Near the end of the 18th century, British brewers began exporting pale ales to India to nourish its troops, and dark ales like stouts and porters to Baltic regions for more entrepreneurial reasons. Stronger, and with a more aggressive hop prescription, these beers could survive the long, arduous sojourn without spoilage. Naturally, these beers were much different than their progenitors, and hence, were considered entirely new styles.
Though the history of imperial stout is somewhat murky, it was indeed a London brewery that is credited with popularizing the style as a strong, exported stout.
Both India pale ale and particularly the “imperial” stouts had an effect in a commercial sense at first, but their enduring effect on modern beerdom could be considered even more profound. The strong stouts in particular are favored by beer aficionados for their rich, luxurious depth, and fairly symbolize the penchant of American brewers for big beers. Perhaps just as important to nouveau brewers is that they deliver the notion that almost any beer can be “imperialized.” Thus, imperial stouts can be credited with two weighty contributions to the beer world.
The Birth of Strong Stout
Throughout the 18th century, porter and its offspring, stout, were at the height of their popularity in England. A thriving shipping industry, combined with convenient shipping routes in the Baltic Sea, allowed the brewers to send their wares to innumerable ports therein. Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, the Baltic states, and western Russia all were destinations of the exported dark English brews. Savvy brewers took advantage of the demand abroad and made the strong and hoppy adaptations available for the burgeoning market.
Strong Baltic porters are still produced in Poland, Finland and Sweden as a distinct style adopted from the original English brewers. Strong stout, however, was more favored in Russia. The well-traveled Peter the Great may have been the first to insist on the import of British beers to Czarist Russia. Stout was also favored by the Russian Imperial Court of the era and, legend has it, was the preferred beer of that immutable rogue, Rasputin. The strong, dark character of the brews fit perfectly with the excessive gustatorial proclivity of the contemporary nobility and court.
Though the history of imperial stout is somewhat murky, it was indeed a London brewery that is credited with popularizing the style as a strong, exported stout. Around 1781, Barclay Perkins began exporting its stout to assorted ports in the Baltic region. Purposely brewed to be a formidable beer, it would easily withstand the voyage. The serendipitous extension of this attribute was that it was also perfectly suited for the cold, gnarly climate, where spirits were very much favored. When Empress Catherine II discovered it, its place in Russian legend was cemented. The commercial viability of the brew ensured that the style endured.
Today, under the name of Courage, the same imperial stout is still brewed in London. The brewery states that it is the same beer that was exported to Russia over 200 years ago. It invokes the visage of Catherine herself on the label.
