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Dark British Beer / 16D

Foreign Extra Stout

Unfiltered BJCP Styles Style Profile

Official BJCP guideline sections attached for full style exploration.

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Source
BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines

Overall Impression

A very dark, rich, moderately strong, fairly dry stout with prominent roast flavors.

Aroma

Moderate to high roast, like coffee, dark chocolate, or lightly burnt grain. Low to medium fruitiness. May have a sweet aroma, or molasses, licorice, dried fruit, or vinous aromatics. Stronger versions can have a subtle, clean aroma of alcohol. Low earthy, herbal, or floral hop aroma optional. Low diacetyl optional.

Appearance

Very deep brown to black in color. Clarity usually obscured by deep color. Clear, if not opaque. Large tan to brown head with good retention.

Flavor

Moderate to high roast, like coffee, dark chocolate, or lightly burnt grain, although without a sharp bite. Low to medium esters. Medium to high bitterness. Moderately dry finish. Moderate earthy, herbal, or floral hop flavor optional. Medium-low diacetyl optional.

Mouthfeel

Medium-full to full body, often with a smooth, sometimes creamy character. May have a warming but not hot alcohol presence. Moderate to moderately-high carbonation.

Comments

Also known as Foreign Stout, Export Stout, and Foreign Export Stout. Historic versions (before WWI, at least) had the same OG as domestic Extra Stouts, but depending on the brewery could have had a higher ABV because it had a long secondary with Brett chewing away at it. The difference between domestic and foreign versions were the hopping and length of maturation.

Characteristic Ingredients

Pale and dark roasted malts and grains, historically also could have used brown and amber malts. Hops mostly for bitterness, typically English varieties. May use adjuncts and sugar to boost gravity.

Style Comparison

Similar in balance to an Irish Extra Stout, but with more alcohol. Not as big or intense as an Imperial Stout. Lacking the strong bitterness and high late hops of American Stout. Similar gravity as Tropical Stout, but with a drier finish and higher bitterness.

Vital Statistics

IBU
50 - 70
SRM
30 - 40
OG
1.056 - 1.075
FG
1.010 - 1.018
ABV
6.3% - 8%

Commercial Examples

  • Coopers Best Extra Stout
  • Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
  • The Kernel Export Stout London 1890
  • La Cumbre Malpais Stout
  • Pelican Tsunami Export Stout
  • Ridgeway Foreign Export Stout
  • Southwark Old Stout

Style Attributes

balanced 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 very dark, moderately strong stouts share coffee or chocolate roast, fruit, a full body, and possible warming alcohol. Their gravity is similar, but Tropical Stout is sweet, smooth, and highly fruity while Foreign Extra Stout is drier, more bitter, and more firmly roasted.

Compare with: 16C. Tropical Stout

By aroma

  • Foreign Extra Stout presents moderate to high coffee, dark-chocolate, or lightly burnt-grain roast, more assertive and less sweet-smelling than Tropical Stout.
  • Low to medium fruit and optional molasses, licorice, dried fruit, or vinous notes remain secondary to its prominent roast.

By taste

  • Foreign Extra Stout finishes moderately dry with medium to high bitterness, the reverse of Tropical Stout's sweet, restrained-bitterness balance.
  • Coffee, dark chocolate, or lightly burnt grain can be prominent but should avoid a sharp bite.
  • Both can be full and lightly warming, so the drier finish and firmer bitterness are the decisive Foreign Extra Stout cues.

Quick tell: Prominent roast, firm bitterness, and a moderately dry finish favor Foreign Extra Stout.

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