Roasted barley is the signature
Unmalted roasted barley gives the dry, coffee-like edge; chocolate malt is softer.
Irish Stout: how to brew it
Black, dry and surprisingly light: roasted barley gives coffee and dark chocolate notes, a firm bitterness and a creamy head, at a sessionable strength.
Irish Stout at a glance
- Original gravity
- 1.036 – 1.044
- Final gravity
- 1.007 – 1.011
- Bitterness (IBU)
- 25 – 45
- Colour (EBC)
- 49 – 79
- Alcohol
- 3.8 – 5.0%
- Carbonation (vol)
- 2.0 – 2.6
Ranges from the BJCP 2021 style guidelines, category 15B.
A typical recipe
For 20 L (5 gal) at about 1.042: 70 % pale malt, 20 % flaked barley, 10 % roasted barley. Bittering hops only, East Kent Goldings or similar, to about 40 IBU. Irish or English ale yeast, mash at 66 °C (151 °F), ferment at 18–19 °C (64–66 °F).
Brewing tips
Flaked barley for the head
It adds body and a lasting, creamy foam without sweetness.
Low carbonation, or nitro
Serve it lightly carbonated, or on a nitro tap for the classic cascade.
Brew your own Irish Stout
Start from the style in Mashwerk: it builds a recipe within the ranges for your kit, and checks every number as you tweak it.
Start brewing free