Beer Style Guide: Get to Know Oatmeal Stout with Em Sauter

In a similar vein as sweet or milk stout which we profiled recently, oatmeal stouts have their popular roots in early 20th century marketing but also it goes further than that.

Oatmeal stouts, like milk stouts, were marketed to sick people as nourishing health tonics albeit some breweries in England would sometimes just throw a handful of oats in and call it an oatmeal stout. This is a great time to say that while that sounds silly, beer actually can have some healthful properties. According to WebMD, beer can be an excellent source of potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, niacin, and folate. Like all alcoholic beverages it should be consumed in moderation.

Although oatmeal stouts lost their luster in their homeland of England after World War II, they gained a footing in the American microbrewery boom of the 1980’s. In America, breweries would use more oats in the grist, creating the beer we know’s now trademark silky mouthfeel.

How Oatmeal Stouts Are Made

Oatmeal stouts are stout bases (pale malts plus dark roasted malt) with oats added for mouthfeel and flavor. It depends on the type of oat in how the flavor comes across. Oat malt or toasted oats will add a toasted component to the beer while flaked oats will add fuller mouthfeel. Usually the grist will contain from about 5% to more than 20% oats but adding more than 20% can create an oiliness to the beer that is unpleasant. Since this is an English style, English ale yeast would be used but you can use American ale yeast as well since the flavor of the yeast isn't an overarching component of the style, it’s the roasted malt flavor and mouthfeel that is most important.

Oatmeal Stout Tasting Notes

Oatmeal stouts will have aromas/flavors of coffee and cream, chocolate, dark toast, plus light fruitiness from the esters created by the yeast profile. They are not hoppy so don’t expect any hop aroma or flavor.

Pairing Oatmeal Stout

Oatmeal stout is the ultimate brunch beer. I love it as a substitute for coffee and it works really well with breakfast items like pancakes or eggs. There is a substyle called “breakfast stout” where oatmeal stouts will have coffee added as well to add even more rich breakfast type flavor. They are delicious and worth seeking out.

Beers to Try

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

A classic English variety of oatmeal stout with an expressive yeast profile. First brewed in 1980, the beer is fermented in stone “Yorkshire squares'' which are square fermenters that help keep yeast in suspension. It’s an antiquated way for sure but there’s nothing that tastes like a Samuel Smith beer.

Hoppin Frog BORIS the Crusher Im p erial Stout

A high alcohol variation for a traditional oatmeal stout, BORIS is worth seeking out as its smoothness and silkiness work really well with such an imperial ABV of 9.4%.