Young’s
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
A London sweet stout with real chocolate added, and the most widely distributed example of the style.
- Strength
- 5.2% ABV
- Style
- Sweet stout
- Brewery
- Young’s
Also called Double Chocolate Stout.
Young’s has closed. BeerHQ keeps this record because the beer remains historically important, not as a suggestion to go and buy it. Availability should be checked rather than assumed.
Sweet stout is defined by lactose, which brewing yeast cannot ferment, so it survives into the finished beer as residual sweetness and body. Double Chocolate Stout adds chocolate malt and actual chocolate on top of that, producing a beer that is genuinely sweet rather than merely dark.
It is the best available reference for the style, and worth trying beside a dry stout to feel how much difference an unfermentable sugar makes. The two are the same colour and almost opposite in finish.
What it tastes like
Inherited from Sweet stout, because this beer sits within the normal range for it. BeerHQ’s comparative scale, not a measurement.
Why BeerHQ carries this beer
| Reason | Carried as a reference example of its style |
|---|---|
| Strength | 5.2% ABV — checked 2026-08-16. Strengths differ by market and change without announcement, so this is dated rather than absolute. |
| Record stability | Moderate — some details are expected to drift and should be re-checked periodically. |
BeerHQ records no recipe, hop bill, malt bill, yeast strain, IBU or calorie figure for any commercial beer unless it is sourced. Nothing on this page is inferred from what the beer tastes like.
What is distinctive about it
- Contains lactose, which brewing yeast cannot ferment, so the beer finishes sweet
- Not suitable for anyone avoiding dairy, which the name does not signal
If you like Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
Worked out from what this beer actually tastes like rather than from what its style typically does. Three kinds of move, because “what should I try next” is three different questions.
Closest to it
Very similar in structure and flavour. Safe ground rather than discovery.
American porter — try Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Anchor Porter
A close structural match for Young’s Double Chocolate Stout — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: slightly less sweetness (high → low–moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
English porter — try Fuller's London Porter or Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
A close structural match for Young’s Double Chocolate Stout — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably more dryness (trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Oatmeal stout — try Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
A close structural match for Young’s Double Chocolate Stout — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: slightly less sweetness (high → low–moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Similar, but different
Keeps what you probably like about it and changes one or two things. Usually the most useful answer.
Tropical stout — try Dragon Stout
Keeps most of what Young’s Double Chocolate Stout does and shifts yeast fruitiness (esters).
Different: noticeably more yeast fruitiness (esters) (none–trace → moderate–high).
May not suit: Noticeably more yeast fruitiness (esters) than Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Baltic porter — try Żywiec Porter
Keeps most of what Young’s Double Chocolate Stout does and shifts alcohol warmth.
Different: slightly more alcohol warmth (none–trace → low–moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Keeps most of what Young’s Double Chocolate Stout does and shifts alcohol warmth.
Different: noticeably more alcohol warmth (none–trace → moderate–high).
May not suit: Noticeably more alcohol warmth than Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
A bigger jump
Genuinely different, but connected by something specific — the shared trait is named so you can judge whether the bridge holds.
Czech dark lager — try Velkopopovický Kozel Černý
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Different: slightly less sweetness (high → moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Schwarzbier — try Köstritzer Schwarzbier
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Different: noticeably less sweetness (high → trace–low).
May not suit: Noticeably less sweetness than Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Munich Dunkel — try Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel or Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Different: much more bread & biscuit (none–trace → high).
May not suit: Noticeably more bread & biscuit than Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.
Likely fits rather than promises. Taste varies, and a recommendation engine that claims certainty is claiming something it cannot know.
What to eat with it
Inherited from Sweet stout. BeerHQ does not duplicate pairings onto individual products unless the product genuinely differs from its style.
- Banoffee pie
An extremely sweet dessert needs a beer at least as sweet, and lactose gives sweet stout exactly that without adding acidity.
- Chocolate
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
- Tiramisu
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
- Piri-piri chicken
Gentle sweetness and modest strength take the edge off the chilli rather than sharpening it.
Keeping it
Sweet stout shows best within 4–9 months of packaging. After that it declines in quality rather than becoming unsafe.
No benefit from keeping. Sound for its window and then slowly less good. Nothing bad will happen quickly, but nothing good happens either.
Derived from Sweet stout. See storage and freshness for the full model.
BeerHQ carries a small set of reference beers to anchor styles, not a catalogue. There is no rating here and there will not be one. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.