Beer Study Buddy
← Back to styles

Irish Beer / 15C

Irish Extra Stout

Unfiltered BJCP Styles Style Profile

This BJCP record is outside the Certified Cicerone® Level 2 beer-style list and is included for Advanced Cicerone® review.

Certification exam alignment
Advanced Cicerone® BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Exam
Source
BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines

Overall Impression

A fuller-bodied black beer with a pronounced roasted flavor, often similar to coffee and dark chocolate with some malty complexity. The balance can range from moderately bittersweet to bitter, with the more balanced versions having up to moderate malty richness and the bitter versions being quite dry.

Aroma

Moderate to moderately high coffee-like aroma, often with slight dark chocolate, cocoa, biscuit, vanilla, or roasted grain secondary notes. Medium-low esters optional. Hop aroma low to none, may be lightly earthy or spicy, but is typically absent. Malt and roast dominate the aroma.

Appearance

Jet black. Opaque. A thick, creamy, persistent tan head is characteristic.

Flavor

Moderate to moderately high dark-roasted grain or malt flavor with a medium to medium-high bitterness. The finish can be dry and coffee-like to moderately balanced with up to moderate caramel or malty sweetness. Typically has roasted coffee-like flavors, but also often has a dark chocolate character in the palate, lasting into the finish. Background mocha or biscuit flavors are often present and add complexity. Medium-low fruitiness optional. Medium earthy or spicy hop flavor optional. The level of bitterness is somewhat variable, as is the roasted character and the dryness of the finish; allow for interpretation by brewers.

Mouthfeel

Medium-full to full body, with a somewhat creamy character. Moderate carbonation. Very smooth. May have a light astringency from the roasted grains, although harshness is undesirable. A slightly warming character may be detected.

Comments

Traditionally a stronger, bottled product with a range of equally valid possible interpretations, varying most frequently in roast flavor and sweetness. Most traditional Irish commercial examples are in the 5.6 to 6.0% ABV range.

Characteristic Ingredients

Similar to Irish Stout. May have additional dark crystal malts or dark sugars.

Style Comparison

Midway between an Irish Stout and a Foreign Extra Stout in strength and flavor intensity, although with a similar balance. More body, richness, and often malt complexity than an Irish Stout. Black in color, not brown like an English Porter.

Vital Statistics

IBU
35 - 50
SRM
30 - 40
OG
1.052 - 1.062
FG
1.010 - 1.014
ABV
5% - 6.5%

Commercial Examples

  • Guinness Extra Stout
  • O’Hara’s Leann Folláin
  • Porterhouse XXXX
  • Sheaf Stout

Style Attributes

bitter british-isles dark-color high-strength roasty stout-family top-fermented traditional-style

Similar Styles: How to Tell Them Apart

Use these guideline-based sensory contrasts to organize comparative tasting practice.

These dark British and Irish ales can overlap in chocolate, coffee, caramel, toast, fruit, and low hop aroma. Dark Mild is the lowest-gravity and most malt-variable, English Porter adds moderate substance and restrained chocolate roast, and Irish Extra Stout is black, fuller, more bitter, and decisively coffee-and-dark-chocolate driven.

Compare with: 13A. Dark Mild; 13C. English Porter

By aroma

  • Irish Extra Stout is dominated by moderate to moderately high coffee-like roast with dark chocolate, cocoa, biscuit, vanilla, or roasted grain beneath it.
  • It is more roast-centered and intense than English Porter and far more forceful than low-gravity Dark Mild.
  • Hops are low to absent, while optional fruit remains secondary to malt and roast.

By taste

  • Irish Extra Stout is jet black, medium-full to full-bodied, and medium to medium-high in bitterness, the strongest sensory profile of the trio.
  • Coffee and dark chocolate persist into a finish ranging from dry and bitter to moderately balanced with caramel or malt sweetness.
  • It lacks English Porter's brown color and softer caramel-chocolate emphasis, and cannot be mistaken for Dark Mild once its body and roast intensity are clear.

Quick tell: Jet black color, full body, firm bitterness, and persistent coffee-dark chocolate identify Irish Extra Stout.

Open official BJCP source