HOPIQ SCORE
The Best British Stouts
27 beers from 24 breweries · Ranked by style authenticity — not marketing
These rankings are dynamic. As more people rate, match and like beers on hopIQ, community signals will increasingly shape the results alongside style authenticity and award recognition.
British stout is the origin story of the whole family. Milk Stout was invented in London in 1907 by Mackeson's brewery, patented using lactose as an unfermentable sweetener. Russian Imperial Stout was created by 18th- and 19th-century London brewers — Barclay Perkins, Courage, Truman — for export to the Russian imperial court, and the "Russian" label survived long after the brewing tradition returned home. Foreign Extra Stout was an export-strength variant designed to survive tropical shipping. Every stout style now dominant in world craft brewing traces its origin to English commercial brewing between roughly 1750 and 1910.
The hopIQ ranking captures the 17-beer British Stout set: 4 Imperial Stout, 4 Oatmeal, 4 Stout - Other, 2 Milk Stout, 2 Stout, 1 Foreign Extra Stout. The Kernel Brewery's Export Stout London 1890 anchors the historical-recreation impulse, brewed from surviving Truman and Whitbread archive recipes for the strong export stouts London breweries sent worldwide. BrewDog Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32% ABV) and Burning Sky Imperial Stout 2019 represent the modern British craft engagement with the imperial format — recovering a heritage the country invented but had largely stopped brewing at style-precision level.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score weights style authenticity (80%), user engagement (10%), notability (10%), and award history. Active, in-production beers only — non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 27 beers from 24 breweries.
Top 5 of 27
Black Sheep Milk StoutBest Overall#26 worldwide
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
dark 36
World's Best Milk Stout 2025 — for the second consecutive year. A wonderfully balanced stout with lactose additions for smooth sweetness, tempering robust roasted malt and hop bitterness. Creamy coffee and rich chocolate notes lead to a…World's Best Milk Stout 2025 — for the second consecutive year. A wonderfully balanced stout with lactose additions for smooth sweetness, tempering robust roasted malt and hop bitterness. Creamy coffee and rich chocolate notes lead to a dry yet mouth-coating finish.
Felinfoel StoutBest Session#396 worldwide
ABV
4.1%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
A full-bodied stout from the Welsh valleys, dark and layered in its appeal. Rich chocolate and coffee aromas dominate, their roasted depth building immediately on the nose. The drinking experience stays rounded throughout—no sharp edges,…A full-bodied stout from the Welsh valleys, dark and layered in its appeal. Rich chocolate and coffee aromas dominate, their roasted depth building immediately on the nose. The drinking experience stays rounded throughout—no sharp edges, no aggressive bite—with that same chocolate-and-coffee foundation carrying into the finish. At 4.1 per cent, it drinks lighter than its colour suggests, making it an easy reach for an evening when you want something substantial but not demanding. Serve cool, around 48 degrees Fahrenheit.
Belhaven Black Scottish Stout#407 worldwide
ABV
4.2%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 45
Belhaven Black is a Scottish stout that tastes like its name — pitch-dark, creamy, built on nitrogen for a velvety pour. Coffee and dark chocolate move through easily; the finish is dry and warming without alcohol heat, even at 4.2%. This…Belhaven Black is a Scottish stout that tastes like its name — pitch-dark, creamy, built on nitrogen for a velvety pour. Coffee and dark chocolate move through easily; the finish is dry and warming without alcohol heat, even at 4.2%. This is a sessionable stout for contemplation, not just muscle.
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Merula Nitro Stout#490 worldwide
ABV
4.2%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
Merula Nitro Stout takes Hook Norton's classic dark recipe and reshapes it through a nitrogen pour, giving it a smoother, creamier mouthfeel than tradition allows. The cascade releases coffee and dark chocolate alongside a subtle…Merula Nitro Stout takes Hook Norton's classic dark recipe and reshapes it through a nitrogen pour, giving it a smoother, creamier mouthfeel than tradition allows. The cascade releases coffee and dark chocolate alongside a subtle smokiness, then the taste follows: rich and velvety, creamy up front, before the finish turns dry with roasted-grain bitterness. Treacle toffee and cocoa dust linger. A session stout at 4.2 percent — depth without weight.
5
Double Stout#788 worldwide
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
Hook Norton's Double Stout pours a deep ebony, smooth and full-bodied, built on a blend of dark malts. Black malt carries the colour and brings coffee, liquorice and roast to the palate, while brown malt adds a dryness that keeps the…Hook Norton's Double Stout pours a deep ebony, smooth and full-bodied, built on a blend of dark malts. Black malt carries the colour and brings coffee, liquorice and roast to the palate, while brown malt adds a dryness that keeps the weight in check. The result sits between burnt and oaky — neither harsh nor flat. A hoppy note cuts through the finish, making this a traditional English stout for quieter evenings, when you want depth without excess.
Ranks 6–10
6
Imperial Stout 2019#888 worldwide
Burning Sky Brewery, nestled in the Sussex village of Firle, United Kingdom, presents Imperial Stout 2019 — a brooding, barrel-aged triumph. Eighteen months resting in oak vats has transformed this East Sussex imperial stout into something…Burning Sky Brewery, nestled in the Sussex village of Firle, United Kingdom, presents Imperial Stout 2019 — a brooding, barrel-aged triumph. Eighteen months resting in oak vats has transformed this East Sussex imperial stout into something extraordinary. It pours a deep, near-opaque black with a fine tan collar. The aroma is richly layered: bittersweet chocolate, dried dark berries, and a vinous, almost port-like character intertwine with warm vanilla oak. On the palate, it is luxuriously smooth and full-bodied, delivering waves of dark chocolate, ripe plum, and subtle tannins. The finish is long and warming, with lingering mocha and gentle oakiness — a meditative, contemplative beer at its very finest.
7
Double Stout
The recipe was rediscovered in a coded brewers' log from the Faversham archives and reconstructed — before the brewery put a 21st-century stout on any shelf. Velvety-smooth, roast-dry, layered with cocoa and coffee and a late-bitter edge.…The recipe was rediscovered in a coded brewers' log from the Faversham archives and reconstructed — before the brewery put a 21st-century stout on any shelf. Velvety-smooth, roast-dry, layered with cocoa and coffee and a late-bitter edge. No modernist impulse here, just historical restoration.
8
Burning Soul Stout
Burning Soul's unfined, unfiltered oatmeal stout — smooth and roasty with coffee and chocolate character. One of Birmingham's most celebrated craft dark beers. Ranked here for style-fit against the Stout reference and award history in Stout-specific categories.
9
Seven Bro7hers Sling It Out Stout
Seven Bro7hers' flagship dark beer — smooth oatmeal stout with coffee and chocolate notes. Brewed partly with waste bread from Manchester bakeries as part of their sustainability mission. Widely distributed across the North. Ranked here for style-fit against the Stout reference and award history in Stout-specific categories.
10
Oatmeal Stout
Fourpure's dark flagship — rich, creamy, and warming. Brewed with oats for a smooth, full-bodied mouthfeel. Coffee and chocolate notes with a clean finish. One of Bermondsey's most celebrated craft dark beers. Ranked here for style-fit against the Stout reference and award history in Stout-specific categories.
The taste landscape
Of the 27 top beers, 17 lean malt-forward and 2 lean hop-forward.