Stout is a dark, top-fermenting ale with roasted malt character — covering Dry (Irish), Sweet (Milk), Oatmeal, Foreign Extra and Imperial sub-styles. Each sub-style carries a different balance of roast, body and sweetness. The hopIQ Score for 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 Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout (Toppling Goliath Brewing Company).
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 1071 beers from 544 breweries.
Top 5 of 25
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#20 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.
Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout#26 worldwide
ABV
12.6%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Colour
dark 40
A curated blend from the brewery's barrel room. Intense aromatics of espresso and maple syrup lead into bourbon-drenched maple candy and chocolate brownies on the palate. The brewery sells it only at its annual KBBS bottle release. It won…A curated blend from the brewery's barrel room. Intense aromatics of espresso and maple syrup lead into bourbon-drenched maple candy and chocolate brownies on the palate. The brewery sells it only at its annual KBBS bottle release. It won Gold at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in 2018, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
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4 Pines Nitro Stout#49 worldwide
ABV
5.1%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
Almost black in the glass under a thick tan head, held in place by nitrogen dispense. Roasted malt gives coffee, dark chocolate and caramel on the nose, with a dry grain note behind. The body is full and creamy, the roast bitterness rounds…Almost black in the glass under a thick tan head, held in place by nitrogen dispense. Roasted malt gives coffee, dark chocolate and caramel on the nose, with a dry grain note behind. The body is full and creamy, the roast bitterness rounds off rather than bites, and the finish runs long and dry. At 40 IBU the bitterness comes largely from the roast rather than from the hops.
5
ABV
4.2%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
This nitro dry Irish stout pours velvety and creamy. Robust notes of chocolate and coffee come from an assertive use of dark roasted malts, and a roasty character runs through the glass. Smooth, robust and deceptively drinkable at 4.2% ABV…This nitro dry Irish stout pours velvety and creamy. Robust notes of chocolate and coffee come from an assertive use of dark roasted malts, and a roasty character runs through the glass. Smooth, robust and deceptively drinkable at 4.2% ABV and 30 IBU, it is a year-round beer.
Ranks 6–10
6
Black Sheep Milk Stout#65 worldwide
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.
7
Assassin#84 worldwide
Assassin is a barrel-aged stout that spends over a year in barrels, sometimes closer to two. Bourbon notes and warmth in each sip wash over a fudge chocolate base. The 2026 release comes in at 14.7% ABV, against 12% for the 2018 to 2020…Assassin is a barrel-aged stout that spends over a year in barrels, sometimes closer to two. Bourbon notes and warmth in each sip wash over a fudge chocolate base. The 2026 release comes in at 14.7% ABV, against 12% for the 2018 to 2020 releases. It has won Gold at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in 2021, 2022 and 2025.
8
Hunahpu's Imperial Stout#90 worldwide
Dark chocolate, mocha and molasses rise from the glass, with espresso, baker's chocolate and plum following on the palate. Hunahpu's Imperial Stout is named for one of the Hero Twins of Mayan mythology, whose father's body became a cacao…Dark chocolate, mocha and molasses rise from the glass, with espresso, baker's chocolate and plum following on the palate. Hunahpu's Imperial Stout is named for one of the Hero Twins of Mayan mythology, whose father's body became a cacao tree. The 2026 bottling was brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs and chile peppers for Hunahpu's Day, and this 11.6% stout has won five Golds at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
9
Golden Stout#105 worldwide
Coffee, chocolate and vanilla meet the roasty flavors of a stout in a beer that skips the traditional stout look. A carefully calibrated blend of Better Buzz coffee, Ghanaian cocoa nibs and vanilla beans builds its signature, alongside…Coffee, chocolate and vanilla meet the roasty flavors of a stout in a beer that skips the traditional stout look. A carefully calibrated blend of Better Buzz coffee, Ghanaian cocoa nibs and vanilla beans builds its signature, alongside Columbus hops, in this 7.5% Golden Stout. The brewery set out to break the visual rules of a stout without sacrificing what makes a stout worth drinking. Silver at the 2024 World Beer Cup and Bronze in 2026, both in Coffee Beer.
10
Primátor Stout#148 worldwide
Primátor Stout is a top-fermented dark beer of the Irish type at 4.7 %, made from six grains: Pilsner, Munich and colour malts, a smoked malt, roasted barley and oats, with Northern Brewer as the only hop. It is near black with ruby glints…Primátor Stout is a top-fermented dark beer of the Irish type at 4.7 %, made from six grains: Pilsner, Munich and colour malts, a smoked malt, roasted barley and oats, with Northern Brewer as the only hop. It is near black with ruby glints and carries a dense, soft tan head. Delicate notes of nuts, chocolate and caramel play against the rough roast of the dark grains, which brings black coffee and bitter chocolate to the palate, and the oats leave a dry finish.
The taste landscape
Of the 25 top beers, 14 lean malt-forward and 1 lean hop-forward.