
Highest-rated stouts in Washington
Highest-rated stouts in Washington
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 Washington 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.
#21. Business
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.0%
- Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#20. Shadowlifter
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 6.4%
- Brewery: Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#19. Bourbon Barrel-Aged Breakfast Stout
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Skookum Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#18. Breakfast Stout
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#17. Howards Blend
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.4%
- Brewery: Three Magnets Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#16. Dormancy
- Type: American Stout
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Bale Breaker Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#15. Critical Thinking
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#14. The Fix
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.4%
- Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#13. Dark Persuasion German Chocolate Ale
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Icicle Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#12. On Fleek
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.0%
- Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#11. Solitary Confinement (2019-)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Skookum Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#10. Imperial Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.9%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#9. Darkenfloxx
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.1%
- Brewery: Cloudburst Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#8. Grandfather Raven
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Black Raven Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#7. Great Grandfather Raven
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.7%
- Brewery: Black Raven Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#6. Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star: Coffee, Cacao, Vanilla
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 12.5%
- Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#5. Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star: Coconut, Cacao
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 13.5%
- Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#4. Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star: Spice Wars
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 14.5%
- Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#3. Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 14.1%
- Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#2. Midnight Still
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.5%
- Brewery: Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#1. The Rusty Nail
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 13.3%
- Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
- 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.