Stout

stout. (stawt)

    In Britain, a very dark top-fermented beer made from pale malt and 7-10 percent roasted, unmalted barley, often with the addition of caramel malt or sugar. Stout was first introduced by Guinness as an extra stout (higher gravity) version of their plain porter. The new stout was darker, richer, hoppier, and more alcoholic than porter, which it gradually overtook in popularity until porter disappeared completely. Today, a distinction is drawn between sweet and dry stout. Although both are highly hopped (600-700 grams per hectoliter), sweet stout is less bitter than the dry version. Their alcohol contents are both about 5 percent by volume. Etym: Probably from stout ale or stout porter. Syn: bitter stout. See also: dry stout; porter; Russian stout; sweet stout.