Irish Dry Stouts

Tasting Notes

Ireland is one of the first countries to brew stout; there it is considered a national beverage. Ireland's dry stouts are markedly aromatic, with rich maltiness and intense hop flavors. Hop bitterness is medium to high. The beer is extra-dark, black opaque ale, with low to medium body and a creamy brown head. The degree of sweetness and dryness will vary in dry stouts, yet they are all top-fermented and have the unique and special character of roasted barley, which produces a slightly roasted (coffee-like) trait.

Ingredients

Ingredients used for brewing stouts include two-row pale ale malt as the base malt, along with crystal (80-120ºL), dextrin, chocolate, and black malts. Dark roasted barley is used, too, which is critical to the distinctive character of Irish stouts. Unmalted barley (no more than 10%), cooked or flaked, is also used. Beamish Stout includes malted wheat to improve the creaminess of texture and head. Liberal hopping rates emphasize the dryness of Irish stouts.

Brewing Techniques

Guinness at its Dublin brewery uses an upward-step infusion mash. Ingredients will vary based on the market; for Ireland and several other markets, Guinness uses pale ale malt, about 25 to 30% flaked barley, and about 10% roasted barley, with no other grains or sugars. For Continental Europe, to stay in conformance with the German Purity Law, Guinness produces an all-malt version, replacing the flaked barley. Guinness uses several hop varieties, mainly Goldings. Traditionally, Guinness used whole hops; today, however, hop pellets and extract are employed, and in Dublin isomerized extract is used to adjust bitterness. At the Dublin plant, Guinness uses a flocculent head-forming ale yeast, while at the Park Royal Brewery the company uses a pure ale yeast that is nonflocculent. Bottled Guinness for Ireland is not pasteurized, whereas for other markets it is. Draft Guinness for Ireland and the American markets is flash pasteurized.

The information on this page was provided by beer-brewing.com (http://www.beer-brewing.com).