Our Oatmeal Stout is a classic British-style stout brewed with flaked oatmeal and roasted barley. Freshly-roasted coffee beans, cocoa and touches of raisin and dried fruit dominate the aroma of this super dark ale. The richness of the grain blend is balanced by the nutty character of the roasted malt, the creaminess from the oatmeal flakes and a dose of hops.
Before the 19th century, all barley was malted over wood-fired kilns and the resulting dark roasted malt defined the browns, porters, and stouts of England. Near the end of the 19th century, brewers had introduced oats for their purported restorative and nourishing characteristics, producing beers such as oatmeal stout and milk stout. By the 1950’s, Oatmeal Stout had nearly trickled out of existence. Following the beer’s literary rebirth in the articles of English beer writer Michael Jackson in the 1970’s, British and American craft brewers are once again promoting the style. (Description provided by company)
Comments
Complex and Drinkable!
Pours a pitch black with a tan head. Some nice lacing and the head stays around for a couple of minutes.
Lots of complexity in the aroma and it's certainly not shy - you can really smell this one as you pour it! In addition to the expected roasted barley and oatmeal, there are also noticeable hints of coffee, chocolate, and even some dark fruit sweetness.
Taste really emphasizes some of the sweeter flavors in the nose and keep it easily drinkable for anyone who likes stouts. The chocolate and coffee flavors stand out from some of the dark malts, but the roasted bitterness definitely does come in toward the finish to help balance out the flavors and keep the aftertaste nice and short.
Smooth, but not overly thick or syrupy. A nice middle ground.
Schlafly's Oatmeal Stout, like a lot of offerings from Schlafly, has a lot of depth and complexity of flavor, but without some of excessive bitterness or high alcohol content that some breweries seem to fall back on.