St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by McAuslan Brewing
Style: Stout
Montreal, Canada

A fine Canadian stout...probably the best available widely in bottles. I want to try this one on tap again soon...it's delicious! Is also sold in the now standard brown Canuck long-neck twist off crown bottle (not a very fitting presentation for this fine stout). Had a "best before code" logged at 6 months from production date and there was nothing on the label to indicate it was preservative free with this lengthy shelf life although the web site says that they are "naturally brewed". Poured a black opaque color that defies light to pass through the glass....a puffy mocha head stays quite a while then reduced to a brown lace half way through the drink. Smells of cooking coffee, spice and carmel. Starts fairly thick, rich and malty then builds to a well balanced, complex, full creamy body with accents of coffee, burnt toast and hoppy bitterness mingled with slight hints of fruit that vanish as the hop bitters take over in the finish...has a tart dryer finish that leaves a lingering metallic taste that is surprisingly not unpleasant to the palate. A good balance between a dry Irish stout and a malty london stout. All in all a great bottled Canadian stout.

Bottle. Pours black with a one finger lasting tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of oats, coffee, rosted malt, and a hint of smoke. Tastes is the same as aroma. Medium creamy mouthfeel with a mild to moderate amount of bitterness. Very good.

Thanks to RagallachMC for the bottle. Pours dark brown with a large, cascading head. Good lacing and foam retention. Aroma of dark malts, oatmeal, coffee, earth and liquorice. Amazingly dry for an oatmeals stout. Not a big hop presence, but big, roasty malt through and through.

3-8-08 bottle thanks to Miketd
Thin dark brown in color with very little head. Subtle smell of roasted malt. Taste is slightly burned malt. It has a nice sweetness but also contains some ash in there as well. Body is quite average and doesn’t do a whole lot for me. A bit too watery for my liking in a stout. I just wasn’t that impressed with this one.

"yum This one poured a jet black not edges of any kind, nice tan head which laced well. Aroma was of coffee and sweet chocolate. FLace was good, after it warmed was great. roasted malts and coffee and chocolate. Thick mouthfeel. This one is good."

Top shelf stout, this acts and feels much bigger than it really is. Opaque black/brown pour with a 1/2" brown head and moderate lacing. Filling aroma of boozy bourbon, hearty oatmeal and plenty of burnt malts. A smokey wood scent helps round out a wonderful aroma. Thick and creamy, big malty feel coupled by a brash bitterness that sticks with you. Tons of toast and burnt malt flavor. Earth, wood, chocolate and coffee assault the taste buds. A hint of rum and/or whiskey is present in the aftertaste. Great stout.

Location: 11.5 oz bottle from State Line, 11/13/09

Aroma: It has a strong brandy/boozy feel to it, along with that is some coffee, bitter chocolate, smoke, and roasted malts
Appearance: It pours a deep black color with a brown head that leaves a thin remnant and spotty lace through the duration
Flavor: The taste of this beer is dominated by the roasted malts and coffee with some licorice and smoke in there too
Palate: A smooth beer, though it doesn’t have that much body to it, especially for this style, its slightly thin
Overall Impression: It says Oatmeal Stout on the bottle, but I didn’t get a lot of oats. Mostly, more of a coffee/roasted stout from what I could taste. Anyway, it was quite different from what I was expecting from the nose, but still pretty good. A nice, enjoyable, and flavorful beer, it isn’t quite as good as the reputation would have lead me to believe, but still very solid indeed.

Number 600! Bottle thanks to a trade with Boutip. Pours walnut-black in color with a minimal brown head. The aroma is strong with molasses and also has some burnt grain and a hint of metal. Enjoyable. The flavor is lively for a stout. Burnt grains, hints of metal, molasses and malt. Notes of charcoal. Perhaps some wood notes. Good. Medium body that is wet at first and finishes semi-dry. An enjoyable stout. I can see why this is a site favorite.