Dry Stout

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Dry stouts range from dark brown to black.

What is Dry Stout?

Dry stout, also known as Irish stout, is famously associated with Dublin. A genuine dry stout is a very dark beer with a strong roasted flavour and moderate hop bitterness.

Irish stout is served from a keg with a nitrogen charge to achieve a creamy texture and long-lasting beer foam. Some Irish stouts also have nitrogen capsules added to the can.

The most popular dry stout in the world is unquestionably Guinness, produced in Dublin, which has become a symbol of both stout and Ireland over time.

Origin Story

In 1759, Irish brewer Arthur Guinness leased an abandoned brewery called St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin for 9000 years. Initially, he brewed different ales, but by the late 18th century, he decided to focus solely on English-style strong dark porters.

At first, Guinness produced two strengths of porter, the weaker one being marked with a single X and the stronger with a double X. In 1820, the beer with a double X was labelled Guinness Extra Stout Porter, with "stout" referring to the strength of the beer. Later, the reference to porter was dropped from the name, leaving just stout.

Guinness began using a new roasting technology, allowing them to produce heavily roasted and much darker malts, which imparted a distinct coffee aroma and flavour to the beer. Over time, Irish stout became a more bitter, lighter-bodied, and less alcoholic beer compared to the original porters. It became hugely popular in Ireland and abroad. In the late 19th century, Guinness briefly became the world’s largest brewery.

In England, however, stout was progressing in another direction. By the early 20th century, the main type of stout had become sweet milk stout. Non-sweet stouts continued to be produced mainly in Ireland and were referred to as dry stouts in contrast.

Today, Guinness remains the world’s largest producer of stout and, for many, is synonymous with the style.