A Little Bit About… Oatmeal Stout
Featured: Oats of Disobedience by People Like Us
A restorative beverage for invalids or a bit of a con?
The History of Oatmeal Stout
Oats have been used in British brewing for many years, most notably in Scotland. Oatmeal Stouts became popular around the 1890s with adverts proclaiming their nourishing qualities. Rose and Grimsby were brewing the only Oatmeal stout at this time, but then MaClay in Scotland started brewing an Oat stout, calling it the Beverage of the Century! It also proclaimed extraordinary health benefits for convalescence and chronic wasting diseases. By the 1920s there were hundreds of Oat and oatmeal stouts available. A lot of them used Scottish imagery in their branding, even though they were brewed in England!
Name such as ‘Invalid Stout’ and ‘Nourishing Stout’ prevailed, but it’s thought this was a bit of a con. The grain bill of most of these beers included only 1% oatmeal, which made hardly any impact on the beer itself!
However, by the end of World War II the style had started to wane and had completely disappeared by 1970. Luckily, Samuel Smith’s started brewing the Oatmeal stout which brought it to a new audience and introduced it to Europe and the craft beer market in the US.
Oatmeal Stout by Gadd’s The Ramsgate Brewery
Oatmeal Stout Style Guidelines
Oatmeal stouts range from deep brown to black in colour with a thick tan or brown head. If not completely opaque, it will have good clarity. They will have a sweet, malty aroma with hints of nuttiness from the oats. Sometimes you will also get a fruity character. When tasting oatmeal stouts, expect earthy and nutty flavours with a balanced sweetness from the malts. Depending on the grain bill you may also find fruitiness and a low coffee roastiness. The mouthfeel will be smooth and velvety from the addition of oats, it may be full bodied and there may be some medium carbonation levels. I personally prefer mine to have less carbonation to complement the smoothness.
Colour: Brown to black (22 - 40 SRM)
Perceived Bitterness: Moderate (25 - 40 IBUs)
ABV: Lower to normal (4.2% - 5.9% ABV)
Related Styles: Irish Stout, Sweet Stout, Milk Stout
The Devil Made Me Brew It by Arbor
Have you tried an Oatmeal stout? What’s your fave? Let me know in the comments!
