Saturday, 22 July 2006

Review: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
Rating: A-

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown with red hues, one finger tan head, good retention. Opaque. No lace, but honestly, I think that's because I didn't clean my glass very well.

Smell: I probably didn't let it warm up enough, so it's a little more subdued than it should be, but I can smell oats, earthy English hops, dark roast malts.

Taste: sweeter than I expected (reminiscent of a milk stout), but with lots else going on, too. some chocolate, molasses, a touch of fruit at the tip of the tongue. hop flavors are pretty subdued, a good portion of the bitterness seems to be coming from the roast malts. Oats show up more and more as it warms.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, but lighter than I'd anticipated or I would probably prefer.

Drinkability: on the whole, not as good as Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout, but good. a little too sweet to be highly drinkable, for me.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 07-21-2006 23:49:54


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