International Stout Day
A favorite among beer connoisseurs, with its dark hue and bold taste — perfect for sipping on a cozy night in.
Drive stout beer sales and bar traffic by positioning International Stout Day as a premium tasting occasion for beer enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike.
- Stout Variety Challenge: Encourage customers to try 3 new stout varieties in one night with a tasting passport or loyalty reward.
- Brewery Spotlight: Feature local and craft stout producers with exclusive tastings or limited-edition releases on the day.
- Pairing Guide: Create content around food-and-stout pairings (chocolate stout with dessert, coffee stout with breakfast) to drive cross-category sales.
- Host a Stout Social: Promote backyard or bar gatherings where beer lovers share favorites, leveraging user-generated content and community engagement.
Notable campaigns3
- Legend Extra Stout (2024): International Stout Day campaign (2024) with ad agency IMS Advertising—creative digital & design assets celebrating the observance
- Heineken (2024): International Beer Day "Forgotten Beers" campaign (September 2024) created by ad agency LePub—film medium campaign promoting lesser-known beer styles
- Stella Artois (2020): International Beer Day #FluentInStella campaign—promoted tweets with Voice Tweets asking fans to order beer in non-English languages, yielding +2,100% increase in brand mentions and +3,300% increase in positive sentiment
Campaign ideas8
- Launch a limited-edition stout collaboration with a local food brand (e.g., chocolate maker, coffee roaster) and market as exclusive for the day
- Host "Stout Flight Showdowns" at bars/breweries—invite customers to vote on their favorite variety; create in-store/online voting contests
- Run a "Stout Style Challenge" campaign: encourage consumers to try a NEW stout style they've never had and share photos with branded hashtag #[BrandName]StoutChallenge
- Partner with food influencers and chefs to create stout-infused recipes (stout chocolate cake, stout-braised short ribs) and share video tutorials on social
- Offer "Stout Passport" loyalty program: customers get a card to stamp at partner bars/breweries for each stout they try; redeem for merch or discounts
- Create a limited-edition seasonal stout can design collaboration with a local artist; highlight the art story and artist on social media
- Host an online "Stout Knowledge Quiz" offering discounts/free tastings for top scorers; educate consumers on stout history and variety
- Partner with local food vendors to create stout pairing guides (print + digital); distribute in-store and promote via email campaigns
Social angles6
- Try a stout style you've never had before! Which variety is YOUR go-to—dry Irish, milk, oatmeal, or imperial? Drop your pick below 👇 #InternationalStoutDay #StoutLovers
- Did you know stouts have roasted coffee & chocolate notes? 🍫☕ Perfect for dessert lovers. What's your favorite pairing? #InternationalStoutDay
- From Guinness to craft brewers—stout has come a long way since the 1700s! Raise a glass to this legendary beer style. #InternationalStoutDay #BeerHistory #CraftBeer
- Host a stout tasting at home this week! Gather friends, bring different varieties, compare notes. Tag us in your tasting pics! 🍺 #InternationalStoutDay #StouttTasting
- Stout pairs better than you think: oysters, chocolate, BBQ, shepherd's pie. What would YOU pair it with? #InternationalStoutDay #FoodAndBeer #BeerPairing
- New to stout? Start with a milk stout for that creamy, sweet flavor. Feeling bold? Try an imperial stout. Where are you starting your stout journey? #InternationalStoutDay #BeerAdventure
Ad copy starters5
“Dark. Bold. Legendary. Celebrate International Stout Day with [Brand]. Find Your Stout.”
“From coffee notes to chocolate finish—discover why stout lovers can't get enough. Limited-edition stout drops November 5th.”
“Stout's been around since 1700. Isn't it time you tried one? International Stout Day—November 5th.”
“Milk stout, imperial stout, oatmeal stout—find YOUR stout this November 5th. Join thousands celebrating International Stout Day.”
“The smoothest, creamiest, boldest stout you'll ever try. Exclusively for International Stout Day.”
Tips4
- Don't oversaturate with heavy drinking messaging—focus on education, variety, and food pairings to attract diverse audiences beyond hardcore beer fans
- Highlight story & craft: consumers want to know the brewery's origin, the brewer's name, and what makes this stout special. Authenticity wins.
- Create urgency via scarcity: limited-edition releases, exclusive flavors, or one-day-only discounts drive conversion faster than general promotions
- Partner early: collaborate with bars, restaurants, local breweries, and food vendors before November 5th to amplify reach and create co-marketing opportunities
A descendant of the porter beer, which got its start in the early 1700s, stout is a dark, strong version of a mid ale beer. The first stout beers were likely produced in London in the 1730s and then grew and evolved, moving east to create the Russian Imperial Stout, presumably in an attempt to impress the Russian czar.
One of the more famous makers of stout beers is Guinness, the Irish beer company that has been making porters since the 1780s and counts the Dry Stout or Irish Stout among their impressive lineup.
In the last couple of centuries, stout beers have continued to grow and evolve, with unique flavors that include the chocolate stout, oatmeal stout, coffee stout and even an oyster stout! The versatility of this type of dark beer offers an almost endless variety of ways that stout beers can be brewed and enjoyed.
Grab a Stout Beer
Sidle up to the local bar or pub (check out an Irish pub if possible!) and order a stout beer to enjoy in the evening after work. Perhaps this will be the Guinness Irish Stout mentioned above, or perhaps go for something a little more unique and try a tall can of the Original Reaper by Half Acre, brewed in Chicago.
Try a New Stout Variety
With the wide range of options for stouts on the market today, it would be a shame to let some of those get passed by on International Stout Day! Celebrate the day by trying a new variety of stout beer, such as these: Prairie Bomb! Considered by some to be the best American Imperial Stout, Prairie Bomb is made with flavors of coffee, chocolate, vanilla and ancho chili with a whopping 13% ABV. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. Combine the delicious taste of stout that is aged in bourbon barrels? Yes please! Goose Island was the originator of this category of stouts. Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout. Flavors of hazelnut, cocoa powder and toasted pecan, this smooth and silky texture makes it super drinkable.
Host an International Stout Day Event
Beer lovers in general, and stout lovers in particular, can get excited about celebrating International Stout Day by gathering friends, neighbors or coworkers for an event. Maybe it’s a simple backyard barbecue party where everyone brings their favorite stout for others to try. Or perhaps it should be taken a bit more seriously than that! Perhaps this International Stout Day might involve a huge community event that includes taste tests, a local stout brewing contest, music, food and more. Whatever the form, whether a small intimate gathering or a giant blowout, this is the day to celebrate stout beer all over the world.