Imperial Stout

Denver’s River North is winning international awards and a strong reputation for its deep, dark, malt-forward beers. Here, owner Matt Hess and head brewer Matt Malloy share the thinking and process behind them. As told to Ryan Pachmayer.

Mike Rybinski, brewmaster at ZwanzigZ Pizza in Columbus, Indiana, shares this recipe for the American imperial stout that won gold at the 2022 and 2025 World Beer Cups—plus, notes for the ghost pepper variation that also won gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 2017.

From ZwanzigZ Pizza & Brewing in Columbus, Indiana, the Fulcrum imperial stout twice won gold medals at the World Beer Cup, in 2022 and 2025. Here, brewmaster Mike Rybinski shares the beer’s inspirations and what makes it stand out from the modern crowd. As told to Ryan Pachmayer.

Horus Aged Ales founder Kyle Harrop doesn’t drink coffee, but he loves to add it as a flavor component in his big barrel-aged stouts. In this clip from his video course, he explains his “tea bag” method to dial in contact time to get the flavor he wants.

It takes a lot of house-toasted hazelnuts to get the flavor that Horus Aged Ales founder Kyle Harrop wants in a special subset of his barrel-aged beers. “It gets real expensive, real quick,” he says. In this clip from his video course, he explains the process in detail.

The realm of vanilla and its flavor potential extends far beyond Madagascar and Tahiti. In this clip from his video course, Horus Aged Ales founder Kyle Harrop talks about some of his favorite origin vanillas for barrel-aged beers—and about how the bean can overshadow the barrel.

Kyle Harrop, founder of Horus Aged Ales, shares his approach to brewing, aging, and blending higher-gravity barleywines and stouts—and to selecting and using the flavor components that can take those beers to the next level.

From Pinta Barrel Brewing in Wieprz, Poland, here’s a recipe for their barrel-aged imperial stout with vanilla, coconut, and barrel-aged coffee—a richly layered treat that beat out many others to become one of our Best 20 Beers in 2025.

When beer gets high enough in alcohol content, it can pose a threat to can lining and affect how we perceive carbonation. In this clip from their video course, River North founder Matt Hess explains how and why they bottle in glass and adjust for carbonation.

For River North’s coffee-infused beers, it’s whole beans, fresh and medium-roasted. In this clip from their video course, founder Matt Hess explains the method.

From the angel’s share to dilution, River North founder Matt Hess lays out some key considerations to keep in mind when you’re planning to age your beers in spirits barrels.

From dextrose to brewer’s crystals, River North founder Matt Hess covers some of the key things to consider when choosing and adding sugars to boost the gravities of very strong beers.

From recipe design and ingredient choices to barrel-aging, blending, and packaging, River North founder Matt Hess and head brewer Matt Malloy share the methods and philosophy behind their unusually robust and flavorful award-winning beers.

Mike Lukacina, founder and brewer at Magnanimous in Tampa, shares this iteration of the ever-evolving stout they brew especially for aging in whiskey barrels.

Magnanimous Brewing in Tampa has built a strong local following for its big-flavored beers, including its barrel-aged imperial stouts. Here, founder and brewer Mike Lukacina shares some thoughts behind their ever-evolving base stout meant for aging in whiskey casks.

The world’s best oak-aged beers begin with careful hot-side considerations. Here’s how some of today’s leading brewers design stouts and barleywines to maximize success inside the barrel, and beyond.

While different recipes call for different approaches, Third Eye co-owner and head brewer Kelly Montgomery explains why some stouts need more than one bourbon barrel, and why they add certain sugary adjuncts directly to the barrels.

From lower-strength versions to higher-gravity ones that need a bigger yeast pitch and more time, Third Eye co-owner and head brewer Kelly Montgomery details their approach to fermenting award-winning milk stouts.

From layering malts to selecting and infusing adjuncts, Third Eye co-owner and head brewer Kelly Montgomery lays out their medal-winning approach to planning and brewing rich, flavorful stouts.

From Kelly Montgomery, co-owner and head brewer of Cincinnati’s Third Eye—a frequent medal-winner for their stouts—this richly layered recipe includes a range of flavorful dark malts plus additions of lactose, cacao nibs, and vanilla.