The best stout beer transports you to a cozy bar where everyone is wearing thick, cable knit sweaters, and outside the clouds are low and a sea salty mist hangs in the air. There’s a fire roaring in the corner and there’s a fat orange cat socializing with the regulars. Oh, also it should taste rich and dark and a touch bitter. Some of the best stouts have a creamy, foamy head—but that’s not totally necessary. Some have big bubbles like soda and are practically refreshing.
So, where does that leave us in the search for the best stout beers?
The best stout for you might be one that has very low carbonation, but the best stout for me might be extremely fizzy. I’ve done my best to qualify each of these picks, because there’s something for everyone on this list (as long as you’re a person who generally enjoys a darker brew). That said, I stand by my ruling of the number one best stout to drink. And if you disagree with me, just take it up with the orange cat. He’s really the one who runs this place.
Here’s the best stout beer you can buy at the grocery store.
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- Samuel Smith Chocolate Stout
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This is sweet, sweet, sweet. Like someone mixed some instant hot chocolate mix into a stout. That kind of sweet. So, if you’re looking for a beer that can replace dessert (or a beer to use as the base of a boozy ice cream float), this is the best chocolate stout for you.
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- Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout
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Milk stouts are called milk stouts (or cream stouts) because they are brewed with lactose. Traditionally, they are slightly sweet and have very low carbonation. Left Hand is a textbook example of one. It’s thick with mild bitterness and a lovely coffee-tinged flavor. I think this is the best stout to drink in the late afternoon with a cookie.Credit:
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- New Holland Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout
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Swap your end-of-the-evening whiskey out for this barrel-aged stout. It has an extremely concentrated flavor with lots of vanilla notes from the bourbon barrels. At 11% ABV you are absolutely not drinking more than one of these (unless you are, in which case, good on you). But it’s the best stout to close out an evening—perhaps paired with a square of good quality dark chocolate.
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- Guinness Extra Stout
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I love the Guinness Extra Stout bottle. It is so pleasing to hold. It’s just slightly smaller than a standard bottle and a bit stouter. Adorable. The beer itself is filled with tiny bubbles and the flavor is maltier and sweeter than a classic Guinness. It’s not a creamy, mild stout. It’s a punchy stout—like your short friend with a big personality. If you like dark lagers, this is the best stout for you.
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- Guinness
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There’s a reason Guinness has a reputation as the best stout to drink after running a marathon. It’s unexpectedly refreshing! Even though it has a savory aroma—almost like soy sauce—and the flavor has notes of coffee and unsweetened chocolate, it’s still gulpable. Of course, a freshly pulled Guinness is known for its creamy, frothy head, but even bottled or canned Guinness offers some creaminess. That’s thanks to the widget in the bottle or can, a cylinder of plastic that agitates the beer, helping froth it up.
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- Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
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My notes from the tasting of this stout really ramped up: “It’s really nice and refreshing,” I wrote. “There’s a touch of sweetness and nice roundness. It’s not really bitter at all—great for beginners.” And then something happened because my next tasting note is: “I can’t stop drinking this. It’s so good. It’s better than Guinness.” It’s the best stout beer for those just beginning their stout journey, but it’s also the best stout to try if you like Guinness but are curious about expanding your stout repertoire.
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- North Coast Old Rasputin
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This stout tastes like a foggy San Francisco day and smells like your grandfather’s old leather chair (in a really good, tobacco-and-leather kind of way). It has fine, small bubbles—it’s somewhere between Guinness and Guinness Extra in terms of carbonation. There’s pronounced bitterness but it’s not overwhelming; it simply lingers on the back of your tongue so you don’t forget that you’re drinking a stout. It’s the best stout beer out there if you have any taste for stout whatsoever.
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Best Chocolate Stout
Best Milk Stout
Best Barrel-Aged Stout
Best Bubbly
Best Refreshing
Best Oatmeal Stout
Best of the Best
Brooklyn Brewing’s Chocolate Stout is delicious too.
Guinness is what got me into the world of stouts. I’ve had really good ones too.
There are just too many. I love stouts! These are all classics for sure.
Goose Island Oatmeal Stout…outright flavor
Surprised there was no mention of Milk Stouts. Singlespeed “Tip-the-Cow” is awsome. Highly recommended 👌
Left Hand’s stout is a Milk Stout. It’s excellent!
The Guinness sold in the US is not the same as Ireland Guinness. Why they changed the formula some years back is a mystery- and deep disappointment- to me. As President Obama stated when he was last on the Ol’ Sod, you keep the best stuff here in Ireland.
That may have been true at some time. I had Guinness at the Storehouse in Dublin in November, along with 2 accomplished beer drinkers. We expected it to be different, having heard the same story. We couldn’t tell any difference.
Comparing apples to oranges here. Not one of these beers are the same. Flavor, etc.. so to compare guineas with some others that are chocolate stouts or oatmeal stouts is poor journalism. Won’t click on any more of your articles if this is how you compare items
THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE A TASTY BEER ACCORDING TO MY MOOD YOUR Guide IS EXCELLENT FOR ME THANK YOU
Founder’s Breakfast Stout is the best Old Rasputin can’t even hold a candle to this one when it comes to delicious flavor.
This list is like googling “stout” and just moderately rearranging the first ten hits.
Very interesting article, but I have a question for Justine. How many different types of beer are there? Note, you will be surprised 😮
Best cheap stout= Stockyard Oatmeal Stout from Trader Joe’s. At around a dollar a bottle it’s an excellent deal for such a tasty drop. As you would expect, it being a JosephsBrau product.
I’ve tried many stouts and it’s hard to beat Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Dragon’s Tail Bourbon Barrel and Lefthand Nitro Milk Stout
I prefer Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
Most of the stouts you list are pretty average stuff especially Guinness (which is very thin and weak). This is just a very random list of things in the category stout. If you look at any site whose audience rates beers, you won’t find any of those in the top 100 much less top 7. Dragons milk is the closest thing to a highly rated stout. Very poor meaningless list.