American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
Stouts are on the rise in the United Kingdom, as craft beer consumers in the UK look beyond IPAs to new styles…
And it’s more than a bit ironic to even call the stout a ‘new’ style. After all what has become to be known as a stout originated in London back in the 18th century.
And equally ironic is the fact that the term stout began as a descriptor for what was then known as a porter, a blend of brown ale, pale ale and ‘well matured ale’ (read: strong) that was popular with London’s street market workers at the time.
The strongest variety of those was known as ‘stout’ porter, and that was eventually shortened to just stout (and the difference between stouts and porters remain muddy even today).
Stouts then crossed over to Ireland where they inspired a regional brewer Arthur Guinness, to create his own version in 1759.
And his version, Guinness Irish Stout dominated the beer market for well over a century, until the arrival of the lager which led to the stouts decline in the early 20th century.
But according to Tesco, a British multinational grocery store chain, stouts are on the rise again.
In the last year Tesco saw the demand for stouts grow by 13 percent, nearly twice the growth of its next closest rival, the lager.
This from Tesco stout buyer Hugo Murray…
“Stout has become popular again on the back of the growing craft beer boom which has brought about a great appreciation of all the wonderful beers brewed across the British Isles.
“British beer tastes are now wider than they have ever been and as a result brewers are taking notice of the craft beer trend and are starting to add a stout to their beer portfolio.
“In the last five or so years a younger audience of drinkers has emerged who are looking for beers with great character and exceptional flavor to challenge the taste buds – perhaps to have at the dinner table as an accompaniment to food much the same as wine.
“As a direct result of this boom we now stock a mix of 10 different stouts – including traditional, craft and locally brewed lines – something which would have been unthinkable even just five years ago.”
Tesco now stocks 10 different stouts as a result of the current trend.
- Vocation Brewery & Yeastie Boy’s – Breakfast Club Stout
- Fourpure – Oatmeal Stout
- Murphy’s
- Crabbie’s Stout
- Penny Come Quick Stout
- Mackeson
- Guinness
- St Austell – Mena Dhu
- Black Sheep – Milk Stout
- Sweetheart Stout
And if you’re interested in stouts there’s this…
5 ESSENTIAL AMERICAN STOUTS TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE
There’s also this…
