Samuel Smith, founded in 1758, is one of the oldest breweries that has appeared on this site. It goes without saying that a lot of older European breweries have failed to remain independent and stick to their traditions. Luckily, Samuel Smith has managed to remain independent and continues to produce quality beer.

I’m starting to see their beers more frequently around the US, which is good. I’m happy to see beer appearing from Europe that is not Guinness, Heineken, or brewery owned by some world wide beer conglomerate.

Today, I have the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout to review, a style near and dear to my heart as it is possibly my favorite variety of Stout. As with all things Stout, it pours super dark and black, as though I just filled the glass with some black paint. The head is nice and foamy, tan in color, and about an inch thick. The head lasts the majority of the way through drinking the beer, leaving some thick lacing as it goes.

The aroma is sweet and gently roasted; nothing too harsh. There are some coffee hints blended in but the sweetness of vanilla and a hint of chocolate come through the most. There is also a bit of a fruity sweetness that I can put my finger on; plum and raisin.

The taste mirrors the nose in several ways. The coffee is present, and the sweetness takes center stage with some more chocolate showing up. The roasted malt is spot-on and there is little hoppy bitterness to speak of. The beer is super smooth and creamy, and goes down pretty easy but isn’t as filling as a lot of Stouts are. All the way through, the flavors are balanced, and there is a bit of stickiness due to the sweetness, but it doesn’t take away from the beer at all. It’s a little flat for a Stout though. I do wish some of the flavors stood out a little more, but this may disturb the nice balance that the beer has going for it.

The Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is an old school craft beer but it keeps up with the Stouts that a lot of newer craft breweries are offering; if something isn’t broken why fix it? If you like Oatmeal Stouts on the sweeter end of things, this is truly one to give a shot.

Overall: 7.8/10