Sprecher Irish Style Stout

This tribute to St. Patrick’s Day is smooth and creamy, with the distinct flavors and aromas of bittersweet chocolate, coffee and dark roasted barley. Two precious batches of this robust, ebony colored stout are produced every year, one for St. Patty’s Day and one for Irish Fest.
Best served at 50 degrees F.

3.3

160 reviews

Glendale, United States

Community reviews

3.2 Sampler as part of flight at Lake Geneva Sprechers. Pours thin black with thin head. A little thin for a stout...nose of coffee and chocolate...initial flavor is similar with a slight hoppy bitterness...good but not great...drinkable.

3.2 A deep dark stout with a thin mocha head. In aroma, nice smooth chocolate, milky, light coffee notes. In mouth, a nice smooth chocolate, with light acidic points, light coffee, not bad. Bottle at Istmus Beer and Cheese Fest, Jan 21 2012.

3.2 16oz. bottle to pint glass. Pours black with small beige head that laces well. I get malt and a little coffee. taste is sweet with bread, malt, chocolate and coffee with a coffee-like bitter finish that has a dry aftertaste. Fairly creamy with balance carbonation. Pretty solid stout.

3.4 Tap at the Sprecher tour/reserve tasting. Super dark mahogany pour with a foamy tan head. Butter and coffee on the nose. Medium palate. Great taste - coffee and roast. Paired with a beer-infused cheddar cheese.

3.0 Smooth and creamy. A little watery. Very drinkable stout. Some burnt and coffee flavors. Not as dry as some other dry stouts. Serving: Bottle

3.3 Bottle shared with others at the tech section of brew club. Pours a minimal head, over a dark brown (SRM 35) body.... nose is coffee, chocolate with very slight soy and a touch of beef....taste is coffee, chocolate with a very light hop bitterness....mouth feel light, carbonation high. This is a pleasant,drinkable, dry stout. BJCP 7/3/12/4/6

3.3 Bottle courtesy of BeerFMAndy. Served in a tulip. Pours near black with a light mocha head. This recedes quite quickly, leaving a spot or two of lacing. Thin collar. Nose is pretty plain with just a bit of roasted malt. As it warms, still not much more. The flavor is quite nice with the roasted malt pairing with some dark chocolate and a bit of bitter strong coffee. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Smooth bitterness in the finish. Pretty good all around. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 06-05-2011

2.6 Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle. The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is made up of lighter malts, but there is not really much else going on. The flavor is roasted malt and not too much else. Both the flavor and aroma are very one dimensional and not too exciting. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

3.3 Stubby half pound bottle. Big black pour. Thickish, nearly tart with a good fine co2 sizzle. Aroma is a little sweeter than most dry stouts. Dark brown and nearly black yet no sediment. Nice finish. Gets more like-able as the session continues. No blatant signs of alky. Ends with old burned campfire wood that was dampened from a short spring sprinkling. OK NOW!

3.3 (16oz bottle, courtesy of thirdeye11) Pours a black body with mahogany edges and a moderate beige head. Aroma of roasted malt, peat, bread, and chocolate. Flavor of roasted malt, chocolate, nuts, and coffee with a dry, mildly bitter finish.

2.9 bottle, thanks to thirdeye11, black brown with a malty herbal roast and rye aroma and flavor, thin on the finish

1.3 Another crappy dry stout. Thsi one has notes of plastic, peat, and mineral water, pretty par for the style.

3.4 Smell is chocolate, sweet, nutmeg. Jet black with tan head. Tate is low hops, but noticeable, oateal, full mouthfeel, moderate malt. Dry/sweet stout. nice head to thin ring. Low hop aftertaste and lots of lace around glass. Great aroma, appearance, taste, and heavy palate on this one. Overall a great brew with an irish feast of beef stew.

3.8 Bottle. Pours nearly black with a thin tan head. Aroma is rich roasted malt, some dark chocolate and coffee. Flavor is roasted grain, dark chocolate, roasted (not bitter) coffee, a little ash, a hint of tartness. Finish is long and rich, with little bitterness. Palate is not heavy, but a bit astringent. A great beer for those who like smooth, flavorful, not bitter dry stouts.

3.1 Tallahassee, Fl - New Leaf Market - 16 oz bottle. Pours a violet-black with a initial bubbly khaki colored head that dissipates quickly. Aroma has a hint of earthiness and black dirt. Nice dry flavor, subtle and unpretentious. A bit of unsweetened chocolate, some rich black dirt, and a back end nuttiness. Mouthfeel is sufficiently dry and chalky. Decent.

3.5 Powdery, nut-cream stout aroma. Black beer, stiff tan head head, love the Sprecher bottles except for the twistoff. Coffee/cocoa bitter, a little briny, sour, not sweet. Frothy mouthfeel, medium body. A bit warming. Coffee finish. This was pretty good - I always look forward to a new Sprecher. New Leaf Market -- I liberated the single from a 4-pack and the sprout-munchers almost busted me when it didn’t ring up right.

3.6 12 oz. Pitch with a small ring of creamy, tan froth. Nose of scorched caramel, char, and a hint of smoke. Medium-heavy body is to the sweet side, astringent, and a bit too fizzy and tingly. Flavor is espresso with light cream, vanilla, cherry, and charred grain.

3.4 I was surprised how swet this was for and Irish Stout. Lots of typical coffee and chocolate, plus some vanilla, but also not nearly as dry as I was expecting when I hear Irish Stout. Still tasty, though.

4.6 So this beer only comes around twice a year? It is pretty darn good, but it’s not like there are no other Irish Stouts on the market. Not so very special anymore is it?

3.8 Source: 16 oz bottle from local retailer. Aroma: Has a moderate roasty smell to it, sweet chocolate and caramel malts come through. Accidentally dipped my nose into the glass. Appearance: The beer is a very dark brown/black; not quite completely black, but close. A decently full and thick light brown head tops the pour. Taste: The head has got a little bit of staying power to it which is nice and malty on its own. The beer itself only lightly bitter, with solid flavors of roasted barley and coffee with slightly fainter chocolate and caramel notes. Palate: The beer has a moderately full body and, as I expect from the style, a nice smooth quality to it. Very easy to drink. Overall: A very respectable dry stout. It’ll be in my St. Patrick’s day rotation, methinks.

3.6 Among the better dry stouts, not as watery as Guiness Draught, but still has a nice coffee bite to it.

3.1 Pours thick syrupy dark brown with little to no head. Flavor is slighty burnt with hints of car coal, nice and malty with a caramel finish.

3.7 Tasted 7/15/10. Pint bottle. Opaque with a dark brown hue. Finger width of dissipating khaki head. Aromas of toast, fudge, dark chocolate and graham crackers. Full bodied with a definite dry palate. Modest effervescence that accompanies a bitter dark hop flavor and coffee astringency. Dry but not too bitter. Mild acidity, which is good. This is a smooth sipper, no doubt!

3.1 Pours deep brown/black with red along the edges, aroma is some chocolate and coffee. Taste up front is a bit of coffee leading into some roasted and more coffee notes. Pretty good irish stout, nice flavor.

3.7 Pours black with thin mahogany highlights when held to light, and a thin beige head that has great retention and leaves decent lacing. Aroma is roast, cocoa, toast, woody hops, light day old coffee and sweet toasty cereal grains. Flavor is roast, earth, salty chocolate, toasted malt, earth and woody hops. Palate is farily light bodied, very dry throughout with a light but fairly sharp carbonation. Pretty damn good for a dry stout.

3.7 Pours a black color with some deep ruby hues around the edges of the glass the head is medium and tight and really nice while it lasts, which unfortunately isn’t for very long and it doesn’t leave us any lace to remember it by. The beer is nicely aromatic with lots of dark chocolate, plenty of toast, and a touch of oats. The flavor is dry with plenty of bitter chocolate, some burnt toast, charred wood, nicely bitter with some very mild coffee at best, and just a slight twang of maybe some banana phenolic stuff. This is quite good.

3.5 Tap at Barcade. A fairly average stout. Attractive, dark brown pour with a thick beige head. Aroma of lightly roasted malts. Flavor was pleasant. Mld coffee notes, along with some bitter malt character. Clean and dry on the finish. Medium in body and creamy, this beer is a smooth one. Pretty nice.

3.4 Slightly hearty aroma. Looks black and very opaque. Tastes of burnt malts? Slightly reminiscent of Guinness, though much thinner. Not too much of a palate - just good Irish (style) hearth and goodness.

2.6 Bottle from VBS on 52 in W.Lafayette. Pours dark, slight transparency with foamy beige head that fades. Nose is semi-dark roasted barley. Flavor is very dry and bitter roasted barley, slight coffee/chocolate, and a long lingering dry finish that dries the mouth completely. A very different and odd flavor, dominated by dryness and not much else. Decent.

3.4 Bottle. Pours a black body with a white head. Light roasted malt, coffee tones, light espresso, sweet malt, some caramel and mineral qualities. A nice session stout.