This is a beer that will make you want to hit the high seas, now with 100 percent less empire-building.

Whether African, Caribbean, or Belgian, foreign export stouts occupy the oft-overlooked middle ground between the smooth lows of dry Irish stout and the highs of alcoholic exuberance.

“Aroma of coffee, toast, and dark chocolate. Lightly smoky. Light raisin and black currant. Soft woody/cedar-like hop aroma. Very malt forward. Light raisin and blackstrap molasses flavors. Finishes mostly dry. Roast lingers and ends up a bit smoky. Hop bitterness shows up in the finish.”

**Aroma:** “Notes of dark toffee, roast, sulfur, and coffee up front, as well as earthy floral notes. Raisin, plum, and prune esters become more evident as it warms. Very light molasses adds sweetness.” **Flavor:** “This beer is so creamy and sweet up front, and it carries through to the finish. Lots of molasses, with burned roasty notes, toasted bread, and milk and baker’s chocolate. Dark fruit flavors of raisin, plum, prunes, and cherry are present, and a vinous character carries into the back and finish. It’s somewhat one-dimensional because the fruit esters dominate.” **Overall:** “While there is some malt complexity, the fruit and molasses syrup-like flavors dominate. The body is a bit heavy. The combination of roasty malts and dark fruits makes this a pleasing drink for a cold night. A very enjoyable beer.”

**Aroma:** “Moderately strong roasted malt that comes across as coffee and chocolate. Complex mix of toasty and rich malt support it. Strong dark stone-fruit esters blend well with dark roasted malt. Banana esters as well. Slight molasses.” **Flavor:** “Awesome malt complexity with chocolate, coffee, bread crust, toast. Moderately sweet up front that fades into an assertive bitterness with a hint of acidity. Somewhat dry finish with a light chocolate and roastiness that lingers. A fun blend of chocolate and banana with some underlying cherry notes. Medium-heavy body and medium-high carbonation. Big roast notes with a moderate smoke note that extends into the aftertaste. A slight herbal spice note at the end of the sip. The roast and carb dry out the beer.” **Overall:** “Great malt complexity with chocolate, coffee, and toast. Full body supports the malt and makes this really fun to drink. The bitter dry finish helps scrub that palate and prepare you for another sip. Every sip is just as impactful as the first. I love the chocolate-banana milkshake that this tastes like.”

It may be counterintuitive, but strong, sweet, dark beers endure in some of the world’s hottest climates. In Jamaica, a low-cost folk drink helped to popularize it. Martyn Cornell tells the story.

At last year’s World Beer Cup, the team at Atlas Brew Works brought a gold medal home to the nation’s capital with Silent Neighbor—a “pumpernickel stout” brewed with rye and blackstrap molasses. Here’s how they put it together.

Dubbed a “pumpernickel stout” by Atlas Brew Works in Washington, D.C., this 2023 World Beer Cup gold medal winner gets a portion of rye malt and the flavorful addition of blackstrap molasses.

From their South London outpost in the arches beneath a bustling elevated railway, the Kernel has embraced London brewing history with a craft ethos—respecting and referencing tradition while thoughtfully building their own identifiable, modern, hop-forward character.

Aroma of dark chocolate, red fruits—raspberry, dark cherry. Nice breadth of roast flavors—chocolate, dried raspberry, coffee, toffee. Creamy body; finish leans acrid. Tobacco and vanilla notes emerge. Fruity character works with malt-chocolate and barrel-vanilla. Like a strong export stout.

White Stout is a style that confuses some, enrages others, and gets a lot of brewers very excited. You can call it a lot of things, but the white stout is not only a style but also a playground for making interesting, flavorful beers.

Kölsch is the ideal style to reach for when you need to recharge your taste buds with a lighter, refreshing beer.

There were Munich-style dark lagers, American bocks, and paler, pilsner-like beers. Adjuncts abounded. Here, historian Michael Stein of the research firm Lost Lagers digs into the recipes and methods of the time.

John Mallett of Bell’s concocted this recipe at the Craft Beer & Brewing Brewers Retreat a few years ago. It’s different from Bell’s Cherry Stout, but he says it shares many of the same themes—including a rich, varied malt profile.

While not for vegetarians, oyster stout has the power to raise eyebrows with its sheer oddity and unlikely compatibility of flavors. The stout base is ideal for brewers with any level of experience—but are you ready to play the shell game?

__Aroma:__ “The dark roasted coffee character dominates the nose. Hints of dark chocolate, burnt sugar, and sweet malt are present. Earthy, herbal-tea hops aromas. Fruity, with vinous raisin esters.” __Flavor:__ “Rich dark burnt malt flavor dominates the palate, with dark coffee and espresso that lend bitterness throughout the taste. Molasses adds sweetness in the middle. Notes of black licorice, raisin, plum, prune, raisin, dates, sherry, and dark cherry are present throughout. Some hardwood characters in the flavor—maple and hickory.” __Overall:__ “The burnt roast dominates, with evident tobacco and wood-like notes. Would have appreciated some additional fruit to cut through the roast astringency. However, some of the malt sweetness helped cut through the roastiness to add a bit of complexity.”

This Blonde Ale is more flavorful than your average lawnmower beer, so save it for after you mow. Once you dial in the recipe, this will be the beer that gets your non-beer-drinking friends started down the path to craft beer.

Cacao isn’t just for chocolate beers—around those nibs is a whole fruit with its own bright and unexpected flavors. Largely unknown outside tropical climates, those flavors present some unique possibilities for beer.

Brewed since 1988, Bell's founder Larry Bell has called Cherry Stout the complex “pinot noir” of his brewery’s range. Its origins, however, are far simpler: It all started at homebrew club meetings in Kalamazoo.

With local malt and a mixed fermentation culture foraged and harvested from native Australian flowers, Wildflower is focused on producing satisfying table beers with a true sense of place. Cofounder and brewer Topher Boehm explains their approach.