
Highest-rated stouts in Illinois
Highest-rated stouts in Illinois
They're dark, creamy, and may have the consistency of used motor oil—and 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—Irish dry stouts can be as low as 4.2% ABV—the 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 1 in 5 beer drinkers enjoys stouts regularly. That gives America's almost 9,800 craft brewers plenty of reason to develop new riffs on the style. With this variety in mind, Stacker compiled a list of the best stouts from Illinois using data from BeerAdvocate 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.
#30. Drago
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Onion Pub & Brewery / Wild Onion Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#29. Boathouse Reserve Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Crystal Lake Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#28. Super! Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.5%
- Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#27. French Toast
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Hubbard's Cave Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#26. Catch Hell - Triple Barrel
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 17.9%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#25. Dosvidanya - Rye Barrel
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.6%
- Brewery: DESTIHL Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#24. Vlad The Second Order Of The Dragon Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout With Maple
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.1%
- Brewery: Hailstorm Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#23. Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit - Vanilla
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#22. Malevolence - Chocolate Caliente
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Spiteful Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#21. The Final Act
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.0%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#20. Bourbon County Brand Bardstown Cask Finish Stout (2024)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 16.0%
- Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#19. Barrel Aged Abduction
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.0%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#18. Catch Hell - Double Barrel Aged
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 15.3%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#17. Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.24%
- Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#16. Benthic
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.6%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#15. V.S.O.D.
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 14.8%
- Brewery: Revolution Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#14. Thundertaker
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 16.2%
- Brewery: Revolution Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#13. Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.75%
- Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#12. Benthic - Vanilla
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.2%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#11. Henna: Double Rainbow
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.8%
- Brewery: More Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#10. Benthic - 2 x 4
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.6%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#9. Café Deth
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 14.8%
- Brewery: Revolution Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#8. Henna: S'more
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: More Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#7. Supermassive Café Deth
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 14.3%
- Brewery: Revolution Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#6. Barrel Aged Jones Dog
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 14.1%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#5. Double Barrel V.S.O.D.
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 17.9%
- Brewery: Revolution Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#4. Barrel Aged Hyper Dog
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.5%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#3. Barrel-Aged Malevolence Chocolate Caliente
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.0%
- Brewery: Spiteful Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#2. Bourbon County Brand Stout
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.7%
- Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#1. Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 14.0%
- Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 48 states.