Pastry Stout

While different recipes call for different approaches, Third Eye co-owner and head brewer Kelly Montgomery explains why some stouts need more than one bourbon barrel, and why they add certain sugary adjuncts directly to the barrels.

From lower-strength versions to higher-gravity ones that need a bigger yeast pitch and more time, Third Eye co-owner and head brewer Kelly Montgomery details their approach to fermenting award-winning milk stouts.

From cocoa to coconuts via lactose and long boils, brewers are shaping today’s dessert stouts for easy appeal. Just don’t say they’re easy to make.

And pistachios seemed like such a good idea. Great Notion lead brewer Lara Hargrave shares some tips on things to look out for when flavoring and finishing dessert-inspired stouts.

Great Notion lead brewer Lara Hargrave offers some useful advice for using flavor extracts, graham crackers, almonds, and more in your pastry- and dessert-inspired beers.

With Great Notion’s flavored stouts, it’s “go big, or go home.” Lead brewer Lara Hargrave explains their approach to building decadent, dessert-inspired recipes from base to adjuncts.

Lara Hargrave, lead brewer at Great Notion in Portland, Oregon, runs through several of the adjuncts they add to their pastry stouts, including some useful tips for flavor and practicality.

Lara Hargrave, lead brewer at Great Notion in Portland, Oregon, takes us on a journey through the production of big, whimsical, indulgent, nostalgia-inducing dessert-inspired stouts.

Making viscous and luxurious dessert stouts is hard enough on systems designed for high-gravity beers, but Jon Shari of Little Cottage takes the challenge one step further, brewing his sought-after mega stouts on a nano scale.

In this clip from his video course, Phase Three cofounder and head brewer Shaun Berns goes into detail on types of coconut and what they bring to beer, mixing and matching those types, when and how much to add, and more.

The rise of dessert stouts has included no small number of marshmallow beers, with the potential to evoke childhood memories of fireside treats. So, how do you brew with marshmallows—and is it even worth the mess?

In this edition of No Rests for the Wicked—a series on extracting the most character from extract brewing—Jester Goldman turns his attention to the dark, decadent, and dessert-like.

There’s no shortage of creative pastry stouts out there these days. Mixing a dessert-like base style with actual dessert has become a decadent sort of art form. We asked five brewers to share their suggestions for this sweet treat of a style.

Here are five imperial stouts that combine indulgent sweetness with chocolate and roast balance, managing that elusive “drinkability” despite big, bold, lush flavors.

From Seventh Son Brewing Co. (Columbus, Ohio), here’s a homebrew-scaled recipe for a cocoa- and vanilla-infused imperial stout with a hefty dose of salt.

Pastry stouts have turned into something quite specific: strong stouts mimicking flavor profiles of desserts, ranging from classic pastries to packaged sweet snacks often delivered with a heaping spoonful of irony. But there’s more to them than just that.

After paying his dues as a homebrewer and helping other breweries open, Mike Pallen of Mikerphone Brewing is making a big impact on the beer scene through inventive recipes, a ton of collaborations, and a healthy balance between work and personal life.