The Stout world seems to be confused about size. If you go to your favorite bottleshop or taproom, you’ll see Stouts in 12oz cans, 16oz cans, 19oz cans (BA TENFIDY), 11.2 oz bottles, 12 oz bottles, 16oz bottles, 500ml bottles, 22oz bombers and 750ml bottles, and in rare cases, 1 liter bottles (yes, Rogue I’m talking about Rolling Thunder). Consistent we’re not.
Why is size important? Well, in the Stout world it’s important because the other critical variable is %ABV or how potent the beverage is in terms of alcohol content. While there is a trend toward “session” Stouts, the average Stout weighs in somewhere between 9 and 15% ABV. Now I know there are others on the lower and higher sides, but most are in that ABV window. A 22oz
12% bomber is not only filling, the normal person feels pretty loose after consuming an entire bottle. Some might say that a 22oz bomber is the right size for sharing , but in many situations, sharing isn’t part of the equation. Putting a bottle stopper on and saving it like a wine isn’t really an option, so drinking the entire bottle becomes the task for the day. I really like the strategy that Founder’s Brewing is taking this year with their 2017 release of KBS. They are releasing KBS in both 750ml (25.4oz) bottles and 4 packs of 12 oz bottles! That certainly gives us Stout lovers the option on how we want to enjoy our KBS!
The most recent release I’m not sure I understand (other than it being a novelty) is Rogue’s 2016 release of Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout. As you can see below, it was 
released in a 1 Liter (33.8 oz) bottle which can be restoppered. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never thought beers really stay the same after they are stoppered. You lose carbonation and once you open it, oxidization starts. That’s why I’m not a fan of 32 or 64oz growlers.
Why all of the different sizes and shapes? There are a few reasons. One is cost.
Depending on the amount of Stout, some brewers choose a larger capacity bottle which means less bottles. That leads me to the next reason – marketing. Scarce supply can create a higher demand for the beer and a heightened interest in the brewery. For me, an example of this is the offerings from Ram Brewing just outside of Chicago (Schaumburg to be exact). To be frank, I never heard of Ram until I read about them on various online boards and just how great their Stouts are. When Ram announced their releases online, lines formed and the trading started. The 2017 version of Chaos is in great demand on the trading boards. Small breweries can make great beer and create quite a buzz through low volumes and high demand!
The other part of marketing is brewery only releases versus distribution. Brewery only releases accomplishes a couple of things: it takes care of your primary customers (those local to the brewery) and allows the brewer to control the distribution. Brewery only releases is a topic better left for another blog post…so stay tuned!
Another decision is can vs. bottle….there is a clear trend toward canning Stouts and there is an economic as well as quality aspect to this. Cans allow no light in (obviously) and therefore the beer has a longer shelf life. Glass allows light in and exposure to light 
over time breaks down the beer. That’s why one of the rules of successfully aging Stouts is to keep them in a dark area.
Back to the size of the Stout….I’d like to see some consistency in approach. If a Stout is 12% or higher ABV, I’d like to have an option for a 12oz. bottle. I really have to commend Founder’s – I’m not sure of the economics, but as a Stout consumer, I really like having the option and in my world, I would opt for the 4 pack of 12oz. bottles. That gives me 4 opportunities to enjoy the Stout, whereas if I bought the similar quantity in 750ml bottles, I would only have 2 chances. I also believe taste sensitivity begins to diminish after 16oz or so (no science behind this, just personal observation) and when quality is more important than quantity, I’d rather have my full complement of taste buds and be left with wanting more!
Marketing, economics, quantity, distribution, even tradition – all these determine the size, shape, and type of vessel for our wonderful Stouts! What do you think about the various bottle/can sizes for Stouts? Do you have a preference? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
Cheers!
Stoutwhisperer 