjuncts and sugar to boost gravity. Typically made with warm-fermented lager yeast.
• Style comparison: Tastes like a scaled-up Sweet Stout with higher fruitiness. Similar to some Imperial Stouts without the high bitterness, strong or burnt roastiness, and late hops, and with lower alcohol. Much sweeter and less hoppy than American Stouts. Much sweeter and less bitter than the similar-gravity Foreign Extra Stouts.
• Entry instructions: none

Commercial examples (as listed)

• ABC Extra Stout, Bahamian Strong Back Stout, Dragon Stout, Jamaica Stout, Lion Stout, Royal Extra Stout

Tags

• high-strength, dark-color, top-fermented, british-isles, traditional-style, stout-family, malty, roasty, sweet

16D. Foreign Extra Stout

Overall impression

• A very dark, rich, moderately strong, fairly dry stout with prominent roast flavors.

Vital statistics

Judging anchors

• Aroma: Moderate to high roast, like coffee, dark chocolate, or lightly burnt grain. Low to medium fruitiness. May have a sweet aroma, or molasses, licorice, dried fruit, or vinous aromatics. Stronger versions can have a subtle, clean aroma of alcohol. Low earthy, herbal, or floral hop aroma optional. Low diacetyl optional.
• Appearance: Very deep brown to black in color. Clarity usually obscured by deep color. Clear, if not opaque. Large tan to brown head with good retention.
• Flavor: Moderate to high roast, like coffee, dark chocolate, or lightly burnt grain, although without a sharp bite. Low to medium esters. Medium to high bitterness. Moderately dry finish. Moderate earthy, herbal, or floral hop flavor optional. Medium-low diacetyl optional.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-full to full body, often with a smooth, sometimes creamy character. May have a warming but not hot alcohol presence. Moderate to moderately-high carbonation.

Context

• Comments: Also known as Foreign Stout, Export Stout, and Foreign Export Stout. Historic versions (before WWI, at least) had the same OG as domestic Extra Stouts, but depending on the brewery could have had a higher ABV because it had a long secondary with Brett chewing away at it. The difference between domestic and foreign versions were the hopping and length of maturation.
• History: Stronger stouts brewed for the export market today, but with a history stretching back to the 18th and 19th centuries when they were more heavily-hopped versions of stronger export stouts. Vatted originally, but Guinness stopped this practice in the 1950s. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (originally, West India Porter, later Foreign Extra Double Stout) was first brewed in 1801 according to Guinness with “extra hops to give it a distinctive taste and a longer shelf life in hot weather.”
• Characteristic ingredients: Pale and dark roasted malts and grains, historically also could have used brown and amber malts. Hops mostly for bitterness, typically English varieties. May use adjuncts and sugar to boost gravity.
• Style comparison: Similar in balance to an Irish Extra Stout, but with more alcohol. Not as big or intense as an Imperial Stout. Lacking the strong bitterness and high late hops of American Stout. Similar gravity as Tropical Stout, but with a drier finish and higher bitterness.
• Entry instructions: none

Commercial examples (as listed)

• Coopers Best Extra Stout, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, The Kernel Export Stout London 1890, La Cumbre Malpais Stout, Pelican Tsunami Export Stout, Ridgeway Foreign Export Stout

Tags

• high-strength, dark-color, top-fermented, british-isles, traditional-style, stout-family, balanced, roasty