It was sitting on the doorstep all along
Written: Nov 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Taste sensation, definitely in my top 5 list
Cons: Where have you been all my life?
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| andaryl's Full Review: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout |
You'd probably find it hard to believe that as a Yorkshireman, I didn't discover this Yorkshire brewed masterpiece until I moved to the USA. I've spent the three years I've been here convincing people of the greatness of Newcastle, Guinness, Caffrey's, Murphy's, Boddington's and others, when from my own county I seem to have found a beer to top them all. Luckily for me nobody ever asked me about this one, as I would have felt somewhat embarrassed. Ironically, it was through epinion ratings that I became aware of Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout.
The history
In the early days of brewing, brewers would use whatever grains they could find to make beer. One of these of course was oats. Oatmeal beer came into fashion, for health reasons, in the 1800s. The last oatmeal stout in England was made in 1975. Thankfully, in 1980, Merchant de Vin in Seattle persuaded Samuel Smith Brewery to revive the style. Since then dozens of breweries have begun brewing oatmeal stout.
First Impressions
Sold in a clear 19 oz bottle, you will notice that Sam Smith's Oatmeal is very dark in color. It seems like a mixture of a brown ale and a stout although the color is much closer to black. The pour itself is very similar to a brown ale, slightly bubbly, with a small head. For this reason I would recommend the same procedure as a Newcastle Brown, that is constantly repouring so your glass is never empty.
The Proof
The nose is fairly subtle, I had to swirl the beer around the glass a few times and I was almost at the bottom before I got hints of malt and nuttiness. The taste itself, however was a sensation to savour. A great smooth but light body gave way to a strong malty sweetness, with notes of chocolate, coffee and nut. It almost seemed to me that someone had thrown a shot of port in there. It tastes much stronger than the 5% printed on the label. The finish was a little bitter, but the initial flavors were still sitting on my tongue. Such was the great aftertaste of this beer, I was very content to let each taste sit there for a while before refilling my palate.
The Occassion
This beer would definitely stand up to drinking alone, and would make an especially great after dinner drink. You could probably work a little cheesecake into there too. As for dinner, the beer would dominate most dishes but would probably work with a heavy meat dish.
Who should drink this?
My wife would hate it, but generally anyone who likes a brown ale or a Guinness would not be disappointed. I for sure will be buying this beer again.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
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