Even if you aren’t a huge dry stout fan, there’s a good chance you’ve had a Guinness or three over the years. This popular style, called Irish dry stout, is known for its dark to pitch-black appearance, roasted barley, coffee, light hop bitterness flavors, and very dry finish (hence the name).
The Irish dry stout is a great beer to drink during March because it’s winter’s last stand and because March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. And while we know you’ll have your fair share of Guinness, O’Hara’s, Murphy’s, and other authentic Irish dry stouts on the green clover and fake orange beard-filled holiday, today it’s the US brewers’ turn to try their hand at the style.
Irish dry stout made by American brewers? We get that it’s confusing but trust us — there are a surprising number of authentic-tasting, American-made Irish dry stouts on the market that are so good you’d think they were being hand-poured at a rural pub in the Cork countryside. This is why today we’re taking a deep dive into what the US has to offer.
Keep scrolling to see some of the best American-made Irish dry stouts ranked for overall flavor and seasonal appropriateness.
8.) Breckenridge Nitro Irish Stout
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $8 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
When it comes to American takes on the Irish dry stout, there are few more well-known than Breckenridge Nitro Irish Stout. It might be brewed in Colorado, but this roasted barley-filled, sweet malty stout gets its creamy, memorable flavor from the use of nitro. The best part? This traditional take on the Irish dry stout is available all year long.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find classic stout aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malts, and coffee. The palate is creamy, velvety, and smooth with notes of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, and a dry finish with no hoppy flavor at all.
Bottom Line:
This beer is creamy and loaded with roasted malt and chocolate flavor, but doesn’t have the bitter hop presence that some other Irish dry stouts have.
7.) Saint Arnold Irish Hello
ABV: 4.3%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
We know all about the “Irish Goodbye” — leaving a social engagement without saying goodbye to anyone. Saint Arnold is all about the Irish Hello, an Irish dry stout brewed with 2-row malted barley, pale chocolate malt, debittered black malt, and torrified wheat. It’s also brewed with Saint Arnold’s proprietary yeast and Perle hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a mix of aromas of dried fruits, cocoa powder, bitter chocolate, roasted malts, and lightly floral hops. Sipping it reveals notes of roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee, raisins, licorice, and spicy, floral, lightly bitter hops. The finish is dry and chocolatey.
Bottom Line:
Saint Arnold’s take on the Irish dry stout is all about balance. Sweet, bitter, dry, this beer has it all.
6.) Yards Love Stout
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Philadelphia is known as the “City of Brotherly Love” so it shouldn’t surprise you that one of its most well-known breweries makes a popular Irish dry stout called Yards Love Stout. It’s well-known for its notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted with aromas of coffee, roasted barley, toffee, dark chocolate, and lightly floral hops. Sipping it brings forth notes of roasted barley, raisins, licorice candy, cocoa powder, coffee beans, caramel, and snappy, spicy, earthy hops. The finish is bitter, dry, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is an Irish dry stout for the fans of bitter, extra dry stouts. It’s flavorful and perfectly bitter.
5.) North Coast Old No. 38
ABV: 5.4%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This popular Irish dry stout from California’s North Coast Brewing gets its name from a retired California Western Railroad steam engine (hence the image of a train on the label). It’s well-known for its balanced flavor profile featuring coffee, roasted barley, and a pleasurable dry finish.
Tasting Notes:
Freshly brewed coffee, roasted barley, caramel malts, raisins, molasses, and bitter chocolate. There’s a ton of chocolate on this beer’s palate. This is followed by black licorice, yeasty bread, dried fruits, coffee, vanilla beans, and roasted barley. The finish is dry, pleasantly bitter, and leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
This beer ticks all the boxes Irish dry stout drinkers love. A ton of chocolate, coffee, and a perfect bitter finish.
4.) Societe The Pugilist
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you didn’t know it, a pugilist is another word for a fighter or boxer. This beer is punch-for-punch (pun intended) one of the best examples of an American Irish dry stout you’re going to find. This award-winning classic stout is well-known for its balance of sweet, roasty, chocolate, and dry flavors.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with scents of candied almonds, roasted barley, dark chocolate, coffee, and floral, earthy hops. There’s more of the same on the palate with flavors like bitter chocolate, toffee candy, almond cookies, licorice, treacle, and roasted barley. The finish is a nice mix of sweetness, dryness, and bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Societe is well-known for its IPAs, but if you’ve never given its Irish dry stout a chance, now is the time. You’ll be glad you did.
3.) Lawson’s Finest Nitro Stout
ABV: 5.4%
Average Price: $15 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Lawson’s Finest is another brand well-known for its IPA prowess. But what its Lawson’s Finest Nitro Stout lacks in name originality, it makes up for in aroma and flavor. This beer is as authentic as it gets in the American craft world. It’s made with imported Irish malts and gets added flavor from the use of nitrogen.
Tasting Notes:
The nose features a ton of bitter chocolate, roasted malts, charred wood, coffee, and floral, earthy, herbal hops. There’s a nice mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate as well as roasted malts. Espresso beans, licorice, light acidity, and brown sugar. The finish is bittersweet and lightly dry.
Bottom Line:
Chocolate, roasted barley, floral hops, and a dry, bitter finish. This take on the Irish dry stout has it all.
2.) Atlantic Brewing Cadillac Mountain
ABV: 7%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
First brewed way back in 1990, Atlantic Brewing Cadillac Mountain is a traditional Irish dry stout brewed with old-world ingredients like pale, crystal, chocolate, black patent, and roasted malts as well as Nottingham yeast. It gets its floral hop presence from the use of Centennial and East Kent Golding hops.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of freshly brewed coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, gentle smoke, butterscotch, and herbal, floral hops greet you before your first sip. The palate continues this trend with a ton of coffee, chocolate, and roasted barley flavor right off the bat. This is followed by caramel malts, vanilla, dried cherries, cocoa powder, and bitter, floral hops. The finish is gently dry.
Bottom Line:
To say that this beer is complex is a major understatement. This is the kind of beer that you’ll need to sample on different occasions to unlock all the aromas and flavors.
1.) 3 Floyds Black Sun
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Indiana’s 3 Floyds is a big name in the American beer world. When it comes to dark, wintry beers, one of its best is 3 Floyds Black Sun. Its take on the classic Irish dry stout is known for its mix of roasted malt, coffee, and floral hop flavors. It’s also known for its amazing balance ending with a dry finish.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are noticeable scents of freshly brewed coffee, mint leaves, roasted barley, vanilla, dark chocolate, and floral, earthy hops. This complexity continues on the palate where you’ll find a nice base of roasted barley followed by espresso beans, dark chocolate, raisins, vanilla, licorice, and a pleasant, lightly bitter, floral finish. There’s a nice dryness to the last sips that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This is an outstanding take on the Irish dry stout style. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better example of this style crafted by US brewers.
