Irish Dry Stout — Home Brew Recipe
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Style: Irish Dry Stout | ABV: ~4.3% | Volume: 23 litres | Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
About This Recipe
The Irish dry stout is one of the most iconic beer styles in the world — jet black, dry, with a bitter roasted coffee edge and a creamy nitrogen-inspired head. While true nitrogenation is tricky at home, a well-crafted Irish stout with good carbonation and careful pouring produces a beautifully satisfying result. Based on the St Peters Cream Stout kit with some recipe enhancements.
Ingredients
- 1x St Peters Cream Stout Kit (3kg)
- 200g Dark Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
- 1 packet Gervin GV12 Ale Yeast
- Beer finings
- Carbonation drops
Method
- Steep crushed dark crystal malt in 2L at 67°C for 30 min. Strain liquid into fermenting vessel.
- Add kit malt extract to the vessel. Top up to 23L with cold water. Stir well.
- Pitch Gervin GV12 yeast. Ferment at 18–20°C for 7 days.
- Add finings 24 hours before bottling. Allow yeast to settle.
- Check gravity with hydrometer, then bottle with carbonation drops.
- Condition 3 weeks minimum. Pour slowly into a tilted glass, letting the head form naturally.
Brewer's Notes
An Irish stout should be low in carbonation compared to most other beer styles. Use just one carbonation drop per 500ml rather than two. The dry, bitter finish is the hallmark of the style — resist the urge to add lactose or sweeteners.