In the simplest terms, a stout is a dark (sometimes pitch black), malty beer brewed with roasted barley. While there are many different types of stouts (including milk stouts, dry Irish stouts, oatmeal stouts, and others), in general, stouts are known for their roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee flavors. They also usually have at least a little hop bitterness to temper the other flavors.
Sometimes, on top of this, brewers add other flavors. Sure, there are countless stouts, imperial stouts, and other types of stouts that rely solely on the included roasted barley and the flavors and aromas it imparts. But the style’s natural coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt profile works well when paired with complementary flavors like actual coffee beans, real chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, toasted marshmallows, and even almonds.
To prove it, we picked eight of our favorite flavored stouts and ranked them for you. Keep scrolling to see if any of your favorites made the list.
8)Rogue Chocolate Stout Nitro
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Oregon’s Rogue Ales knows a thing or two about epic, boundary-pushing beers. Its Chocolate Stout Nitro is no exception. This year-round nitro version of its iconic Chocolate Stout is brewed with two-row, C12-, Chocolate, and Munich malts as well as rolled oats, roasted barley, Cascade hops, Pacman yeast, and real chocolate.
Tasting Notes:
Classic aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malts, and coffee fill your nostrils before your first sip. The palate continues this trend with more chocolate, some vanilla beans, toasted marshmallows, and a light bitterness at the finish. It’s a decent take on the chocolate stout, just slightly muted.
Bottom Line:
All the flavors are present. It’s just that Rogue Chocolate Stout Nitro is a little too thin and watery for my personal liking.
7) Southern Tier Nitro Crème Brulee
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $13 for a four-pack
The Beer:
Do you like crème brulee? Do you like stouts? Do you wish there was a beer that tastes like the popular caramel-flavored dessert? Well, the brewers at Southern Tier made one. This imperial stout is brewed with vanilla beans and natural flavors. An offering from its popular Blackwater Series, it’s a seasonal fall and winter release.
Tasting Notes:
Bold aromas of vanilla beans, caramel, and chocolate are highlights of this beer’s nose. The palate is all roasted malts, caramelized sugar, vanilla beans, and custard. It’s very sweet and indulgent. Almost too much so.
Bottom Line:
This beer is exactly as it seems. The one downfall is the fact that it’s so decadent and sweet that it’s much more of a dessert beer than an everyday sipper.
6) Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout
ABV: 12.8%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Belching Beaver is no stranger to the over-the-top flavored beer world. One of its best is its Peanut Butter Milk Stout. Touted as America’s “favorite peanut butter flavored milk stout”, it’s known for its bold, sweet flavors of chocolate and peanut butter.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with roasted peanuts, milk chocolate, and roasted malts. The best part is that the peanut aroma seems real and not artificial. Drinking it reveals the equivalent of a peanut butter cup in beer form. Milk chocolate, peanut butter, and roasted malts. Sadly, that’s about it.
Bottom Line:
This is a peanut butter and chocolate stout and… that’s about it. It fits that bit well. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a one-trick (okay, two-trick) pony.
5) Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This beer was first brewed as brewmaster Garrett Oliver’s resume beer and there’s a reason he wanted to show this off to potential employers. Brewed with roasted malts, chocolate malts, and various hops, this beer is so loaded with chocolate flavor and it doesn’t even have any actual chocolate in it. It gets its unmistakable chocolate aroma and flavor from six different malts and three mashes.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of vanilla beans, roasted malts, and a mix of dark and sweet, milk chocolate that definitely draws you in. The palate has a ton of bitter chocolate and vanilla, but there are also roasted malts, toffee, dried fruits, and a gentle, slightly smoky spice.
Bottom Line:
As flavored stouts go, this is a true winner. It’s complex and filled with flavor. Like some of the other beers on this list, its only downfall is that it’s so chocolatey, it’s pretty much a dessert beer.
4) High Water Campfire Stout
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $15 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This award-winning, 6.5% ABV stout was brewed to taste like a campfire s’more (hence the name) in a can and it definitely does. The brewers did this by making it with graham crackers, molasses, vanilla, and toasted marshmallows.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with scents of graham cracker, milk chocolate, vanilla, and toasted marshmallows. It really smells like a classic campfire s’more. The palate continues this trend with notes of toffee, more graham cracker, marshmallow, and light spices. Overall, a very good take on the style.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a stout that literally tastes like a s’more, this is the beer for you. Even with all the various flavors, it isn’t overly sweet.
3) Half Acre Big Hugs Imperial Coffee Stout
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $8 for a 16-ounce can
The Beer:
Who doesn’t enjoy a classic coffee stout, especially when it’s an imperial coffee stout, right? This 10% ABV winter seasonal imperial stout was brewed with locally sourced Dark Matter Coffee. It was crafted to be a coffee-filled, chocolatey, winter sipper.
Tasting Notes:
There’s no doubt this beer has freshly brewed coffee in it. There’s a coffee aroma so strong it feels like just breathing it in could wake you up. There are also aromas of roasted malts and chocolate. Drinking it reveals more bold coffee, roasted malts, fudge, and vanilla. It’s creamy, sweet, and slightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to coffee stouts, you’ll have a tough time finding one as delicious and well-rounded as Half Acre Big Hugs. I mean… besides these next two.
2) La Cumbre Cafe Con Leche
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $9 for a 22-ounce bottle
The Beer:
La Cumbre takes the classic coffee stout one step further, making a beer version of a café con leche. They did this by brewing their popular stout with espresso and lactose. The result is a bold, coffee-filled, creamy beer worth raving about.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet cream, chocolate, caramel malts, and freshly brewed coffee are prevalent on the nose. The palate is heavy on bold, rich espresso beans, followed by lactose, chocolate fudge, and roasted malts. It might seem like there aren’t a ton of different flavors, but there really are.
Bottom Line:
This is where creamy lactose meets rich, dark, bold coffee. It’s a truly memorable stout you’ll go back to again and again.
1) Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break
ABV: 11.5%
Average Price: $12 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If you’ve never tried Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break, what are you waiting for? This imperial stout gets its name because it was brewed with coffee, almond, and vanilla. It’s an interesting group of flavors that work in perfect unison together.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of vanilla beans, almond cookies, toffee, chocolate fudge, and freshly brewed coffee are the first scents noticeable. Taking a sip will bring you to a world of candied almonds, caramel, chocolate, roasted malts, and a bold cup of espresso. The finish is a warming mix of sweetness and bitterness that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This beer might seem like a lot when you look at the name and the ingredients, but it really is a well-balanced, warming beer you’ll want to drink all winter long.