Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout - An Amateurish Beer Review

As a change of pace from Northwest microbrews, let's take a look at a beer from England!

This beer is from Samuel Smith's Old Tadcaster Brewery, famous as Yorkshire's oldest brewery. Unlike Guinness, this is actually imported rather than brewed and bottled on this side of the pond with a license to use the name. The bottle is 550ml, or 18.7 ounces, so it's slightly smaller than a standard US 22 ounce (650.6ml) "bomber bottle."

It is an Oatmeal Stout, meaning it is brewed with oats in addition to the usual barley malt. According to Wikipedia,

Oatmeal stouts do not usually taste specifically of oats. The smoothness of oatmeal stouts comes from the high content of proteins, lipids (includes fats and waxes), and gums imparted by the use of oats. The gums increase the viscosity and body adding to the sense of smoothness

Like hops, too much oats can adversely affect the taste, but this original example of the modern oatmeal stout type has a good balance across the board. There's a nutty and coffee hint to the flavor, and a caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is thicker and creamier than most beers, without any apparent carbonation tingle. At 5% ABV, it's average strength for a beer.

My only real complaint is the bottling. Specifically, the crown cap is covered with a gold-colored foil that is a bother to remove. Of course, the proper way to serve this is to pop the cap with a bottle opener and pour the beer into a stein, but nonetheless, I am not a fan of the needless extra layer.

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