Much like NEIPA, the Pastry Stout is yet another recent innovation and brewing trend that shows no signs of slowing. With a relatively high gravity, a dose of unfermentable lactose sugar, and ingredients more common in baking than brewing, Sweet Tooth Pastry Stout is a glassful of awesome.

Starting as a sweet stout, this recipe then includes vanilla, cocoa, and your choice of gourmet Silver Cloud flavoring extract - choose from hazelnut, oatmeal cookie, or s'mores. Folding together all of these flavors creates a beer of great complexity with delicious notes of sweet pastries, a medium-heavy body, and a pleasing, long finish.

Brewing Notes

Style: Sweet Stout - Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer
Fermentation Range: 65-70F
Original Gravity: 1.070
SRM: 32
IBUs: 35
ABV: 6.1%

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Sweet malty aroma with medium-low roastiness. Prominent vanilla, chocolate, and pastry-like nose dominates. No hop aroma.

Appearance: Jet black in color with a khaki-tan foam head.

Flavor: Moderately roasty with subtle caramel sweetness and flavors of various baked goods standing out - notably vanilla and chocolate. Medium sweetness with appropriate bitterness to balance.

Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-high body. Very smooth and silky on the palate leading to a long, lingering finish.

Head Development Brewer Brad’s Notes:

“The brewing industry moves in mysterious ways, and the Pastry Stout is just the latest proof. Generally, a big, sweet, boozy stout is used as the base for these beers, and then ingredients are added that you would much more often find in a kitchen rather than a brewery. Chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut… there are so many possibilities, and imagination is the only boundary.

For our version of this emerging style, I have actually toned down the gravity of this beer to make it more sessionable, so its possible to enjoy more than just a little snifter before becoming overwhelmed by the often insanely high alcohol content. Expect this recipe to come in at just over 6% ABV, but still maintain a robust body and silky mouthfeel thanks to the indiscreet use of a combination of specialty grains, lactose, and a mash profile that favors the production of dextrins to maintain the “thick” mouthfeel synonymous with this style.

After the base beer has been fermented, the fun starts with a healthy addition of cacao nibs and vanilla to start to mold the flavor profile into what beer aficionados would recognize as a Pastry Stout. The final touch, however, is left to the brewer.

In this recipe, there are three choices of gourmet flavorings to tailor the final product just to your liking. The offerings of hazelnut, oatmeal cookie, and s’mores allow you to choose your own pastry adventure. I have recommended a starting point of 20ml of the flavorings to be added just before packaging as a baseline for the flavor. Likely, you will find that it needs more flavoring for the specific flavors to stand out, so we have included far more flavoring extract than you would need for a single 5-gallon batch. If you find the 20ml to be too subtle, add more to suit your taste.

Sweet Tooth Pastry Stout makes for the perfect nightcap, and also pairs well with a weekend breakfast... or a weekday breakfast - I won’t judge.”

Looking for the Extract Version?