The 13 Best Oatmeal Stouts of 2022

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Team Untappd

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 17:09:03 +0000

As the weather turns (a good name for a new soap opera?), our palates shift. Colder temperatures send us scrambling around our closet, pulling out dusty sweaters and mothballed winter jackets. And when it comes to fall and winter, we tend to turn to maltier, heartier beer styles. Those like porters and stouts.

When it comes to the latter, our tastes have trended toward more of a Nor'easter than a light flurry. In other words, over the last decade, we've seen folks go ga-ga for boozy barrel-aged and wacky pastry-inspired versions. But that doesn't mean the original, lighter-bodied stouts of yore should be pushed to the back of your mind like…well, that winter sweater in your closet.

Oatmeal stouts, in particular, are a perhaps lesser-known variety that we think no one should ignore.

Why?

Because oatmeal stouts take everything you love about a stout—rich, dark, chocolatey—and add an incredibly luxurious, velvety mouthfeel.

Courtesy of some magical alchemy, aka oats, oatmeal stouts capture an intriguing interplay of taste and texture in a way few other styles nail.

What Is an Oatmeal Stout?

Like a step back in time, oatmeal stouts harken back to a more classic version of a stout. One from our friends across the pond.

A traditional, true-to-style English oatmeal stout is usually lower in ABV and lower in IBUs. Especially when compared to what we've come to know as stouts in America today.

But it's the addition of oats that truly sets these beers apart.

In fact, historically oatmeal stouts were often marketed as being good for your health thanks to the heaps of oats going into them.

Today, English brewery Samuel Smith's iconic version has inspired American brewers to put their own spin on the style.

For instance, in Revolution Brewing Company's now-famous Deth's Tar, where head brewer Jim Cibak adds five percent oat malt and seven percent flaked oats.

It's this particular part of the malt bill that gives oatmeal stouts that roll-out-the-velvet-red-carpet mouthfeel.

Well actually, as Cibak excitedly explains, "flaked oats are high in beta glucans and it's these beta glucans that give the beer a very silky texture."

So while oats get all the credit, technically we have beta glucans to thank for creating that slick sensation in your mouth

Regardless, these lesser-known stouts are complex and courageous.

Tasting an Oatmeal Stout

In general, what you see is what you get with an oatmeal stout.

Appearing a medium brown to black in the glass immediately sends signals to our brain that this beer will be deep, rich, and probably a tad sweet.

And it is.

On the nose, oatmeal stouts give a wonderful waft of light roasted coffee and dark rye toast thanks to that roasted barley.

This carries through on the sip where you can expect a complex cake-like layer of chocolate sweetness followed by a nutty roastiness and finishing with a coffee creaminess.

Overall, these malty beers fill your mouth with an almost ethereal texture, a kind of pillowy slickness that pleasantly coats your palate.

Intrigued, you'll probably want to go back for one sip and then another.

With that advice in mind, here are thirteen of the highest-rated oatmeal stouts to take at least two sips of right now.