American Stout is a stout that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Pale Malt, and leans on Chinook 13.3% to shape the finish.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | American Stout |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.044-1.060 |
| Final Gravity | 1.010-1.016 |
| ABV | 4.5-6.0% |
| IBU | 30-45 |
| SRM | 30-40 (opaque black) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate (all-grain) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pale Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Chinook 13.3%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 18C (64F) Pitch White Labs WLP001 California Ale once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 7 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. My Brew Supply Flaked Maize Premium Beer Making Grain)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Amarillo Hop Pellets 1 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Craft A Brew – Safale S-04 Dry Yeast – Fermentis)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. Carboy Caps 4 Pk Silicone Caps)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Dextrose 50 Lb)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Northern Brewer Homebrewing Starter Kit w/Equipment, Chinook IPA)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A American Stout is best served in a pint or tulip, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
American Stout
Equipment
- 1 Brew kettle (minimum 10-gallon capacity)
- 1 Mash tun
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Fermentation vessel
- 1 Airlock
- 1 Bottling equipment
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Sanitizer
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 15 Litres (26 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F
- 6.10 oz Pale Malt Quantity 3kg
- 4½ lb Munich Malt Quantity 2kg
- 1.2 oz Black Malt Quantity 500g
- 1.2 oz Medium crystal Malt Quantity 500g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- 1 oz (Hops) Chinook 13.3% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 38.1)
- ⅓ oz (Hops) Amarillo 5% When to add – For last 15 mins of boil (IBU 1.8)
- 1¾ oz (Hops) Amarillo 5% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 18°C (64°F) – Conditioning 7 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 White Labs WLP001 California Ale
Instructions
- Heat 15 liters (26 pints) of water in your brew kettle to 65°C (149°F).
- Add the crushed grains to the mash tun and pour the hot water over them. Stir until there are no dry spots, and then let the mash rest for 1 hour.
- While the mash is resting, heat 27 liters (47.5 pints) of water to boiling in your brew kettle.
- After 1 hour, start sparging the mash into your brew kettle with the boiling water. Collect at least 27 liters (47.5 pints) of wort.
- Bring the wort to a boil and add 1 oz (28 g) of Chinook hops. Boil for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, add 1/3 oz (9.45 g) of Amarillo hops and 1 tsp of Protofloc. Boil for another 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1.75 oz (50 g) of Amarillo hops and turn off the heat. Let the wort cool to 18°C (64°F).
- Once the wort has cooled, transfer it to a sanitized fermentation vessel and pitch the White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast.
- Ferment the beer for 28 days at 18°C (64°F), and then condition for 7 weeks at 12°C (54°F).
- After conditioning, bottle the beer and let it carbonate for at least 2 weeks at room temperature.
- Once carbonated, chill the beer and enjoy!
Get the fermentation temperature right on American Stout and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes American Stout the Style It Is
Like most classic beer styles, American Stout has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.
The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on pale malt and chinook 13.3%, and White Labs WLP001 California Ale is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 4.5-6.0%
- Bitterness: 30-45 IBU
- Color: 30-40 (opaque black)
- Serving temp: 50-55F (10-13C)
- Glassware: a pint or tulip
- Food pairings: oysters, red meat stews, chocolate desserts
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
