Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe, takes a deep dive into the weird and wonderful world of pastry stouts
Photographs: Brewers Association
You’d be forgiven for thinking that chocolate, marshmallow, pecan pie, blueberry cheesecake, or peanut butter were flavours more associated with desserts than beer. But in the United States craft brewers have been pushing the creative envelope once more by developing a whole new style of beer more akin to liquid dessert in a glass.
Termed pastry stouts, these typically sweet, lactose-heavy, usually high-alcohol beers have even gained their own entry into the much-coveted Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines to “reflect the increased commercial availability of these beers”.
What exactly is a pastry stout, and how did it all begin?
It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact genesis of the style, but many point to Southern Tier’s Blackwater series in 2004. From the 2010s onwards, beers like Cigar City’s Huhnapu imperial stout became widely known, and soon the idea took root across the Atlantic, particularly among Scandinavian brewers. The term pastry stout is thought to have originated around 2014.
Pastry stouts are almost always strong, sweet beers, made from a dark beer base that incorporates culinary ingredients to create a sweet, rich flavour profile that mimics flavours found in pastries or desserts. Subtle they are not!
Pastry stouts are extreme in alcohol and flavour, with a full body and smooth, creamy mouthfeel, due to residual sugars from a heavy malt bill. They can be barrel-aged and made with adjuncts, extracts, purees, or with natural ingredients deconstructed from well-known desserts. A Snickers-inspired beer may include cocoa nibs, vanilla, peanuts, and almonds. Sometimes they may include oats to boost the body further or nitro to enhance the creamy mouthfeel. The end result is undoubtedly a delicious, decadent, show-stopping beer, with undeniable ‘wow’ factor.
Pastry stouts have the ability to get the whole taproom or bar talking. When one’s mind is blown by the first sip of a breakfast stout tasting of chocolate, nut, maple syrup and blueberry pancake, it’s almost impossible not to share the experience with fellow beer-lovers. They are inclusive, accessible beers that invite new audiences into the fold who love not only the sweet, dessert-like profile, but the nostalgia and comfort created by flavours evoking childhood memories.
What makes a good pastry stout?
A well-made, well-balanced base beer is a good starting block on which to build the sweet flavour profile. High alcohol helps amplify and balance the flavours, while adding to the intense, indulgent feel associated with these beers. Simply throwing a tonne of lactose and Oreo cookies into any beer is not going to cut it. Here, three American craft brewers give their expert opinions on the style.
Kyle Fjalstad, barrel-programme manager at Craft ‘Ohana, San Diego, won a silver medal for Modern Times Beer’s Mega Devil’s Teeth: Double Dutch S’mores edition in the first ever pastry stout category at last year’s Great American Beer Festival. He says: “A good pastry stout needs to be sweet and high in alcohol, but not taste overwhelmingly alcoholic. It should lend itself well to adjuncts and be less acrid than its imperial stout counterparts. In my opinion, the best pastry stouts are barrel-aged to give a touch of oak and spirit character and provide more nuance overall.” The award-winning version of Mega Devil’s Teeth is a 14.4% ABV imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, with vanilla, cocoa nibs, and vegan stroopwaffles.
Where do you get your inspiration for pastry stouts?
Barry Homes, chief executive of The Bruery, Placentia, which makes a range of ever more innovative, creative, and diverse pastry stouts, says: “We take inspiration from all things that have an interesting taste. We usually start with real ingredients, including cookies, Oreos, strawberries etc, and if flavourings will make the beer taste better we use those, too.”
Who is drinking pastry stouts, and are they a passing trend or here to stay?
Jeremy Roberts, founder/brewer at 903 Brewers, in Sherman, Texas, renowned for its fruit-forward slushies and adventurous pastry stouts, says: “Pastry stouts are extremely popular. We’re releasing two to four pastry stouts a month, even in the summer, and they appeal to a wide consumer profile from 35 to 55 years old, both male and female. While they’re popular now, consumers’ palates and preferences are constantly changing, so we hope they stick around, but you never know.”
Barry Homes echoes these sentiments and says pastry stouts are not as popular as a few years ago, but still fairly desirable. At The Bruery, pastry stouts are popular among regular supporters who enjoy discovering how the brewers interpret a particular taste profile.
Craft ‘Ohana releases three different varieties of pastry stouts a month, which are typically limited to 300 to 500 bottles each, and they sell out most months. Kyle Fjalstad adds: “I think that the style will endure, similarly to other styles that have come into the craft beer zeitgeist. I think that people are often surprised when they try a pastry stout for the first time. The appearance can be off-putting for some, but after the first sip they realise just how approachable the style is.”
What’s the future for pastry stouts?
Pastry stouts are ideally suited to sharing and sparking conversations but will they last?
Kyle says: “Popularity will ebb and flow, but the breweries making the best versions of them will have drinkers to consume them.” Barry adds: “It’s a style that can fade if we don’t continue to innovate around it.” American craft brewers are renowned for their ground-breaking creativity, relentless innovation, and unswerving commitment to quality, and as such are well placed to continue pushing the boundaries of flavour and creating excitement with new ingredients and new taste experiences. Is it only a matter of time before we see pastry lagers?!
Look out for award-winning beers in the UK from American craft breweries such as Athletic Brewing Co, DC Brau, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, and many more.
In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Beers of Europe, and Beer Merchants, select bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and select pubs and bars.
The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org.
A date for your diary
Don’t miss Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, from 21st-24th April, in Las Vegas, the largest industry-only gathering in the States. The conference features more than 60 educational seminars spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business, and more than 650 exhibitors displaying the latest and greatest product innovations, suppliers and services. The conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.
