Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

HabiMendes

Rhode Island

4.45/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Absolutely dark, the appearance is certainly elegant, with such beautiful tanned neck. You can identify caramel and expresso. The taste is sweet, with slight bitterness, where you can tell the oatmeal and the expected caramel/coffee. The full, silky body also has high drinkability, with a very comforting, malty, bready, aftertaste. Absolutely excellent for a session drinking with your best friends.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 01:44:46 | More by HabiMendes

frankiepop

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is a good stout if you are a fan of the sweeter milk style oatmeal stouts. So what do we have here? We have a very brown black beer with a nice light contrasting creamy head with good sustenance and lacing.

i gave high marks on the aroma. I get a strong malt roast and chocolate note coming up.

This is a simple yet satisfying brew. What I love here is the classic oatmeal stout with a strong malty roast flavor and a chocolate. The flavor is strong and well-balanced.

The carbonation is mild. The beer is more creamy than thicker. This is a smooth drink but filling.

I think this stout goes with some London avant-garde very well. I suggest Derek Bailey's duo cd cd with Evan Parker. "Arch Duo"

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 18:55:05 | More by frankiepop

Knaub

4.81/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This beer is simply amazing. Try it to find out. People who hate dark beers love this one... you will too!

It has a slightly fruity smell, that is low on malt and hop profiles, but has a nice oatmeal scent. There is a hint of coffee and bitter chocolate as well.

The taste follows more into the coffee and chocolate, bitter at first, sweet like butterscotch, and than bitter from the oatmeal at the end. The finish is dry and chalky, but in the best sense of the word.
It is hardy and satisfying, with no watery feeling to it at all.

The mouthfeel is pearly and rich from lots of carbonation and oil from the oatmeal.

Best beer ever. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 05:58:31 | More by Knaub

jucifer1818

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: a medium brown in color, almost approaching dark red in appearance. It has a very ample carbonation and a nice, fluffy head indicative of the style. Its a very welcoming looking beer
4.5/5
S: Simply amazing. this beer pulls your nose into it, and wont let it go. Soft, almost bublgummy aromas leap out of this beer (from the oatmeal), with slight caramel and fruity hoppy aromas working out ot make a almost perfect oatmeal stout smell
5/5

t: it hits you with a very breif smoked malt flavor, but quickly moves on to chocolate and caramel malts, and finishes with a firm but restrained hoppy bite that is very refreshing. their is somthign for everyone in this beer flavor, appealing to both the malt and hop lovers in a beautiful compromise that any beer drinker can enjoy.
4.5/5

Mouthfeel: the combination of this beer excellent head, carbonation, and full body lead to a excellent creamy mouth feel that is almost as enjoyable as the beers
4.75/5

overall: I summed the final ranking of this one in my taste comment. A beer with a rich reputation, and a well deserved on. I could drink pint after pint of this excellent, affordable brew and be happy all night.
a beer that picks no sides, that anyone can enjoy.
4.5/5

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 18:14:00 | More by jucifer1818

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A- Very dark brown, almost black looking, with no light coming through. Fluffy tan head that lingers around and leaves a lot of lacing.

S- Roasted malt, flaked oats, grainy bread, slight note of sweet bread.

T- Huge roasted malt flavors, grainy bread, rolled oats, hint of cocoa powder, mineral finish. A lot going on for a low abv beer.

M- Medium bodied, medium carbonation, slight carbonation tingle

O- Very good oatmeal stout. Smooth and grainy, extremely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 23:51:38 | More by stephenjmoore

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Giving this icon a day in the Chaney court.

Served in a Port City snifter.

A: Poured as black as night, with a slight off-white mocha head that looked pretty cool to my mind. Sticky!

S: Pretty fruity in the stout realm. Dark fruit that is, along with a nice malt back backbone.

T: How to describe this... hmmm...: Dark malt, almost in the Baltic Porter category, but not quite. A bit of licorice combined with dark chocolate.

M: Nice carbonation, sweetness, ridiculous lacing, etc. In a few words... very nicely done.

O: For about $3.99/bottle, this was a steal. Excellent UK import.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 05:41:48 | More by Chaney

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

550 ml bottle, no bottled-on date, poured into a pint glass.

A- Pours a dark brown with reddish hues, topped with a thick inch of creamy, cake-like tan head, which has excellent retention and leaves lots of lacing.

S- Mild aroma of chocolate, coffee and roasted grain, a bit of fruity sweetness.

T- Sweet milk chocolate, oats, mild coffee flavors, along with roasted grain and mild fruitiness. It's a nice balance of sweet chocolate and fruit flavors along with roast and hop bitterness. Also has a milky, creamy flavor to it.

M- Medium-bodied, has a wonderfully smooth, silky and creamy feel.

O- A great beer, it's very flavorful but also balanced and drinkable enough that I would recommend this very highly to someone who had never had a stout before, it's worth buying and then buying again.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 10:28:35 | More by WillCarrera

acsprouse

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- pours black. dark khaki head with retention and lacing

S- chocolate, roasted malts. Some coffee, rich and complex. Some dark fruits in there.

M- excellent carbonation for the style. Smooth thick but not overpowering. Silky but not milky

T- sweet malts. Its roasty, its chocolatey. But it has some bitterness. Its bold and it stands out.

O- the celebrated. Its perfection. One of the best oatmeal stouts i have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 08:14:03 | More by acsprouse

KYGunner

Kentucky

4.11/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This Oatmeal Stout had a lightly thickened consistency and a black coloring. The head was thin and fizzy and lacked the creaminess I'd hoped for.

The scent is of sweet chocolate malts and some earthy notes. An interesting bock-like character is present in the nose with a strong barley scent.

The taste is malty and sweet with a bit of prune or date. A touch of chocolate, caramel and molasses stand out in a very smooth easy finish. Very well crafted I'm impressed by Samuel Smith again.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 22:22:46 | More by KYGunner

Kevin73

Washington

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This Tadcaster is a Tad over hyped methinks. While it is indeed very smooth and easy to drink there is almost no flavor to it. Light bodied. I get intensely sweet caramel, honey and a splash of espresso on the nose. But the flavor is watery on the start and the finish. The little hops character which is there is well balanced against the unique sweetness the oats add. So I do get why it is a widely enjoyed stout, but I prefer something more flavorful. It is good, just not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 02:19:04 | More by Kevin73

RalphSMouse

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Poured into a beer mug, this stout’s head is thick, foamy, and of an inviting, sandy beige color. The body is dark brown, bordering on black. This is a beautiful beer.

Smell: The smell is metallic, but not unpleasant; reminiscent of petrichor (I imagine this is due to the hard water used to brew this beer). There are hints of caramel and roasty malts. There is also a slightly sour “sting” that I am not too pleased with, but overall, the brew smells fine.

Taste: Begins with a slight saltiness that slowly transitions into pleasantly bitter coffee and slightly sweet caramel. Alas--strangely, there is a prominent "mushroom"-like note. I don’t like that very much, but it isn’t a big enough deal to ruin the beer as a whole for me.

Mouthfeel: Rich, silky, and effervescent.

Overall: This is a solid stout. I find that the “mushroom” taste takes away from the enjoyability of the coffee/malt combination, and for me, this is the beer’s weak point. Aside from that, there is nothing much to complain about. Give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 23:20:54 | More by RalphSMouse

lawlerj

Nebraska

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a standard pint glass.

A - Pours a nice dark brown with a light brown head. Head seems to stick around for quite a while. Appears to be fairly well carbonated.

S - Dark, bready, oatmeal. Maybe a little chocolate.

T - A little on the sweeter side, with some nice roasted chocolate/coffee notes and a consistent breadiness throughout.

M - medium bodied with a nice carbonation.

O - Overall, one of the better oatmeal stouts that I've had. I'll be coming back for more of this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 21:31:33 | More by lawlerj

catadoraccidental

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

APPEARANCE: A foam that gives way to a thin layer of light ivory persistent. Foam marks are retained almost from the height reached by the serving. Black as coal. Nothing maroon or reddish tones. AROMA: It has very defined or intense odors. TASTE: Very smooth and creamy, a little sweet, no conflict and, therefore, quite bland. After a few minutes, it leaves a sour taste that is not unpleasant. Despite being an oatmeal stout, I notice no difference with respect to that. Overall rating: Not as good as they say. I thought a beer right, but nothing more. Perfect for those who do not want the ales or protruding tastes or smells of that love or hate. Not worth the expense: 2.95 euros.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 15:50:46 | More by catadoraccidental

TheMarkE

California

3.99/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark, with a nice head

Smell: Oatmeal and raisins

Taste: Oatmeal, raisins, and molasses. Maybe even a bit of coffee.

Mouthfeel: Thick, rich, and creamy.

Overall: Very nice. I'm not sure if I should sip it around a winter's fire or pour it into a bowl for breakfast.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 21:02:27 | More by TheMarkE

Finn

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Fairly dark, but not as dark as some. Nice wisp of tan head lingers

S: Nice balance of fruit, chocolate, vanilla and cream

T: English yeast stone-fruit blends with sweet malts, and finishes with a little chocolate

M: Medium-Full, with a subtle creaminess from the oats

O: Very Nice, a very drinkable but tasty stout

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 01:49:53 | More by Finn

Gaben

Florida

3.76/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Very great beer, I always love Samuel smith brews. They are one of the most solid companies around for imports here in the US. I love how they look when you pour into a cup, very bubbly and rich dark color. Smell is always great aswell furkin amazing. So why not grab a sam smiths oatmeal stout from your local store.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 18:32:06 | More by Gaben

RoninTK3

Rhode Island

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into a Samuel Smith imperial pint glass.

A - Pitch black with a perfect, thin layer of head.

S - Sweet, roasty malts and a hint of cocoa and alcohol.

T - Oats, cocoa, coffee, roasted malts, and just a hint of alcohol. A lot of cocoa in the aftertaste. The oatmeal in this oatmeal stout is very much on display.

M - Very smooth and not heavy at all. This beer is creamy, extremely drinkable, and has the perfect amount of carbonation.

This is just about a perfect oatmeal stout. Very balanced, smooth, and drinkable. Samuel Smith has got to be one of the best bangs for your buck in beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 00:16:05 | More by RoninTK3

gr0g

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours jet black with the usual awesome head I've noticed on Sam Smith beers. Retention is impressive, lacing even more so. As far as looks go, this is just about perfect for a stout. Less of a treat for the nose than the eye. Malty and earthy, a bit of cocoa. The aroma is altogether somewhat weak and pedestrian.

Malty and dry in flavor, finishing with a hoppy bitterness. The silky smooth mouthfeel expected of an oatmeal stout is there. Chewy enough for a stout in the 5% range. Dry, roasty malt note dominates, with a bit of licorice backing it up.

Save for the average aroma, this is a more than worthy stout with good flavor while also being sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 02:11:48 | More by gr0g

Morpheus

Alberta (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: Absolutely perfect pour and appearance. Beautiful foam. I shiver with anticip...

...pation

Smell: Malty goodness and essence of hops. A faint sweetness of molases.

Taste: Not as "oaty" as I would have expected. Very well balanced, with a finish of hop bitterness.

Texture: "average" for a quality beer. Neither remarkable, nor disconcerting.

Overall: A very fine beer. My first oatmeal stout. I find the flavor improves the closer it gets to room temperature. One of the few beers I prefer warm.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 22:56:03 | More by Morpheus

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark black body, only some light shines through the edges of the glass. Head is thin, mocha coloured. Leaves very little lacing and retention is alright.

S: Well blended aroma of milk chocolate and roasted malts.

T: Not as strong as the aroma, but full of milk chocolate, roasted malts and grainy hops.

M: Very thin, water like texture. There is medium-low carbonation. I was expecting this to be a thicker texture and feel due to the oats, but I don't notice it.

O: I was expecting much more out of this stout due to the great reviews. It's not bad, but just not as good as I was expecting. Would enjoy the texture to be thicker.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 23:23:56 | More by Long813

AmitC

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 550 ml bottle.

While pouring it appears as a dark brown liquid and inside the glass it is black. One finger thick tan colored (almost turning brown) head that has good retention. Stays as thin head throughout. Opaque. Sticky lacing.

Aroma: Roasted malts, grain like malt sweetness. Creamy and some oatmeal flavor. Not much happening there.

Flavor: Roasted malts with a mix of oatmeal ground and earthiness. Easy texture. Almost no hop presence. Sweet dry finish. No apparent coffee. Feels like malted cream.

Mouth feel: Full bodied. Very smooth and silky. Moderately high carbonation. Easy drinking stout.

Style Rate: 4.25
Personal Rate: 3.5

Not to my liking. Do i feel excited after trying this style defining brew? No. Oatmeal stuff is not for me. Very smooth and easy. A good balance but at 5.5% i am thinking i paid a lot.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:02:25 | More by AmitC

Uncle_Jimmy

California

3.78/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

POured from a bottle into a glass.

Aroma- Light Coffee and smokiness. faint cocoa and a slight yeasty sourness.

Appearance- Nearly opaque, a slight ruby tint is revealed when help up to the light. a thin tan head that lingers but provides little if any lacing.

Flavor- Cocoa and oats with a slight smokiness that gives way to a sweet almost coffee finish. As it warms you can perceive an earthy-ness as well (a'la unwashed potato'.

Mouthfeel- There is an ever present slickness/viscosity from the oats (I would assume). It has a slight astringency, which I hear could come from the fermentation process in the open vats. both of these characteristics add to the beer as opposed to detract from it. It is slightly over carbed for a stout, but I should have let it rest a little more.

Overall- I think this is a great example of an oatmeal stout, I could only imagine what one would taste like fresh from the brewery. I think this gets better as you drink it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 15:14:17 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

550 ml poured into a pint glass

A- Pours very dark. Black in the glass with red tints around the edges. A two finger of a tan brown head.

S- A big roast character. smoke. wood. Oatmeal. cocoa. A surprising smell.

T- The first thing in this beer is the massive roast quality. Very smokey, almost like BBQ. A lot of roasted malts. A slight chocolate flavor. The oatmeal is very present in this beer. Reminds me of bacon. A unique hop bitterness.

M- A medium bodied beer but a solid feel for the ABV and a ton of flavor all things considered.

O- This is a great stout. An impressive feat considering the ABV in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 00:40:34 | More by TwelveOunces

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 550ml bottle into an English style pint glass.

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a beautiful frothy almost brown head that lines the glass. Samuel Smith's almost always get the look and head perfect.

Smell: Not picking up much in this serving. Malts, oats and a light sweetness. I've had bottles that have picked up the scent better, this was from a gift set so it could be a bit older. Taste is fine though. Rating is for serving, but let it be noted that I've had a better smell pickup.

Taste: This is almost perfect. Roast malts, oats and ever such a touch of hops. Generally sweet, but will leave a nice bitter-sweet taste on the mouth. Excellent.

Mouthfeel: An easy drinking creamy stout with a nice steady but not overbearing level of carbonation. I could drink my weight in this if it wouldn't put me out.

This is a really fantastic beer. Not much else to say.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 23:32:05 | More by ColdWaffles

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a jet black with a compact tan head, with decent retention and good lacing.

Smell has sweet roast malt, a subtle apple chocolate fruitiness. hops are there in the background, bitter chocolate and coffee notes, altogether a bit sweet, subtle and complex.

Taste has a lemony roast maltiness, sweet chocolate and eathiness notes. A crisp bitterness, with some fruity floral esters, makes this a really interesting drink. Flavour has a lot of subtle complexity and it shows a lighter side that has plenty to offer.

Mouthfeel is very creamy, carbonation is a plentiful, and this has a real crisp feel, drinkability is really sessionable. Creaminess from the oats is very nicely incorporated and it retains enough bite to make is not over-sweet.

Really good stuff, this beer deserves to be tried, not overwhelming in body but plenty of interesting things here.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 22:28:05 | More by mick303