13D - Foreign Extra Stout

As with all stouts, Foreign Extra Stout is defined by a single brewery, Guinness. It was also known as Foreign Export Double Stout and West Indies Porter at different dates. West Indies Porter was brewed occasionally during the early 1800's. It later became known as triple stout. After 1896 it was called Foreign Export Double Stout and is the forerunner of what we now call Foreign Extra Stout. This beer had the same gravity as Guinness' Double Stout/Extra Stout but had more hops added and was aged longer. The longer aging added a little more ABV, about .8%.

These beers were originally traditional Irish Dry Stouts that were brewed to make the long journey to the tropical regions. The higher alcohol and hopping helped the stout make the long sea journey to the colonies. Today, the more traditional Foreign Extra or Export Stouts will be found in the tropical regions of the world as many are still brewed there today. Most have a more pronounced roast character than the dry Irish stout.

The style is usually bigger than either the Oatmeal Stout or the Sweet Stout. The best examples of the style have a stronger coffee and chocolate character in the aroma and flavor. The esters from fermentation, the higher alcohol, the dark malts used give these beers dark fruit notes. It is a rather broad style which encompasses literally everything below a Russian Imperial Stout but stronger than a Dry Irish Stout. The style can be drier and less fruity as in the export versions, or it can be sweeter with more of a fruity character as in those brewed in the tropics today. So you are looking at two distinct versions.

To make the two different kinds of Foreign Extra Stout, the difference will primarily be in the yeast selected. For the drier less fruity export version, use a clean fermenting yeast such as Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast or White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast. These yeasts tend to attenuate more leaving a drier cleaner beer. For the sweeter fruiter version, use an English yeast which will leave some residual sugar and provide the fruity esters you are looking for. Be sure to give the beer a diacetyl rest when using the English yeast as diacetyl is not appropriate in the style.

• Aroma: The aroma is of roasted grains and is moderate to high. It can have coffee, chocolate and/or a lightly burnt character. Fruitiness is in the medium to high range. Some versions may have a sweet aroma, or molasses, licorice, dried fruit, and/or vinous aromatics. Stronger versions can have the aroma of alcohol (which should never be sharp, hot, or solventy). Hop aroma is low to none. Diacetyl should be low to none as well.
• Appearance: Foreign Extra Stouts are very deep brown to black in color. The clarity is usually obscured by the deep color (if not opaque, it should be clear). It has a large tan to brown head with good retention.
• Flavor: Tropical versions can be quite sweet without much roast or bitterness, while export versions can be moderately dry (reflecting impression of a scaled-up version of either sweet stout or dry stout). Roasted grain and malt character can be moderate to high, although sharpness of dry stout will not be present in any example. Tropical versions can have high fruity esters, smooth dark grain flavors, and restrained bitterness; they often have a sweet, rum-like quality. Export versions will have lower esters, more assertive roast flavors, and more hop bitterness. The roasted flavors of either version may taste like coffee, chocolate, or lightly burnt grain. Little to no hop flavor is present with very low to no diacetyl.
• Mouthfeel: These beers have medium-full to full body, often with a smooth, creamy character and may give a warming (but never hot) impression from alcohol presence. They also have moderate to moderately-high carbonation.
• Overall Impression: A Foreign Extra Stout is a very dark, moderately strong, roasty ale. Tropical versions can be quite sweet, while export versions can be drier and fairly robust.
• Comments: This is a rather broad class of stouts, that can be either fruity and sweet, dry and bitter, or even tinged with Brettanomyces (e.g., Guinness Foreign Extra Stout; this type of beer is best entered as a Specialty Beer – Category 23). This style can either be a scaled-up dry and/or sweet stout, or a scaled-down Imperial stout without the late hops. The highly very bitter and hoppy versions are best entered as American-style Stouts (13E).
• History: These beers were Originally high-gravity stouts brewed for tropical markets (and hence, sometimes known as "Tropical Stouts"). Some bottled export (i.e., stronger) versions of dry or sweet stout also fit this profile. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout has been made since the early 1800s. This style gives you a good idea of what the original versions of the Old Irish Dry Stouts were like.
• Ingredients: These beers are similar to dry or sweet stout, but with more gravity. The use of pale and dark roasted malts and grains, and hops mostly for bitterness is normal. One may use adjuncts and sugar to boost gravity. Ale yeast (although some tropical stouts are brewed with lager yeast).
• Vital Statistics: OG: 1.056 – 1.075 FG: 1.010 – 1.018 IBUs: 30 – 70 SRM: 30 – 40 ABV: 5.5 – 8%.
• Commercial Examples: Tropical-Type: Lion Stout (Sri Lanka), Dragon Stout (Jamaica), ABC Stout (Singapore), Royal Extra The Lion Stout (Trinidad), Jamaica Stout (Jamaica), Export-Type: Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (bottled, not sold in the US), Ridgeway of Oxfordshire Foreign Extra Stout, Coopers Best Extra Stout, Elysian Dragonstooth Stout.

References: Information for this page was adapted from the BrewWiki article entitled Foreign Extra Stout, European Beer Guide.com article entitled Irish Breweries, styles-history-beers, the 2008 BJCP Style Guidelines, and Brewing Classic Styles 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew, written by Jamil Zainasheff and John J. Palmer.

To purchase a Stout Beer Kit from MoreBeer.com, Click Here.

Go From Foreign Extra Stout Back to Stout Styles Page