Passion Beer » Oatmeal Stout

Review: Dark Horse One

Mike — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:41:33 +0000

I was asked the other day if I stop drinking Stouts when the weather gets warm. My answer? “Nope.” Yeah, I may drink a few less but stop drinking them altogether? Ha! In keeping with this, I have the Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout. Oatmeal Stouts are normally smooth, full bodied and have a hint of sweetness. Is this Oatmeal Stout the “one” — there’s only one way to tell.

The Dark Horse One pours out black as night with a dark caramel colored head. There isn’t much to the head and it dissipates quickly. At first glance, the aromas are a little flat. Roasted malt, some oatmeal sweetness and a touch of chocolate come through. I wish the aromas were a little more robust, or even more complex.

As with the aromas, roasted malt comes through strongly on the first sip. There are also elements of coffee and more hints of chocolate. The oats are in the middle of the beer but don’t add as much sweetness as I expected. The finish isn’t as smooth as other Stouts of this style. It has a weird flavor that takes away from the beer — it isn’t a hoppy bitterness but something astringent and out of place. The mouth feel is also a little thin – not that full bodied chewy Oatmeal Stout feel.

I had higher hopes for this beer but it doesn’t live up to the style. There are some strong points; the roasted malt is nice and the alcohol is hidden fairly well. This beer has too many weak spots for me to give it a recommendation. I wouldn’t flat out avoid it, but I wouldn’t seek it out.

Rating

74
out of 100

Review: New Holland The Poet

Mike — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:16:18 +0000

A dark Stout called The Poet with a raven on the label conjures up images of dark, creepy poems with beating hearts and swinging pendulums; luckily this beer is a bit more inviting. We have reviewed some other New Holland beers in the past and have been satisfied by their brews, let’s see if The Poet can continue the trend.

Poured from a 12oz bottle this 5.2% ABV Oatmeal Stout pours dark black with hints of brown coming through. The one finger head leaves a thin lacing on the glass with great retention all the way down. The Poet smells of unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, and a decent punch of roasted malt; a truly inviting aroma.

By virtue of a lower ABV and a good balance of malt roast and sweetness, The Poet is very easy drinking, almost a session Stout. The immediate flavors are roasted malts, with some malty sweetness, dark chocolate, coffee, and a little bit of bitterness from the hops adding some deeper complexity. What was nice is how the hint of sweetness lasts throughout, but it isn’t at all over whelming and lets the roasted malt and hops play out.

The Poet is a good example of a session Stout as you could easily drink more than one, and thanks to its complexity, you won’t easily become bored with the flavors. The only downfall of The Poet is that at first the flavors seem muted. You have to seek them out as they don’t jump right out at you on the first sip. This aids in the session nature of the beer but hurts some of the flavor components.

Overall: 7.5/10

Review: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Mike — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:28:56 +0000

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