Dry Irish Stouts

If ever there was a style of beer best suited for a cozy pub, it’s the Irish Stout. It’s dry, roast-forward, generally low in ABV, making it suitable for multiple rounds, and unassuming enough that it doesn’t steal your attention away from a conversation or a good book. Our editors tasted Irish stouts from around the world, and many made their eyes smile. Guinness

It’s the theater of this beer that stands out. From the almost 2-minute multiple-step pour that the brewery recommends to the slow hypnotizing cascading effect from the nitro bubbles ending in a solid white cake of foam, the beer is fun to look at and drinks easy. Heavy on coffee and chocolate aromas and flavors, it has a thin body and easy finish, making it perfect for multiple rounds. ABV: 4.2% IBUS: 45 Loc: Dublin, Ireland

Victory Brewing Donnybrook Stout

Smooth roasted coffee, unsweetened chocolate, and a little bit chalky all come together to deliver on the “dry” promise of this beer. Often served on nitro taps, it has a firmer body than Guinness and a sweet ashy finish. It’s an all-occasion beer—just right for that summer cookout or to march with at that spring parade that celebrates the Irish. ABV: 3.7% IBUS: N/A Loc: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Sly Fox Brewing O’reilly’s Stout

Hops content is usually pretty low in this style, but here it’s noticeable with an earthy assertiveness that appears after the roasted barley notes. Hops reappear again with a pleasing bitter finish. In between, there’s the toasted coffee and slightly burnt chocolate flavors that all come together in a burly representation of the style. ABV: 3.6% IBUS: 42 Loc: Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

Gritty Mcduff’s Brewing Black Fly Stout

Officially, the GABF style guidelines say that diacetyl for Irish stouts should be low. The makers of this Portland, Maine, beer go a little beyond those guidelines, but the beer itself is a throwback. It’s a time machine in a glass to when the American craft industry was getting on its feet. Stop by the pub, watch the fishing trawlers, get a lobster. ABV: 4.7% IBUS: 16 Loc: Portland, Maine

Harpoon Brewery Boston Irish Stout

A visit to this brewery’s beer hall in Boston will see the tap handles of this beer getting a workout. Floral, slightly spicy, a full-bodied, roasty stout that is both filling and comforting while not dragging you down the high-abv rabbit hole. In a city that celebrates its Irish heritage, this is the beer that represents the culture. Sláinte.

ABV: 4.3% IBUS: 30 Loc: Boston, Massachusetts