Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

March 28, 2021
A recent bottle failed to impress. It had a slight sour twang. I am downgrading the rating pending further investigation

Rating = 4 glasses and that might be generous

Jan. 25, 2021
Sammy Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a delight. It has more body and a deeper flavor than his Imperial Stout. I get chocolate, and coffee and more hop bite. I want more. It might be the perfect balance of drinkability and flavor. Drinkability is becoming more important to me and to a beer's ratings. 

BeerAdvocate

Rating: At least 6 glasses.

An old friend and a new one

Trader Joe's Stockyard Oatmeal Stout is an old friend. Still a nice oatmeal stout and still a great value. I am upgrading the rating from 3 glasses

Rating = 4 glasses 

Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils is a pleasant pilsner. 

Rating = 2 glasses but may deserve 3.

Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

Brewer: Goose Island

Style: Oatmeal Stout

Tasting notes: (1005) A tiche bland. Downgraded from 4 glasses. (1004) A nice stout with pleasant light smokey chocolate touches. Great value @ $5.99/6 pack. (0904) Pleasant stout and a great value. (0711) Needs more kick. @ $5 it may be worth another try. (0701) Last of a 6 pack. Chocolate and coffee smell. (0612) Pleasant and a good value. Charcoal and sweet malt. Needs a bit more kick and a little thin.

Comments: This is a contract brew for Trader Joe's by Goose Island. I don't know if the recipe is the same as the Goose Island Oatmeal Stout.

Rating: 3 glasses

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Beer: Oatmeal Stout

Brewer: Samuel Smith

Style: Oatmeal Stout

Tasting notes: (3) Ditto, although now I would lean to recommended w/ qualifications. I think that I seek a "bigger" flavor. (2) Wonderful English stout. Flavorful and understated. Smooth and buttery. May rate recommended highly. (1) Don’t know whether to sip it or to gulp it.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated the beer as on of the top 100 on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not on 29 10 March 1007 and 02 February 2009.)

Rating: Recommended without reservation.

Dinner Party

I tasted 3 beers @ a dinner party last Friday: Michelob Pale Ale, Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout, and Sierra Nevada BigFoot Barleywine Style Ale. The Loves came to celebrate Emily's birthday with us.

Michelob Pale Ale was better than I remembered. A passable and pleasant Pale Ale.

Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout was a tasty treat. The smoke and chocolate flavors accompanied well flank steak and formed a fantastic combination w/ cinnamon gelati ice cream.

Sierra Nevada BigFoot Barleywine Style Ale formed the nightcap. The bottle I drank was just under 3 years old. This bottle had lost some of its earlier aggression and the body seemed weaker than I remembered. It is still a tasty flavorful treat. Piney bitter hops drive the taste and they are balanced by a strong malt backbone.

SNBFBW a great example of an American Barleywine. A fresh one is a flavor explosion caused by a collision of a massive malt backbone and two tons of bitter northwest hops. Reviewers on BeerAdvocate rated SNBFBW as one of the top 100 beers on the planet on 29 December 2005. It goes great with sticky sweet desserts like carrot cake with creamy icing.

SNBFBW occupies a significant portion of my cellar. It is released early each year. I have bottles from 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. With age the hops become more mellow and the malt emerges and evolves. Reviewers report that port and chocolate flavors emerge over time. I hope to test for the presences of these flavors thoroughly myself in the coming years.