Brewery: Samuel Smith, Yorkshire, England

Brewery Description: Originally a drink for lactating mothers, oatmeal stout was described as nutritional on early labels. Oats are in the same family as barley, and a small addition yields great flavor. Popular in the late 1800’s, the last oatmeal stout was brewed before the First World War until Samuel Smith reintroduced this style in 1980. Almost opaque, with an unusually silky texture and complex, medium-dry velvet palate. Bittersweet finish.

Brew Style: Stout, 5% ABV

Recommended Glassware: English Pint

The Ugly Truth: That’s right. We’ve done it folks, we have finally hit beer#100. To think this whole thing started as a New Year’s Resolution to try a different beer every week. Frankly, I just needed someplace to store all the reviews, Colin had the webspace, and hence the Beer Roster was born. Alright, onto beer #100, which is brought to you in part by Karl who asked I review a Samuel Smith a few podcasts ago. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is probably one of the top 5 stouts out there in my opinion. It pours a rich black in color with a solid thick brown head on it. The aroma has notes of barley and malt to it that ones finds in really good stouts. The taste is very rich, and actually reminds me more of a really good whiskey or scotch than anything else. Body is medium to heavy and goes down quite easily making it one of the better easy drinking stouts. There is a strong hint of what seems like coffee in the aftertaste, but it is more likely the combination of the roasted barley and cane sugar giving rise to that. There is no strong hint of bitterness, which makes the whole experience even more pleasurable. In general, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is pretty much a classic and you really couldn’t go wrong with picking it up to drink.

Verdict: Its the 100th review, so how could I go any less than a 10 out of 10 bottlecaps for it?

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