No panic but a stunning streak reveals I’m a Stout Man. These stats don’t lie!
There’s a website called The Stats Don’t Lie (TSDL). It crunches the numbers on horse-racing in these islands.
I have no idea how reliable TSDL is. But I’m on sounder ground when dealing with my favourite beer stats for 2025. And they reveal a stunning streak - it appears that I’m a Stout Man! No less than 14 stouts appear towards the top of the list. Indeed, the top three beers are stout.
I reckon I just can't ignore the results from 2025 (and previous years) and so I'll be concentrating in the dark side from 2026 onwards. Looking forward to some more relaxed beer-drinking in the months head as the sourcing, photographing, judging and rating, plus writing up has been very time consuming. A bit too much like hard word.
See my opening lists for next year below. It won't be just the dark side though. There are just too many superb Irish brewers to totally ignore the many excellent examples of lagers, ales and specials that are available these days.
Top Stouts 2025
Whitefield Irish Stout 7.5% ABV, 330 ml bottle, Bradley’s
Rating: 95.5
Mescan Spéartha Dorcha Oyster Stout 4.7% ABV, 330 ml bottle Bradleys
Rating: 95
Elbow Lane Angel Stout 4.4% ABV, draught at Elbow Lane
Rating: 95
O’Hara’s Irish Stout Nitro 4.3% ABV, Tesco Midleton
Rating: 94
Dungarvan Black Rock Stout 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle #21 Coburg St
Rating: 93.5
Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout 5.1% ABV, 500 ml bottle, Supervalu Mayfield
Rating: 93.5
O’Hara’s Leann Folláin Extra Irish Stout 6% ABV, Tesco Midleton
Rating: 93
Rye River Nocturne Export Stout 6% ABV, Tesco Midleton
Rating: 92.5
Tom Crean’s Family Six Magpies Stout, 4.2% ABV
Rating: 92.5
Eight Degrees Bojanter Irish Stout 4.3%
Rating: 92
Brehon Ulster Black Oatmeal Stout 5% ABV, Bradleys
Rating: 91.5
Kinnegar Flying Saucer Foreign Export Stout 6.5%
Rating: 91
Wicklow Wolf Apex Oatmeal Stout
Rating: 90.5
9 White Deer Stag Stout 4.2% ABV
Rating: 90
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