爆料TV

They're dark, creamy, and may have the consistency of used motor oil鈥攁nd stout lovers wouldn't have their beer any other way.

Stouts are technically ales, a group of flavorful beers made with yeast fermented at a higher temperature. These brews are dark brown or black in color due to a key ingredient: charred, unmalted barley. This also imparts a roasted flavor to the beer, resulting in notes of bitter coffee or sweet chocolate.

Other ingredients can add different flavors and mouthfeel to the stout. Oatmeal leads to a caramel color and a more malty flavor. Milk stouts contain lactose for sweetness and body, while American Imperial stouts are richer in taste thanks to additional malts and hops. Pastry stouts brewed with cake, candy, or even peanut butter are a dessert drink for some.

Stout flavor profiles also vary by region. English stouts have a dry finish and get their characteristic bitterness from roasted barley. Irish dry stouts, the best known of which is Guinness, have a creamy taste and a distinctive foamy head produced by nitrogen gas taps. American stouts contain American hops and dark malt for a more bitter flavor.

While stouts can be highly drinkable鈥擨rish dry stouts can be as low as 4.2% ABV鈥攖he beer style also allows brewers to push the envelope in terms of alcohol content. The strongest of the group, Imperial stouts, can be upwards of 12% ABV; for example, the 2024 iteration of Goose Island Brewing Company's famed Bourbon County Stout clocked in at 14.7%.

Although lager is the most popular type of beer in the United States, roughly enjoys stouts regularly. That gives America's almost plenty of reason to develop new riffs on the style. With this variety in mind, compiled a list of the best stouts from California using data from and sorted according to their weighted ranking. Beers without images were excluded. Only stouts that made BeerAdvocate's top 100 list by state were included.

You may also like: Highest scoring NBA players born in California

BeerAdvocate

1 / 27

#27. Willettized

- Rating: 4.34 (975 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.7%
- Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

2 / 27

#26. Infinite Wishes

- Rating: 4.38 (189 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.47%
- Brewery: Smog City Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

3 / 27

#25. Older Viscosity

- Rating: 4.34 (2,691 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Port Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

4 / 27

#24. Barrel Roll No. 3 Pugachev's Cobra

- Rating: 4.36 (950 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 15.0%
- Brewery: Hangar 24 Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

5 / 27

#23. Black Tuesday - Port Barrel-Aged

- Rating: 4.42 (150 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 17.8%
- Brewery: The Bruery
-

You may also like: How to Start an LLC in California: 2025 Guide

BeerAdvocate

6 / 27

#22. Speedway Stout

- Rating: 4.38 (7,310 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

7 / 27

#21. Box Set Track #10 - Bat Out Of Hell

- Rating: 4.40 (1,138 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.5%
- Brewery: The Lost Abbey - The Tasting Room
-

BeerAdvocate

8 / 27

#20. Vastness Of Space - Bourbon Barrel-Aged

- Rating: 4.51 (87 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

9 / 27

#19. Paraboloid

- Rating: 4.49 (127 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.0%
- Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

10 / 27

#18. Speedway Stout - Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

- Rating: 4.44 (666 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
-

You may also like: Hottest months in California since 1895

BeerAdvocate

11 / 27

#17. Fyodor

- Rating: 4.45 (1,428 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.1%
- Brewery: Stone Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

12 / 27

#16. Imperial Eclipse Stout - Elijah Craig (12 Year)

- Rating: 4.46 (2,048 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.9%
- Brewery: FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

13 / 27

#15. Darkstar November

- Rating: 4.48 (783 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 15.3%
- Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

14 / 27

#14. Leche Borracho

- Rating: 4.49 (499 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

15 / 27

#13. Space Trace

- Rating: 4.50 (436 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.1%
- Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
-

You may also like: More electric vehicles means less gas tax revenue: How this impacts California's budget

BeerAdvocate

16 / 27

#12. Mocha Wednesday

- Rating: 4.49 (1,506 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 19.9%
- Brewery: The Bruery
-

BeerAdvocate

17 / 27

#11. Modem Tones - Bourbon Barrel-Aged - Vanilla

- Rating: 4.57 (155 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.4%
- Brewery: Modern Times Beer
-

BeerAdvocate

18 / 27

#10. Speedway Stout - Vietnamese Coffee

- Rating: 4.50 (2,019 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

19 / 27

#9. Grey Monday

- Rating: 4.51 (1,943 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 19.9%
- Brewery: The Bruery
-

BeerAdvocate

20 / 27

#8. Speedway Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged

- Rating: 4.51 (2,403 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.3%
- Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
-

You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in California

BeerAdvocate

21 / 27

#7. Fundamental Forces

- Rating: 4.55 (296 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 16.2%
- Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

22 / 27

#6. Parabajava

- Rating: 4.53 (960 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.0%
- Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

23 / 27

#5. Chocolate Rain

- Rating: 4.53 (2,887 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 19.6%
- Brewery: The Bruery
-

BeerAdvocate

24 / 27

#4. Black Tuesday

- Rating: 4.54 (4,280 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 19.5%
- Brewery: The Bruery
-

BeerAdvocate

25 / 27

#3. Parabola

- Rating: 4.60 (7,266 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.8%
- Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
-

You may also like: The most popular grocery items for Christmas in California, according to Instacart

BeerAdvocate

26 / 27

#2. Speedway Stout - Vietnamese Coffee - Bourbon Barrel-Aged

- Rating: 4.62 (1,134 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.6%
- Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

27 / 27

#1. Fundamental Observation

- Rating: 4.68 (1,576 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.0%
- Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
-

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 48 states.