A good stout beer recipe is one of the best places to start as a homebrewer — and one of the most satisfying to get right. The style is forgiving, the ingredients are cheap, and the payoff is a rich, roasty pint that tastes as if it came from a Dublin pub. This recipe makes a classic Irish dry stout: dark as midnight, bone dry on the finish, with just enough coffee and dark chocolate character to keep you coming back.
We’re aiming for something close to a Guinness in spirit — though honestly, once you’ve brewed this yourself, you might find the original a little disappointing by comparison.
The recipe below is built for a 5-gallon all-grain batch. If you’re newer to homebrewing and working with extract, there’s an extract version at the end of the recipe section — the process is simpler, and the result is still excellent.
What Makes a Stout a Stout?
Before you brew it, it helps to understand what you’re chasing. Stouts get their color and roasty flavor from one ingredient above everything else: roasted barley. Unlike most dark malts, roasted barley isn’t kilned to just a deep color — it’s roasted until it’s nearly black, giving stouts that distinctive coffee and dark chocolate bitterness that other dark beers don’t quite replicate.
The Irish dry stout is the leanest version of the style — what the BJCP classifies as a 15B Irish Stout: low ABV (typically 4–4.5%), minimal residual sweetness, and a dry, slightly bitter finish. It’s sessionable in the truest sense — not a beer you nurse but one you drink alongside good conversation. The English stout tends to be a touch sweeter and richer; oatmeal stouts add a silky, fuller body from — you guessed it — oats. Imperial stouts are a different animal entirely, boozy and thick, and best left for another day.
For a deeper look at the style’s history and flavor profile, our guide on different types of beer puts the stout in context with other dark ales worth knowing.
Stout Beer Recipe: Irish Dry Stout (5 Gallons, All-Grain)
Recipe Vitals
| Stat | Target |
|---|---|
| Batch Size | 5 gallons |
| Original Gravity (OG) | 1.044 |
| Final Gravity (FG) | 1.010 |
| ABV | ~4.5% |
| IBUs | 38–42 |
| SRM (Color) | 35+ (black) |
| Mash Temp | 152°F (67°C) |
| Boil Time | 60 minutes |
| Fermentation Temp | 66–68°F (19–20°C) |
Grain Bill
- Pale malt (2-row or Maris Otter): 7 lbs — your fermentable base. Maris Otter adds a slightly richer, biscuity flavor that works beautifully in this style.
- Roasted barley: 1 lb — the backbone of the style. This is what gives your stout its black color, coffee bitterness, and dry finish. Don’t reduce this — it matters.
- Flaked barley: 1 lb — adds body, head retention, and that characteristic creaminess you get in a good draft stout. Essential.
- Chocolate malt: 0.5 lb — softens the roasty edge slightly, adding dark chocolate notes without tipping into sweetness.
Total grain weight: 9.5 lbs. This gives you an OG right around 1.044 with typical system efficiency — exactly where you want to be for a dry Irish stout.
Hops
- East Kent Goldings (5.5% AA), 1.5 oz — 60 minute addition. This is your only hop addition, and it’s a bittering charge. East Kent Goldings are the classic choice for Irish stout — earthy, slightly spicy, and they don’t compete with the roast character. Fuggle is a solid alternative if that’s what you have on hand.
Stout isn’t about hop character. One clean bittering addition at 60 minutes is all you need — resist the urge to add late hops or dry hops. You’ll muddy the clean roasty profile that makes this style what it is. If you want to understand more about how hop timing works in the boil, our guide to hop varieties breaks it down properly.
Yeast
Irish ale yeast is the call here. Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale and White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale are both excellent — low flocculation, slightly dry finish, and a clean fermentation profile that lets the roast malt do the talking. Dry yeast option: Lallemand Nottingham or Fermentis S-04 will both do the job and cost less.
Pitch at 66°F and let it ferment at a stable 66–68°F for 10–14 days. Irish stout doesn’t need a long fermentation — it’s a lean beer, and it’ll be ready to drink sooner than you’d expect.
How to Brew It: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Mash
Heat your strike water to around 163°F (73°C) — it’ll drop to your target mash temp of 152°F when you add the grain. Combine all your crushed grains and mash for 60 minutes. At 152°F, you’re hitting a middle-of-the-road fermentability: enough to dry the beer out without leaving it thin.
One thing worth knowing: roasted barley and chocolate malt don’t need to mash for enzymes — they’re already fully converted. But they do need the full 60 minutes in the mash to fully extract their color and flavor compounds. Don’t rush it.
Our guide on what mashing actually does is worth a read if you’re newer to all-grain brewing — it explains the science clearly without making your head hurt.
Step 2: Sparge and Collect Wort
Sparge slowly with water at 168°F (76°C) and collect around 6.5 gallons of wort to account for boil-off. Your pre-boil gravity should read somewhere around 1.037–1.039. If it’s reading lower, you may need to extend your boil slightly to concentrate the wort.
Step 3: Boil
Bring your wort to a rolling boil and add your East Kent Goldings at the 60-minute mark. That’s it for hop additions — keep the rest of the boil clean. At the end of the boil, add your Whirlfloc tablet or Irish moss if you’re using it (you should be — it helps clarity).
After 60 minutes, you should have around 5.25–5.5 gallons of wort at your target OG of 1.044.
Step 4: Cool and Pitch Yeast
Chill your wort to 66°F as quickly as you can — a wort chiller is worth owning if you don’t have one. Transfer to your fermenter, aerate well, and pitch your yeast. For a 5-gallon batch at 1.044 OG, one packet of liquid yeast works fine if it’s fresh. Dry yeast packs can typically be pitched directly — rehydrate if the manufacturer recommends it.
Step 5: Ferment
Fermentation should kick off within 12–24 hours. You’ll see active bubbling for 3–5 days before it slows. Leave it alone. Don’t rush it. The beer’s doing its thing.
After 10–14 days, check your final gravity — it should be around 1.010. If it’s been stable for two consecutive readings 48 hours apart, fermentation is done. Our article on the beer fermentation process explains what’s happening inside the fermenter at each stage. And if you want more inspiration once yours is done, the American Homebrewers Association’s stout recipe collection is worth a browse — real recipes from craft breweries, free to access.
Step 6: Package
You’ve got two options here. Kegging gives you a proper draft stout — and if you can set up a nitrogen or mixed gas tap, the pour will be genuinely special. Stout on nitro isn’t just a Guinness thing; any dry stout served on nitrogen becomes something different. Creamier, smoother, with that cascading pour that beer nerds find deeply satisfying.
Bottling works fine, too. Prime to around 1.5–2.0 volumes of CO2 — stout is traditionally a low-carbonation style. Over-carbonation kills the creamy mouthfeel you’ve worked to build.
Leave carbonated bottles at room temperature for 2 weeks, then move to cold storage. The beer is drinkable from this point, but give it another week in the fridge if you can. It softens the roast bitterness slightly and rounds out the chocolate notes.
Extract Version: Stout Beer Recipe for Beginners
Not set up for all-grain yet? No problem. Extract brewing makes this style surprisingly well, and it’s a great entry point if you’re using a kit for the first time. You’ll sacrifice a little control over body and attenuation, but a well-executed extract stout is still a very good beer.
- Dark liquid malt extract (LME): 6 lbs — replaces your base malt. Use a dark or amber LME labeled as suitable for stout.
- Roasted barley (steeped specialty grain): 0.75 lb — steep this in 155°F water for 30 minutes before your boil. It’s what makes the beer taste like a stout instead of a brown ale.
- Chocolate malt (steeped): 0.5 lb — same steep, same process.
- East Kent Goldings, 1.5 oz at 60 min — same hop addition as the all-grain version.
- Irish ale yeast — the same yeast recommendation applies.
Steep your specialty grains in a grain bag, remove, then stir in your LME and bring to a boil. Follow the same boil, cooling, and fermentation steps as the all-grain recipe. The process is faster and simpler — a good brew day for beginners. If you’re new to homebrewing equipment, our guide to the best home brew kits is a solid starting point before you invest in gear.
Tips for Getting Your Stout Right the First Time
- Don’t skimp on the roasted barley. It’s tempting to dial it back if you’re nervous about bitterness, but the roasted barley is the style. Go for the full amount.
- Keep the fermentation temperature stable. Fluctuations in fermentation temp are one of the most common causes of off-flavors in homebrewed beer. Aim for a consistent 66–68°F throughout.
- Water chemistry matters. Irish stout traditionally uses soft water — if your tap water is hard, consider diluting with RO water or adjusting with a small addition of lactic acid. A touch of calcium chloride (50–100 ppm) helps round out the mouthfeel.
- Be patient before packaging. A stout that packages too early will have residual sweetness from unfinished fermentation. Confirm your final gravity is stable before you bottle or keg.
- If your beer tastes too harsh: excess roast bitterness that doesn’t mellow with time usually points to high sparge water temperature or mashing too hot. Check your process and dial back on either if needed. Our guide to common off-flavors covers exactly this kind of issue in detail.
How Does a Stout Compare to a Porter?
You’ll probably get asked this at some point — usually by someone who’s had a few. The honest answer is: not as much as you’d think. Historically, the styles overlapped significantly, and there are robust porters and light stouts that meet somewhere in the middle. The clearest distinction today is the use of unmalted roasted barley in stouts — that’s what gives the style its sharp, coffee-like edge. Most porters use roasted malt instead, which is smoother and slightly sweeter by comparison.
If you want to dig into the difference, we’ve got a dedicated breakdown on what a porter actually is — including five porters worth tracking down.
Stout Beer Recipe FAQ
What is the best grain for a stout beer recipe?
Roasted barley is the most important grain in any dry stout. It gives the beer its black color, coffee bitterness, and characteristic dry finish. Pair it with a pale malt base and flaked barley for body, and you’ve got the core of a classic Irish dry stout. Chocolate malt is optional but adds depth.
How long does it take to brew a stout at home?
Brew day itself takes 4–5 hours for an all-grain batch (around 2–3 hours for extract). Fermentation takes 10–14 days, and the beer needs another 2 weeks to carbonate in bottles. From brew day to drinking, expect 4–5 weeks total — quicker than most beer styles.
Can I brew a stout without all-grain equipment?
Yes. The extract version in this recipe uses a simple steep-and-boil process — you don’t need a mash tun or a lot of equipment. A large brew kettle, a fermenter, and basic bottling gear is all it takes. Extract stouts turn out very well, and it’s a great way to learn the process before investing in all-grain equipment.
What yeast should I use for a stout beer recipe?
For a dry Irish stout, Irish ale yeast is the classic choice — Wyeast 1084 or White Labs WLP004 are the go-to liquid options. Both ferment clean and attenuate well, giving you the dry finish the style calls for. Dry yeast alternatives like Lallemand Nottingham or Fermentis S-04 are cheaper and reliable.
How do I make my homebrew stout taste smoother?
A few things help: adding flaked barley to the grain bill improves body and mouthfeel significantly; adjusting your water with calcium chloride softens the roasty edge; and kegging with nitrogen (if you have the setup) transforms the texture entirely. Conditioning the beer cold for at least a week before drinking also rounds things out noticeably.
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