Wedding Stout Ideas

I have been holding this question for several months, scratching my head each time I read it. I now have a pretty good answer that I hope is not too late to help you with your quest to celebrate your friend’s wedding with a special brew. The “summery stout” descriptor is definitely interesting, and part of what stumped my thinking! The idea that I have settled on is to suggest brewing two special beers; one to symbolize each of the two components of the union between spouses.

The idea I have for a bridal stout is a modest interpretation of a pastry stout, hybridized with a white stout. I like the flavor exploration that brewers have embarked upon with their pursuits of pastry stouts, but find the hugeness of these beers difficult to fully embrace because I like to drink beer. Many of the pastry stouts that I have sampled tasted great, but I could only drink about 0.2 liter before becoming sated. The other inspiration for my suggestion of the bride’s stout is a white stout, as a nod to the color of a wedding dress. And the roasted flavor notes that are combined with this pale-colored stout symbolizes the inclusion of the groom’s timbre in the marriage. Call me corny, but I am rolling with this now!

The bridal stout that I have envisioned is very pale, light on the palate, and with a complex, yet subtle, blend of coffee, chocolate, coconut, and vanilla. This beer has an OG of 1.040 (10 ˚Plato), uses pale malt as the base and includes 1⁄4 pound (0.11 kg) of lactose per 5-gallon (19-L) batch, 3% by volume of hot-brewed Sumatra coffee, a touch of vanilla bean extract added after fermentation to give a barely perceptible vanilla aroma, rich chocolate flavors from cocoa nibs, and nutty aromas from toasted coconut. After fermentation, the brew is nitrogentated (with beer gas) to add body to this lower alcohol stout, and to allow for you to serve this layered on top of the groom’s stout.

The groom’s stout is a classic tropical stout, think Dragon Stout from Jamaica or Royal Extra Stout from Trinidad, with a bit of fruit to represent the bride and to add a summery note to a beer that may feel more like fall or winter to folks not accustomed to this type of beer. Tropical stouts have an OG between 1.056–1.075 (13.8–18.2 ˚Plato), a FG of 1.010–1.018 (2.6–4.6 ˚Plato), an ABV between 5.5–8%, and carbonation falling on the medium end of the spectrum at around 2.2–2.4 volumes (4.4–4.8 grams/liter). I like fruits that marry with the roast and chocolate notes of a stout, and tend to think raspberry, blueberry, and tart cherry when brewing fruit stouts. You may also want to consider tropical fruits and look to mango, banana, or even lemon zest for some different takes on the fruited stout. Since this beer is intended to be layered with the bridal stout, consider the balance of flavors between the two components.

For those who are familiar with my column, this answer is one of the rarities that focuses on beer formulation. So enjoy the ideas because it may be a while until I again reveal my weird thoughts about beer flavor!

Response by Ashton Lewis.