Dark. Bold. Quietly Confident

It started with a question: “Should we brew a Stout?”
It ended with us cracking open what might just be our richest, smoothest, and most fireside-worthy beer yet.

From the beginning, Shack Bay Brewing has been about listening to our mates, our community, and our tastebuds. After launching our Pale Ale, NZ Pilsner and Hazy IPA, the calls for something darker started rolling in. Something bolder. Something perfect for cold, salty air and late nights by the fire. So, we brewed a Stout.

But not just any Stout.

We wanted a beer that felt coastal and comforting. We dialled in roasted malts for a rich coffee and dark chocolate backbone, layered in a subtle coastal smoothness, and gave it enough ABV (6.4%, thanks for asking) to warm your cockles but still go down easy. The result? A beer that makes you want to pull up a chair and stay a while.

True to form, we started small testing recipes on the home system, tasting, tweaking, and calling in some brutal feedback from our unofficial tasting panel (read: our mates). Once we nailed the flavour, we took it to our brewing partners at Ocean Reach Brewing in Cowes to scale it up and do it justice. Their team helped us bring our vision to life, and the result is something we’re truly proud of.

You won’t find this one everywhere... yet. We’ve launched it first through our stockist family as a special early release. No direct public sales (for now), which means demand is high and supply is tight. But stay tuned this Stout’s got legs, and we’re already working on making it a winter staple.

Dark, bold, and quietly confident... just how we like it.