Serve in a snifter at 12-15 °C
What it tastes like
Imperial stout started in eighteenth century London as a strong export stout shipped to the Baltic and, legend says, to the Russian court. American craft brewers picked it up in the 1980s and pushed every dial. Their version is black, often 9 to 12 percent, with a lot of roast and a lot more hop bitterness and aroma than the English originals.
A good one tastes of espresso, dark chocolate, burnt sugar and dried fruit, with a resinous or citrus hop edge cutting through. The alcohol should be warming, not hot or solventy. That takes a healthy pitch of yeast, careful oxygenation and patience: most need months of conditioning before the harsh edges round off.
This is also the base for a lot of barrel ageing and adjunct experiments, from bourbon barrels to coffee, vanilla and coconut. Strip those away and the plain version should still stand up on its own.
Style profile
- Look
- Jet black and opaque, with a thick tan to dark brown head that may fade quickly at higher strength. Legs on the glass when swirled.
- Aroma and flavour
- Espresso, dark chocolate, roasted grain and molasses with plum or raisin fruit. American hops add pine, resin or citrus. Alcohol is noticeable but should not burn.
- Mouthfeel
- Full, thick and chewy, with low to moderate carbonation. Warming alcohol and a long, bittersweet finish.
- Ingredients
- Pale malt base with roasted barley, black and chocolate malts, crystal malt, sometimes oats. American hops such as Chinook, Columbus or Cascade. Clean ale yeast with high alcohol tolerance.
In India
A 10 percent stout and a 35 degree afternoon are not friends. Save this one for a December evening in Delhi or a rainy night in Bengaluru, and pour small measures. The good news is that strong dark beers are the most forgiving style in a warm cold chain: roast and alcohol hide age far better than hops do, and some even improve. Find them as brewpub specials, often around Christmas, and share a bottle.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Mutton rogan joshKashmiri chilli and rich fat stand up to the roast, and the hop bitterness cuts the ghee.
- Chettinad mushroom pepper fryBlack pepper and kalpasi meet the roast and resin, and the mushrooms bring an earthy depth the stout loves.
- Blue cheeseSalty, sharp cheese against sweet, roasty stout is a classic contrast, and you can buy it in any large Indian supermarket.
- Dark chocolate and coffee mousseChocolate and espresso in the dessert echo the same flavours in the glass.
Brewed in India
- Imperial Stout, Communiti, Bengaluru source
Want the long read? Imperial stout