International Stout Day: 7 things you need to know about this dark beer

There’s more to that black body, white head and full, creamy taste than meets the eye, says Sam Wylie-Harris.

Famously known as 'the black stuff', stout is loved the world over, but it's hard to think of another beer that's shrouded in so much mystery and myth.

After all, what other pint has been dubbed a cure-all thanks to the famous 'Guinness is good for you' advertising campaigns in the 1920s? As well as being cited as having health benefits for pregnant women - stout was thought to be a good source of iron and therefore useful during pregnancy or breast feeding. However, if the truth be known, Guinness contains a barely there 0.3mg of iron per pint.