What Forged Irish Stout actually is
Forged Irish Stout was developed at The Black Forge Inn, the Dublin pub Conor McGregor purchased in 2020. The first cans were brewed in late 2020 and the stout was poured exclusively at Black Forge for the next two years. Wider commercial release came in August 2023: launch in 350+ ASDA stores in the UK on 5 August 2023, then a US debut in October 2023 starting in the Northeast. By 2026 the beer is available across the UK, Ireland (limited on-trade), the United States and Canada.
The beer is brewed under contract by Porterhouse Brewery in Dublin, the long-established craft brewer behind Plain Porter, Wrasslers XXXX, Oyster Stout and a string of other multi-award-winning Irish stouts. McGregor agreed in 2024 to acquire Porterhouse; that deal is the reason the can label still reads "Forged Dublin Brewery" — the corporate vehicle. To date the Porterhouse craft beer range continues to be brewed independently of the Forged brand.
It is presented as a nitro Irish dry stout at 4.2% ABV, the same alcohol level as Guinness Draught. The 440ml cans use a widget that releases nitrogen on opening, producing the cascade pour and creamy head familiar from Guinness's nitro range. The recipe uses 100% Irish ingredients per the brand's own marketing.
Tasting notes
Reviewed from a 440ml widget can poured at fridge-cold (3-4°C) into a 20oz nonic glass, allowed to settle for ninety seconds before tasting.
Pour and appearance
The widget does its job. Cascade is fast, clean, and predictable. The settled stout is the standard nitro Irish-stout near-black with a deep ruby cast at the edge if you hold the glass to the light. Head is dense, off-white to pale-cream, and holds for the full session — a hallmark of nitro execution. Lacing on the glass walls is even and persistent. Visually, this is a textbook nitro stout. It looks like Guinness on the table next to Guinness; that is the point.
Aroma
Restrained. There's a soft roast — coffee grounds rather than espresso, a hint of cocoa, a quiet base of pale malt. The aroma intensity is lower than Guinness Draught, lower than Beamish, and noticeably below the brewery's own Plain Porter. Whether you read this as elegance or as muted is a judgment call.
Taste and mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is the headline. Smooth and creamy, the texture nitro stouts are bought for, with a velvety body that fills the palate without filling the stomach. The flavour profile sits behind the texture: gentle roasted malt up front, a thin chocolate note in the middle, and a clean dry finish with very low bitterness. Coffee notes are present but quiet. The marketing line "world's creamiest stout" is a confident claim; in practice the creaminess is in line with — not noticeably exceeding — Guinness Draught from the widget can. Where it does have a small edge is on the dry finish, which feels cleaner and quicker than Murphy's, sweeter than Guinness, and noticeably less assertive than O'Hara's Leann Folláin.
Drinkability
High. At 4.2% ABV, low bitterness and the 440ml format, this is a session stout. Two cans on a Tuesday evening do not sit heavy. Casual drinkers describe it as "smooth," "easy," "not as heavy as Guinness." That perception is partly the dry finish and partly the absence of the bitter punch in Guinness's tail.
Specs at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Style | Nitro Irish dry stout |
| ABV | 4.2% |
| Format | 440ml nitro widget can (UK/IE) · 14.9oz can (US) |
| Brewed by | Porterhouse Brewery, Dublin (under contract) |
| Brand owner | Forged Dublin Brewery / Conor McGregor |
| First commercial release | August 2023 (UK & Ireland), October 2023 (US Northeast) |
| Ingredients | Pale malt, roasted barley, wheat — 100% Irish per brand marketing |
| Approximate retail price (2026) | £2.50–£3.50 per 440ml can (UK ASDA) · $9.99 per 4-pack (US, Binny's) |
Verdict
3.4 / 5
Solid, contract-brewed, brand-led
A competent and clean nitro Irish dry stout that pours and drinks well, brewed at one of Ireland's most respected craft breweries under contract for a celebrity brand. The execution is right; the flavour profile is restrained but pleasant; the dry finish is the small thing it does better than the obvious comparators. As a beer, it deserves the shelf space. As "the world's creamiest stout," it's making a marketing claim the can doesn't fully cash. If you like stout and want a session-length nitro option you haven't had before, it's worth the £2.99. If you want the most interesting Irish stout in the fridge, look at O'Hara's Leann Folláin, Porterhouse Plain Porter or anything from Wicklow Wolf first.
What the marketing gets right
- Pouring quality. The widget is well-calibrated; the pour is clean and even.
- Head retention. Genuinely good — the head holds for the full glass.
- Drinkability. Light bitterness and 4.2% make this an easy two-can sitting.
- Irish provenance. Brewed in Dublin by an Irish brewery using Irish ingredients. That's not pretend.
What the marketing oversells
- "World's creamiest stout." The mouthfeel is good. It is not measurably creamier than Guinness Draught from the same can format.
- "Premium" positioning. The ASDA shelf price (£2.50–3.50) and Binny's US price ($9.99 / 4-pack) put it firmly in the everyday-stout tier, not the premium tier.
- Distinctive character. The flavour profile is competent and well-mannered, but you'd struggle to pick it out blind from a flight of mainstream Irish dry stouts.
Who should drink it
- Irish-stout drinkers curious to try a new entrant in the nitro can market.
- McGregor fans buying out of brand loyalty — the beer won't disappoint.
- People hosting a stout flight at home — Forged sits sensibly in a row with Guinness, Murphy's and Beamish for a comparison taste.
Who should look elsewhere
- Drinkers who already have strong loyalty to Guinness or Beamish — Forged is similar, not transformatively different.
- Craft-stout drinkers used to Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash or O'Hara's — Forged will read as too clean, too restrained, too anonymous.
- Anyone shopping primarily on flavour intensity. The flavour is muted by design.
Where to buy in 2026
For Ireland, the Black Forge Inn in Crumlin, Dublin remains the flagship pour. For UK supermarket retail, ASDA carries it across 350+ stores; the 12-pack is available on Amazon UK from around £30. For the US, Total Wine, Binny's, BevMo and a growing list of regional liquor stores stock the 4-pack. We track current availability on the where to buy page; treat any retailer entry there as best-effort and always check the retailer's site for current stock.
How it compares
If you're trying to place Forged among other Irish stouts, our comparisons hub has six head-to-head guides, each anchored on this review. The shortest answer:
- vs Guinness Draught: Same ABV, same nitro format. Forged is sweeter at the front, Guinness is bitterer at the back. Different, but recognisably the same family.
- vs Murphy's: Murphy's is the smoother, sweeter Cork classic. Forged is dryer, with a roastier hint.
- vs Beamish: Beamish is the quieter, drier 1792 Cork heritage stout. The two are closer than either is to Guinness.
- vs O'Hara's Leann Folláin: O'Hara's is in a different weight class — 6% ABV, complex, bitter, far more flavour-dense.
- vs Porterhouse Plain Porter: The same brewhouse, two different briefs. Plain Porter has more flavour and more bitterness; Forged has more brand budget.
- vs Wicklow Wolf Stout: The craft alternative — flaked Irish oats, more body, more roast, brewery-told story.
How we tested
Three cans bought at full retail across two months (March–April 2026) from independent off-licences in Dublin and a UK ASDA. Each can was fridge-cold, poured into a 20oz nonic glass, allowed to settle, and tasted alongside a side reference (Guinness Draught widget can on the first sitting; Murphy's Irish Stout on the second; Porterhouse Plain Porter on the third). No samples accepted from the brand or any retailer.
Editorial disclosure
Forged.ie is an independent editorial site. We are not affiliated with Forged Irish Stout, the Black Forge Inn, Porterhouse Brewery, Conor McGregor, or any of the breweries referenced on this site. We accept no payment from any brewery for coverage. See the full editorial & disclosure page for our complete policy.