British Stout covers Dry Stout, Sweet (Milk) Stout, Oatmeal Stout and Foreign Extra Stout — dark, roasted, top-fermenting ales with differing balances of roast, body and sweetness. The hopIQ Score for British Stout evaluates each beer against its sub-style reference and weights medals from style-judged competitions.
Currently leading the ranking: Imperial Extra Double Stout (Harvey's Brewery), Black Gold (Cairngorm Brewery) and Black Sheep Milk Stout (Black Sheep Brewery).
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score judges every beer against its style first: it rewards medals from competitions that judge within style categories and deducts points where a beer measurably deviates from its style reference. Community ratings add to that. Non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 253 beers from 127 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
ABV
9.0%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Colour
dark 40
A bottle-conditioned imperial stout at 9.0%, brewed only once every nine months and aged for eighteen. It stands in the tradition of the stouts shipped from England to Russia and the Baltic in the early 1800s. Black, with black coffee and…A bottle-conditioned imperial stout at 9.0%, brewed only once every nine months and aged for eighteen. It stands in the tradition of the stouts shipped from England to Russia and the Baltic in the early 1800s. Black, with black coffee and chocolate on the nose; roast malt, dark fruit, liquorice and spice follow, with warming alcohol, a firm bitterness and an unusual sweet-and-sour tang.
Black Gold#16 worldwide
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
dark 35
Black Gold opens on a nutty roast and coffee, turns sweet with dark fruit and closes dry with a chocolatey finish, a Scottish milk stout at 4.4% ABV. Four malt colours make up the grist. CAMRA named it Champion Winter Beer of Britain in…Black Gold opens on a nutty roast and coffee, turns sweet with dark fruit and closes dry with a chocolatey finish, a Scottish milk stout at 4.4% ABV. Four malt colours make up the grist. CAMRA named it Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 2025, after four wins as Champion Beer of Scotland, and in 2026 it took Silver.
Black Sheep Milk Stout#59 worldwide
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
dark 36
Started as an autumn seasonal and stayed in the range; sold in bottle and on nitro keg. Lactose adds a smooth sweetness that takes the edge off robust roasted malt and hop bitterness. Dark chocolate leads the aroma, with quieter coffee and…Started as an autumn seasonal and stayed in the range; sold in bottle and on nitro keg. Lactose adds a smooth sweetness that takes the edge off robust roasted malt and hop bitterness. Dark chocolate leads the aroma, with quieter coffee and vanilla; the palate is creamy and ends dry yet mouth-coating. Black, brewed with torrefied wheat. Named World's Best Milk Stout at the World Beer Awards 2024, with Gold there in 2024 and 2025, and Silver at the International Brewing Awards 2024.
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Mena Dhu#201 worldwide
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
dark 35
A delicate oak-smoked aroma, with wood smoke and espresso, opens a velvety, full-bodied stout where dark chocolate and toasted notes run through and a touch of liquorice shows in the finish. Smoked and chocolate malt, roasted barley and…A delicate oak-smoked aroma, with wood smoke and espresso, opens a velvety, full-bodied stout where dark chocolate and toasted notes run through and a touch of liquorice shows in the finish. Smoked and chocolate malt, roasted barley and oats go into this jet-black stout at 4.5%. Mena Dhu is Cornish for 'black hill' and names the Luxulyan family farm of founder Walter Hicks.
5
Silkie Stout#213 worldwide
ABV
5.0%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
A jet-black oatmeal stout at 5% and one of the brewery's original beers. A roast coffee aroma leads to a rich chocolate flavour and a smooth, creamy finish; the judges who named it Champion Beer of Scotland in 2017 singled out the balance…A jet-black oatmeal stout at 5% and one of the brewery's original beers. A roast coffee aroma leads to a rich chocolate flavour and a smooth, creamy finish; the judges who named it Champion Beer of Scotland in 2017 singled out the balance between the two. First Gold and Pacifica are the hops, and earlier descriptions also mention a note of orange. The name refers to the selkies of Scottish folklore, seal people said to shed their skins to walk on land.
Ranks 6–10
6
Thornbridge Imperial Stout#224 worldwide
A full-bodied, warming stout with gentle smokiness and indulgent layers of rich chocolate and dark fruit. Thornbridge brings its Imperial Stout, crowned Champion Bottled Beer of Britain in 2019, back to its original strength, brewed on its…A full-bodied, warming stout with gentle smokiness and indulgent layers of rich chocolate and dark fruit. Thornbridge brings its Imperial Stout, crowned Champion Bottled Beer of Britain in 2019, back to its original strength, brewed on its historic Burton Union system. Bronze at the Midlands & West Indie Beer Awards 2026 in the Imperial Strong Ale category.
7
Cappuccino Stout#233 worldwide
Strong coffee aromas and flavours, a milky coffee character and a smooth, roasted and sweet taste that closes on a lingering sweetness. The idea behind this 4.5% ABV stout is the barista's craft, applied to Titanic's traditional stout. It…Strong coffee aromas and flavours, a milky coffee character and a smooth, roasted and sweet taste that closes on a lingering sweetness. The idea behind this 4.5% ABV stout is the barista's craft, applied to Titanic's traditional stout. It won Silver in Speciality, Differently Flavoured at CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain 2026 and runs on cask and in bottle.
8
Sweet Sussex#248 worldwide
A lush, sweet stout at 2.8%, named after the county it is brewed in. Sweetness carries the beer from first sip to finish, and the body stays light and mild. It is one of the old names in the Harvey's range: Sweet Sussex took a prize at the…A lush, sweet stout at 2.8%, named after the county it is brewed in. Sweetness carries the beer from first sip to finish, and the body stays light and mild. It is one of the old names in the Harvey's range: Sweet Sussex took a prize at the international brewers' exhibition of 1968 and a silver medal at the Brewing Industry International Awards in 1990.
9
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout#265 worldwide
An oatmeal stout that pours an almost opaque deep brown under a tan head. Oats give it a silky, smooth body; roasted malt brings cocoa, mild coffee and toasted bread, and tasters add a nutty note, a touch of molasses and some dark fruit…An oatmeal stout that pours an almost opaque deep brown under a tan head. Oats give it a silky, smooth body; roasted malt brings cocoa, mild coffee and toasted bread, and tasters add a nutty note, a touch of molasses and some dark fruit from the house yeast. The palate is medium-dry and the finish bittersweet rather than sharp. Brewed with hard well water and fermented in slate Yorkshire squares. The brewery revived the style in 1980, after it had disappeared from British brewing.
10
Dhustone#324 worldwide
Dhustone is named after the dark dolerite quarried on Titterstone Clee Hill near the brewery; the beer first appeared as Shropshire Stout. Roast and black malts with Fuggles, Progress and Columbus hops give aromas of coffee and chocolate,…Dhustone is named after the dark dolerite quarried on Titterstone Clee Hill near the brewery; the beer first appeared as Shropshire Stout. Roast and black malts with Fuggles, Progress and Columbus hops give aromas of coffee and chocolate, followed by vanilla, cocoa and an underlying liquorice note. The stout is smooth and easy-drinking, with moderate roast bitterness. It is bottle-conditioned and served with nitrogen on keg, where the head turns creamy.
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 34 lean malt-forward and 2 lean hop-forward.