Serve in a nonic pint at 6-9 °C
What it tastes like
Irish dry stout is the beer most people picture when they hear the word stout, and it is lighter than it looks. Most are around 4 to 4.5 percent, with a body closer to a bitter than a strong ale. The black colour and sharp coffee bite come from roasted barley, unmalted grain roasted until almost charred, which gives a dry, slightly acrid edge that defines the style.
It grew out of London porter, which Dublin brewers adapted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries until it became their own. Flaked barley in the grist helps the head, and many breweries pour it on nitrogen, which gives the slow cascade and the thick, creamy collar of foam.
Drink one and look for coffee without the milk, a firm but not harsh bitterness, and a quick, dry finish. Nothing should be sweet or heavy. It is a beer for long conversations.
Style profile
- Look
- Black with deep ruby glints at the edge. A dense, tight, cream to tan head, especially thick and long lasting when poured on nitrogen.
- Aroma and flavour
- Black coffee and dark roasted grain, a touch of bitter chocolate, very little sweetness. Hops are earthy and background. Light fruity esters at most.
- Mouthfeel
- Light to medium body, creamy on nitro, otherwise smooth and fairly thin. Low carbonation and a dry, roasty, quick finish.
- Ingredients
- Pale ale malt with roasted barley, usually around 10 percent, and flaked barley. Moderate bitterness from English or Irish style hops. Irish or English ale yeast. Often served on nitrogen.
In India
Dry stout is the best dark beer for Indian weather. It is low in alcohol, finishes dry, and does not sit heavily in the heat, so it works on a monsoon afternoon as well as in winter. Toit pours its version on nitrogen, and it is worth asking any brewpub whether theirs is on a nitro tap. Roasted barley is stable and the beer holds up well in transit. Serve it cooler than most stouts, but not ice cold, or the roast turns flat and thin.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Bombay Duck fryThe crisp, salty fish wants a dry, roasty beer to cut the oil, much as oysters suit stout in Ireland.
- Vada pavThe roast plays off the dry garlic chutney, and the light body does not weigh down a fried snack.
- Chana masala with kulchaRoasted cumin and amchur meet the coffee notes, and the dry finish keeps the meal light.
- Chocolate barfiA dry stout gives cocoa sweets a bitter counterweight, like black coffee after dessert.
Brewed in India
- Toit Nitro Stout, Toit Brewpub source
- Irish Dry Stout, Alchemy, Bengaluru source
- Irish Stout, Arbor Brewing Company, Bengaluru source
Want the long read? Dry stout