As homebrewers, we love stout here at MASHED! HQ: not only are they delicious, and a great drink for the darker months, but they are pretty forgiving! Clarity is not an issue, for example, so that’s one less thing to think about. But there are a few things to bear in mind to help you create that perfect glass of darkness.
TOP TIPS FOR STOUT
Be careful not to ferment at too high a temperature or underpitch your yeast or you’ll get more fruity characteristics in your stout.
Pick a yeast strain with a low attenuation, this will leave a bit of sweetness at the end of fermentation. Though for imperials or big stouts you probably want a strain with a slightly higher attenuation so your brew isn’t too sweet. (Cheers to Scott Povey for this tip!)
Stout - and porters - can benefit from higher calcium carbonate levels in brewing water. If you are in a soft water area you might want to add calcium carbonate to your brewing liquor to offset the acidity of the dark malts.
NITROGEN
Nitro definitely adds something special to a stout giving it a velvety texture, which not only boosts your drinking experience but also looks the biz! Nitrogen (N2) is largely insoluble in liquid, which is what contributes to the thick mouthfeel and creamy head and cascading visual effect.
To add nitrogen to your stout you’ll need a kegging system with a regulator to set your PSI plus Nitrogen. Or a simple, affordable and compact solution is to use a smaller keg like the Dark Farm mini keg plus a nitro adaptor and N2 cartridges. The nitro adaptor fits all of the Dark Farm kegs and is available here: www.darkfarm.co.uk/product/nitro-extension-kit-cartridges/
THE NITRO POUR
When you’re all set up and ready to pour your stout, angle the glass at 45° and aim the tap about ¼ way down from the rim. Slowly straighten the glass as it fills. When your glass is ¾ full stop your pour, place your glass flat on your bar and let your lovely stout bubbles settle for a bit. According to Guinness this takes precisely 119.53 seconds, but, you know, you be you. Then top off your pint with another pour straight down into the glass (not at an angle).
STOUT + FOOD PAIRING
Hearty, rich and smoky dishes: the robust flavour profile of stouts work brilliantly with rich stews and hearty pies. And it goes very nicely with roasted, barbecued and smoked dishes. Salty, umami flavours and stout are perfect together.
Chocolate & desserts: the roasty, toasty malt flavours of stout make an ideal bedfellow for chocolate or chocolate based desserts.Try complimenting rich chocolate truffles with a coffee stout. Or how about deep chocolate brownies with a vanilla stout? Ever paired a custard cream biscuit with an oatmeal stout? Delicious! If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, be mindful that you don’t overload on the sweetness: don’t pair a pastry stout with a super sweet dessert, for example. A very sweet pud is best offset with the bitterness of an imperial or dry Irish stout.
Cheese: the residual sweetness of an oatmeal or a milk stout pairs especially well with a creamy blue cheese. For sharper blue cheeses, like stilton, an imperial stout would suit. Imperial stout, or another big stout, is great with a well-aged Gouda. A tangy cheddar is also a good match for the robustness of stout.
Oysters: if the idea of swallowing an oyster doesn’t make you gag, then stout and oysters are reported to be an excellent marriage.
COOKING WITH STOUT
Stout is really great to use in cooking, I love to add a splash or a glass of it to many a dish. Here are a few ideas of how you can use your stout to spiff up your everyday meals. A quick look online will lead you to recipes for most of these.
Just be mindful of the IBUs of the stout you’re using. You might not want to impart too much bitterness into the dish. And don’t reduce a beery sauce or it will become too bitter.
SWEET THINGS
Dark chocolate cakes and brownies - a chocolate, orange and stout cake is a beautiful thing.
Mincemeat - soak your dried fruit in it and make mince pies.
Stout float - if you’re feeling in need of an adult soda float, add a large scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream to a pint of stout. Slurp!
SAVOURY DISHES TO MAKE WITH STOUT
Rich ale pie.
Onion soup.
Hearty stews and casseroles.
Welsh rarebit (see issue 08 for a great recipe).
Stout chutney - perfect for your cheese board!
Deep, earthy chili or rich, homemade baked beans. Chocolate stout is good here.
Beer batter - for deep frying tasty things like onion rings.
‘Stouts are full of big, bold flavours, but these are dulled when the beer is too cold. Take your stout out of the fridge early to let it warm a little or drink it slowly and see how the flavours and aromas develop. Use a wide glass, like a snifter or brandy style glass, to open up the aromas and flavours as well.’
Joanne Love, Love Beer Learning
‘It’s the distinctive balance between maltiness and bitterness that makes stout so unique. Hops that are great for stout include Fuggle, Challenger, Northdown, Galena and Phoenix.’ - Gareth Davies, Dark Farm Hops.
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