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Black Swift Stout

Breakside Brewery
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🌍 United States · Foreign Extra Stout · One of 7 Foreign Extra Stouts in hopIQ

Breakside's foreign / export stout — Scottish pale and chocolate malts, crystal 60 & 120, roast barley. Roasty and satiating without ever going sweet or heavy, enough body to feel serious, dry enough to keep pouring. Black Swift is Breakside's answer to what a year-round stout should be when the brewery doesn't want to lean pastry.

ABV
6%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter22 IBU
Roasted bitterness
SRM
dark38
How it drinks· Its pace, balance and relationship to the style.
Pace
sessionsipper
Balance
malt-ledhop-led
Style expression
textbookdistinctive
Taste structure· The backbone of the beer, regardless of style.
Body
lightfull-bodied
Sweetness
drysweet
Bitterness
mildbitter
Texture
crispcreamy
hopIQ take

Full body.

The weight carries the beer on its own, leaving the aromatics free to lead.

Wider bands mean we're less certain about the exact position.
Character· What makes this beer itself — not just another Foreign Extra Stout.
Malt character
roasted
chocolate
coffee
malty
bready
nutty
Distinctive notes
dark fruit
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Tasting Notes

AI-generated sensory profile for Black Swift Stout

Appearance

Deep black with a thin tan head that recedes to a modest ring of lacing. The body is opaque and dense, with no light transmission. Carbonation is restrained, creating a still, contemplative pour.

opaque blackthin tan headminimal lacing

Aroma

Roasted barley and dark chocolate lead the nose, supported by subtle coffee grounds and a touch of cocoa powder. The backbone is clean Scottish pale malt with hints of nuttiness, while dark fruit notes—plum and raisin—emerge on closer inspection. No fermentation esters or adjunct sweetness intrude.

roasted barleydark chocolatecoffeedark fruit

Taste

The palate opens with pronounced roast and chocolate character, balanced by a dry, slightly grainy malt structure. Mid-palate reveals coffee bitterness and subtle nutty depth without heaviness. At 22 IBU, bitterness is present but restrained, allowing the roast to dominate rather than bite.

roasted, chocolate-forwarddry, grainycoffee bitternessbalanced

Finish

The finish is dry and lingering, with roasted grain and a faint coffee persistence. No residual sweetness or cloying quality; the dryness invites another sip.

dry, persistentroasted grain aftertaste
82
hopIQ score
Aroma
83
Taste
84
Appearance
78
Finish
82
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Serve & Enjoy

How to get the most out of Black Swift Stout

Serve at 10–14°C
Refrigerate, then rest 2 min

Slightly warmer than you might expect. 10–13°C lets the roasted malt, chocolate and coffee notes open up fully.

Pint glass
Recommended for this style

The classic — versatile, comfortable to hold and keeps the beer cool. No frills, no distractions: just the beer.

Drink within a year. Standard stouts are best fresh but hold reasonably well for 6–12 months.

Food Pairing

What to eat with Black Swift Stout

About Foreign Extra Stout

Style guide · what to expect · how to find alternatives

What is a Foreign Extra Stout?

Stouts are dark ales with roasted barley character, 4–8% ABV and IBU 25–45. Expect coffee, dark chocolate and toast flavors with a creamy body and dry finish.

Finding a similar Foreign Extra Stout

hopIQ matches by flavor profile — not just style label. A beer with the same roasted, chocolate, smooth character as Black Swift Stout will score highly even if brewed in a different country or under a different sub-style name.

Other Foreign Extra Stouts in hopIQ

WHERE TO BUY

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