Judges at the European Beer Star Competition recently named the world’s best stout in several subcategories.
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These have been dark times for stout lovers. In recent years stouts and dark beers have become less popular at beer competitions and in brewery taprooms, with most space devoted to IPAs and increasingly lagers. However, beer trends may be shifting. Sales of Guinness, probably the world’s best-known stout, have been skyrocketing, and that could trickle down to the craft beer world.
Meanwhile, sales and marketing figures aside, many of the world’s breweries are still producing incredible stouts in various subgenres. That was abundantly clear at the European Beer Star Competition, one of the world’s biggest beer competitions, which announced its results at the end of 2024. At this competition, a panel of expert judges blind-taste tested 2360 beers from 50 countries in 75 categories at the Nuremberg Exhibition Center in Germany. European Beer Star awards three medals per category—gold, silver, and bronze.
Stouts were divided into three subcategories, but stout beers also won in other categories. Because the European Beer Star is a global competition, these beers truly represent the best of the best in stout drinking, with beers recognized from China, South Korea, Poland, Alaska, Germany, and more. Here’s a closer look at what the European Beer Star judges have deemed the current world’s best stout in various categories.
This category at the European Beer Star encompassed subcategories such as dry stouts, oatmeal stouts, extra stouts, and foreign stouts. The beer should have a dark black appearance and malty, roasty, coffee- or chocolate-like first taste with an aftertaste that can range from dry bitter to creamy sweet. Below are the top three beers.
Gold: Foreign Extra Stout, from BROFAKTURA, Poland
Silver: Dolden Dark, from Riedenburger Brauhaus, Germany
Bronze: Nitro McCarthy Stout, from 49th State Brewing, Anchorage, Alaska
Best Imperial Stout
These boozy stouts have a higher ABV than their standard stout counterparts, and European Beer Star requires an ABV between 7% and 12% alcohol. The beer should feature roast malt and other bitter aromas that should not fully cover the beer’s other characteristics. Hop aromas should be smooth but can also feature floral, citrus, or herbal notes. Imperial stouts that are aged in wood barrels could not be entered in this category and were instead only eligible for awards in a barrel aging category.
Gold: Riegele Noctus 1000, from Brauerei S. Riegele, Germany
Silver: Wrecking Ball, from No-Li Brewhouse in Spokane, Washington
Bronze: El Matador, from Juguetes Perdidos, Argentina
Best Pastry Stout
Pastry stouts are stouts that are flavored with ingredients such as coffee, cocoa, chocolate, and ingredients frequently found in cakes. They also often utilize lactose to increase the residual sweetness. According to European Beer Star Guidelines, the hops should “provide a balance to the sweetness without being too prominent.”
Gold: Nightmare Fuel, from River North Brewery, Denver
Silver: Sweetheart Cocoa Milk Stout, from Penguin Craft Beer, China
Bronze: Winter Kingdom, from Artmonster Brewery, South Korea
Other Stout Winners
Poland’s Browar Trzech Kumpli took home the gold medal in the new-style non-alcoholic beer category for its beer Stout Unplugged. For fans of NA beers, it’s always nice to see new, or less common, styles of NA beer receive recognition. Whatever your drinking preferences are, if you are a fan of stouts, there are some winning stout options to choose from in the recent European Beer Star competition.
