Youngs Oatmeal Stout (London Stout)

Brewed by Wells & Youngs
Style: Stout
Bedford, England

Bottle. Creamy lightbrown good mostly lasting head. Dark brown colour. Moderate malty aroma. Not so much chocolate as expected. Nice sweet flavor with licirice/chocolate notes. Long but thin finish. Oily palate.

From a bottle, pours volcanic black with appetising tan head and nice sticky lacing. Smells malty (no shit Sherlock), buttery, coffee milk choc and fruit (apple?). This is a very easy-drinking stout - nothing insists on standing out. Initial malt sweetness replaced by dry bitter middle fading quickly into, well, nothing really. So it’s not a stout powerhouse, but it’s no less worthy because of it. A session stout if ever there was one (other than the fact I believe it’s been delisted by Youngs)

500. Pours jet black with a gargantuan sudsy light tan head. Lots of sticky, bubbly lace. Fairly neutral nose, maybe a little bit of roast and coffee there. Mild attack, medium body, light carb. Mid-palate is some chocolate, coffee, and maybe almonds. Finishes mild and carrying light milk chocolate. Not really too much going on here, but it’s clean and drinkable and very good. Lack of complexity doesn’t have to be the worst thing that ever happened to a beer; this is a fairly sessionable stout. Was, anyway.

There are quite a few ratings on here for a retired beer... I picked mine up at the local liquor store. Pours a very dark reddish brown, with a magnificent tan head. Aroma is roasty and malty, with nuts and chocolate. The flavor is chocolatey and rich, but rather dry. The majority of the flavor is delicious roasted malt. The palate is bubbly and sharp, but full from the rich maltiness. The beer finishes dry and slightly metallic, with chocolate. I was a little disappointed by Young’s barleywine, but this is a solid stout. Definite thumbs up.

I just bought a bottle of this with a new label, needless to say, I have my doubts about this beer being retired! Pours dark chocolate with a big chestnut-colored head that diminishes quickly revealing excellent lacing. Aroma is interesting: nutty, earthy, and there are subtle spice notes. Flavor is roasted grains, earthy hops, and yeast. Suprisingly light-bodied, this beer is both dry and creamy and rather bitter. Finish is moderately astringent and metallic though a rich malty flavor coats the tongue. The bitterness could be toned down some but this is a pretty solid beer.

Poured a deep black with a wonderfully lacing tan head. Smells of grain and yeast, but otherwise mild nose. Wonderful flavor, light coffee, light chocolate, slightly fruity like grapes. Finish is creamy and flows down the mouth and into the throat. Pleasant to drink, light and refreshing flavor. A joy for all drinkers, not just the stout lovers.

Fairwell, good sir. I will miss you. 1 pt. bottle, BB 21 MAR 07. App.: very dark black-brown, foamy mocha head. Aroma: some chocolate and coffee, typical deep-roasted characteristics, maybe a fruity, vinous note too. Palate: fairly full bodied and creamy, med.-low carbonation. Flav.: sweet malt flavours (toffee, caramel) without sweetness. Fruitiness and wine flavours follow and stick. A bit of citrusy hops at the end. I’ve always loved how this brew is so full and flavourful but disappears when swallowed. I don’t consider it a bad thing!

This stout pours a nice cafe colored head and smell like samuel smith but is nowhere near as good. Tastes of roasted barley that gives way to a slight bitter. Too mild and really has no distictive flavor that makes it stand out. Not a bad beer, but forgettable.