Chocolate Stout

What is Chocolate Stout?

Chocolate stout refers to stouts brewed using particularly dark and aromatic malts, namely chocolate malts, which impart a dark chocolate flavour to the beer. While this flavour is generally achieved through roasted malts, some breweries also add a bit of chocolate or cocoa to the beer.

Chocolate stout has a rich body and a creamy texture. In addition to chocolate, you can taste dried plums and raisins. 

In the strictest sense, chocolate stout is not considered a separate beer style.

Origin Story

In the early 19th century, Daniel Wheeler invented a new roasting technology that allowed for significantly darker roasted malts to be produced. In addition to a darker colour, these malts imparted a rich flavour and aroma to the beer, reminiscent of dark chocolate and coffee.

Malts roasted in this manner came to be called chocolate malts (or sometimes also coffee malts).

When a beer bottle is labelled as chocolate stout, it usually means that chocolate malts have been used in brewing the beer. However, nowadays, many producers also add real chocolate or cocoa to the beer.

Reportedly, Young's Brewery was the first to start adding real chocolate to their stout recipe in 1997. Their beer was named Double Chocolate Stout.