Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout

Bottle. Deep brown/black brown head. Aroma: bitter chocolate, coffee and roasted oats. Flavor: Sweet chocolate malted flavour, with a balanced bitterness

550ml bottle. Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout. This is the one that started it all for me. My dad would purchase a few of these every now and then to share, and as a result, I began to develop a liking of dark beers as a teenager. It pours opaque brown/black with a marvelous tan head. Aroma of sweet roasted malts with hints of caramel, chocolate and fruits. The flavor is outstanding. Initially it’s sweet roasted malts, later followed by the taste of dark fruit, chocolate, coffee and hint of dry hop bitterness. Full of flavor that does not overwhelm. Extremely smooth and creamy and incredibly easy to drink. While this is not the absolute best beer that I’ve had, it is simply a classic and one of finest examples of the style. Thanks Dad.

50cl Bottle from De Bierkoning. Almost black in colour, creamy off-white head. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malts, a hint of liquorice. Flavour is sweet, chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, liquorice. Nice lingering roasted coffee bitter finish. Very soft and smooth mouthfeel, a bit watery at times, but really good flavours that all blend in very well. Would love to try this from tap.

Sampled at the Sam Smith tasting at Blacklick Wine and Spirits on 2.5.09. Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Sweet and malty chocolate aroma with coffee and some hop. Sweet malt flavor with chocolate and coffee in the finish. Still my favorite these guys make.

I enjoyed the oatmeal character of the beer. Very smooth and velvety. Aroma was lacking a bit. Flavor was good, with notes of roasted coffee and oatmeal.

A true classic and one of the originals from way back. Still one of the better Oatmeal Stouts available out there. updated 5/1/08: Despite my nostalgia for this one got to knock it down a couple points. There are just too many better oatmeal stouts to be found these days to keep it ranked as high as I had it. No disrespect to Mr Smith though.

The first thing I noticed was the gold foil on the cap XD. But seriously, the head was a decently dense tan that hung around for a little while. The aroma was nothing fancy, and honestly even the first taste wasn’t particularly overwhelming. But after the 2nd, 3rd, 4th tastes you will fall in love with this beer. Perhaps slightly too carbonated, this beer fills the mouth with roasted character. It then leaves a delightfully warming aftertaste of oats leaving you to long for a second pour.

Poured from 550ml bottle into large dimpled mug. Aroma - Dark roasted malt, dark chocolate,and coffee. Appearance - Opaque black with creamy two finger tan head. Head dissipates rather quickly leaving nice lacing that fully coats the glass. Flavor - Tastes pretty much like it smells. Some dark fruit that I didn’t pick up in the aroma. Bittersweet aftertaste; but that’s not a bad thing. Palate - Not slick like some oatmeal stouts. More of a dry stout with the edge taken off. Carbonation comes through just enough to make it a bit lively on the tongue. Overall - Another great Samuel Smith product. Traditional and delicious. Would love to try this from a nitro tap.