Irish stout is Guinness and the Cork counter-tradition and the modern Irish craft scene, and any honest ranking needs all three. Guinness alone contributes 3 of the 8 entries here — Guinness Draught (the nitrogenated widget-can beer that reshaped how draught stout is served worldwide from 1988), Guinness Extra Stout (the traditional bottled recipe, closer to the pre-nitro original), and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (the tropical-export strong variant designed for shipping to warmer climates and still hugely popular in West Africa and the Caribbean). Each is a genuinely different beer, not three versions of the same product.
Currently leading the ranking: Guinness Draught (Guinness), Brewmaster Nitro Stout (Dundalk Bay Brewery & Distillery) and O'Hara's Leann Folláin (Carlow Brewing Company). Guinness places 3 of the top 10.
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 76 beers from 23 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
ABV
4.2%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
dark 35
First brewed in 1959 for the 200th anniversary of the lease Arthur Guinness signed at St James's Gate, this is the beer the brand is known for. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are dosed at dispense, which builds the dense pale head and the…First brewed in 1959 for the 200th anniversary of the lease Arthur Guinness signed at St James's Gate, this is the beer the brand is known for. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are dosed at dispense, which builds the dense pale head and the slow surge that settles before drinking. The aroma runs to roasted coffee and chocolate, the liquid is dark ruby red rather than black, and the palate holds bitter, sweet and roasted notes in balance before a dry, grainy finish.
Brewmaster Nitro Stout#615 worldwide
ABV
4.2%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
A nitrogenated Irish stout at 4.2%, made to reproduce the cascading pour and dense, creamy head of a draught pint. The body is full for the strength and the texture smooth and rounded. Roasted malt leads the flavour, showing as coffee and…A nitrogenated Irish stout at 4.2%, made to reproduce the cascading pour and dense, creamy head of a draught pint. The body is full for the strength and the texture smooth and rounded. Roasted malt leads the flavour, showing as coffee and dark chocolate, and the finish stays soft and clean. It belongs to the Brewmaster core range.
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
dark 35
The stronger sibling of the house stout, brewed to a higher gravity and given time to ferment out fully. A hefty malt bill with a generous share of chocolate malt gives dark chocolate flavours, a hint of vanilla and a mild mocha aroma with…The stronger sibling of the house stout, brewed to a higher gravity and given time to ferment out fully. A hefty malt bill with a generous share of chocolate malt gives dark chocolate flavours, a hint of vanilla and a mild mocha aroma with a sweet, vinous edge. Roast coffee and a touch of biscuit follow. Opaque black under a creamy tan head and full-bodied at 6.0 %. Classic European bittering hops bring a spicy bitterness that cuts in as those flavours fade.
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ABV
8.0%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 40
An imperial stout brewed with Fairtrade cacao husks and Madagascan vanilla pods. Chocolate leads, with milky sweetness, caramel and dried fruit, followed by liquorice, a little smoke, coconut and coffee. The body is full and creamy, and a…An imperial stout brewed with Fairtrade cacao husks and Madagascan vanilla pods. Chocolate leads, with milky sweetness, caramel and dried fruit, followed by liquorice, a little smoke, coconut and coffee. The body is full and creamy, and a berry-like acidity cuts through it and lends the beer a juicy edge. It is suited to ageing.
5
ABV
7.5%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
dark 35
The oldest surviving line in the range, first exported in 1801 as West India Porter and brewed with extra hops and a higher gravity so it would survive voyages of four to five weeks into tropical ports. The aroma is robust and roasted,…The oldest surviving line in the range, first exported in 1801 as West India Porter and brewed with extra hops and a higher gravity so it would survive voyages of four to five weeks into tropical ports. The aroma is robust and roasted, with dark chocolate, caramel and dried fruit over a base of roasted barley. The liquid is black under a frothy tan head, the body full, the coffee character pronounced, and the sweetness stays behind a firm hop bitterness that lingers.
Ranks 6–10
6
An export stout with an aroma of coffee, chocolate and a hint of smoke, the last from a portion of smoked malt in the grist. On the palate espresso and dark chocolate dominate, backed by rich roast and caramel. The body is full and chewy,…An export stout with an aroma of coffee, chocolate and a hint of smoke, the last from a portion of smoked malt in the grist. On the palate espresso and dark chocolate dominate, backed by rich roast and caramel. The body is full and chewy, and the overall impression is intense and layered. At 6% it is the stronger of the brewery's two stouts.
7
The bottled stout that Ireland and continental Europe know under this name, drawn from the same archival lineage as Extra Stout but conditioned with carbon dioxide instead of nitrogen and held at a lower strength than the North American…The bottled stout that Ireland and continental Europe know under this name, drawn from the same archival lineage as Extra Stout but conditioned with carbon dioxide instead of nitrogen and held at a lower strength than the North American version. The aroma is roasted barley over a fresh hop note, with coffee and a light fruitiness behind it. It pours deep dark under a short-lived head. The palate is crisp rather than creamy, the roast bite runs through the middle, and the close is bittersweet and dry.
8
Knockmealdown, named after the Knockmealdown mountains, is a robust, malt-driven take on the traditional Irish stout at 6% ABV. Chocolate and wheat malts and roast barley on an Irish pale ale base give a near-black beer with a tan head.…Knockmealdown, named after the Knockmealdown mountains, is a robust, malt-driven take on the traditional Irish stout at 6% ABV. Chocolate and wheat malts and roast barley on an Irish pale ale base give a near-black beer with a tan head. Rich roasted espresso and sweet molasses fill the aroma. Roasted coffee and chocolate dominate the palate, with caramel and liquorice notes, a smooth, rich body and a solid bitter backbone from Nugget hops. It finishes dry.
9
The beer the brewery's reputation rests on, first brewed in 1999. Roasted barley sets the tone: espresso-like roast, a rich coffee aroma and a light liquorice note over a full, smooth body. Fuggle hops add a tart bitterness that carries…The beer the brewery's reputation rests on, first brewed in 1999. Roasted barley sets the tone: espresso-like roast, a rich coffee aroma and a light liquorice note over a full, smooth body. Fuggle hops add a tart bitterness that carries into the dry finish. Deep black with a reddish tint against the light. Five malt and wheat varieties go into the mash, and at 4.3 % the stout stays easy to drink while tasting more robust than its strength suggests.
10
Beamish Irish Stout is black with a tan, creamy head. Roasted malt sets the tone, joined by coffee and dark chocolate in both aroma and taste. The texture is smooth, the roast character firm, and the finish dry. The stout goes back to the…Beamish Irish Stout is black with a tan, creamy head. Roasted malt sets the tone, joined by coffee and dark chocolate in both aroma and taste. The texture is smooth, the roast character firm, and the finish dry. The stout goes back to the Beamish & Crawford brewery, founded in Cork in 1792, and has been brewed at Lady's Well since that brewery closed.
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 35 lean malt-forward and 3 lean hop-forward.