Style: Sweet Stout

All Styles

Style Profile based on 1,612 recipes

BU:GU

0.43

Hops

2.6 g/L

Mash pH

5.43

Style Guidelines BJCP 2015 Beer
OG
1.044 1.06
1.064
FG
1.012 1.024
1.018
IBU
20 40
27
ABV
4% 6%
6.1%
SRM
30 40
Description

A very dark, sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty ale that can suggest coffee-and-cream, or sweetened espresso. History: An English style of stout developed in the early 1900s. Historically known as “Milk” or “Cream” stouts, legally this designation is no longer permitted in England (but is acceptable elsewhere). The “milk” name is derived from the use of lactose, or milk sugar, as a sweetener. Originally marketed as a tonic for invalids and nursing mothers. Style Comparison: Much sweeter and less bitter than other stouts (except the stronger tropical stout). The roast character is mild, not burnt like other stouts. Somewhat similar in balance to oatmeal stouts, albeit with more sweetness.

Examples: Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, Lancaster Milk Stout, Mackeson's XXX Stout, Marston’s Oyster Stout, Samuel Adams Cream Stout

Typical Grain Bill

% of total grain weight across all recipes · sums to ~100%

Common Additions

% of Sweet Stout recipes using each malt category (addition % in brackets)

Hop Usage by Addition Type

g/L · median with IQR range

Bittering
0.36 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.69 g/L
Flavour
0.27 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.58 g/L
Aroma
0.27 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.64 g/L
Whirlpool
0.36 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.53 g/L

Common Hops

% of Sweet Stout recipes using each hop

Typical Water Profile

Ca²⁺ 100 ppm
Mg²⁺ 5 ppm
Na⁺ 33 ppm
Cl⁻ 60 ppm
SO₄²⁻ 53 ppm
HCO₃⁻ 235 ppm

median across recipes with a declared water profile

Similar Styles

Ranked by similarity across OG, IBU, ABV, hop rate, and grist composition.