Serve in a nonic pint at 8-12 °C
What it tastes like
Take a dry Irish stout, raise the strength to around 6 or 7 percent, push the roast, and then hop it like an American pale ale. That is close to an American stout. It shows up in the US craft boom of the 1980s and 1990s as brewers applied their love of Cascade and Centennial to darker beers.
The roast is the backbone: coffee, dark chocolate and a slightly burnt edge. Against it, citrus and pine hops give a bright, resinous lift that you would never find in a pint of Irish stout. Bitterness is firm, often in the 40s or 50s on the IBU scale, and the finish is drier than you expect for a beer this dark.
The best ones keep the two halves in balance. Too much hop and it tastes like a black IPA; too little and it is just a strong porter.
Style profile
- Look
- Black and opaque, or very dark brown with ruby edges against the light. Generous, long lasting tan head.
- Aroma and flavour
- Roasted coffee, cocoa and a faint burnt note, with citrus, pine or resin from American hops. Some caramel sweetness, but roast leads.
- Mouthfeel
- Medium to full body, smooth, with moderate carbonation. Firm bitterness and a fairly dry, roasty finish.
- Ingredients
- Pale malt with roasted barley, black and chocolate malts and some crystal. American hops such as Cascade, Centennial or Chinook, sometimes dry hopped. Clean American ale yeast.
In India
American stout is a good gateway for Indian IPA drinkers who think dark beer means sweet beer. The hop character fades in a warm supply chain faster than the roast does, so it is at its best on tap at a brewpub that brewed it. At around 6 to 7 percent it is too heavy for a summer lunch, but right for monsoon evenings and winter in the north, with grilled or fried food.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Mangalorean chicken ghee roastThe roast and resin hops cut through the ghee and match the toasted red chilli.
- Mushroom and pepper seekh kebabChar and black pepper meet the roast, and the hop bitterness keeps a rich vegetarian kebab from feeling heavy.
- Pork vindalooVinegar, garlic and chilli need a beer with backbone; the roast and hops stand up to all three.
- Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice creamCocoa echoes the roast, and the beer's bitterness keeps the sweetness in check.
Brewed in India
- Brisky Brutus American Stout, Boche and ShakesBierre, Bengaluru source