What’s up with seasonal creep? OK, I know it’s not uncommon to see the Christmas decorations start to pop up in stores in September before we’ve even passed o0ut candy to the trick or treaters. But beer? That has to start showing up early too? Is nothing sacred? It’s true. I spied (and bought) the Samuel Adams Winter Classics 12-pack sampler on Halloween.

One of the beers I was most excited about in the sampler was Samuel Adams Oatmeal Stout. It’s one of the two new beers in the pack, and a style I enjoy very much. Along with the Oatmeal Stout, you’ll get two bottles each of:

·         Samuel Adams Boston Lager

·         Samuel Adams Winter Lager

·         Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig

·         Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

·         Samuel Adams Amber Bock

Darn. Once again, no Cranberry Lambic. I really love that beer, too. Still, this is a fine assortment of brews, sure to cheer up your holiday season for just $13.29. Samuel Adams Oatmeal Stout has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume with 25 IBUs. My bottle is notched as best before April of 2018.

Ingredients from the website:

HOP VARIETIES East Kent Goldings and Fuggles

MALT VARIETIES Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Oats, Dark Crystal, Chocolate, Carafa Special

Samuel Adams Oatmeal Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick creamy head formation and a rich chocolate and oatmeal nose. Taking a sip, the beer is smooth and silky from the oats and lightly roasty, quite chocolaty and smooth and creamy tough strikes me as thin in body. The finish is lightly roasty too.

This is a good oatmeal stout, but not a great one. It’s too thin in body and needs more roast although the smooth silky oatmeal is spot on. It’s just, as I said, too thin and that nagged at me while I was drinking it. That was a disappointment because I love this style, and hey there’s a nutcracker on the label. Who doesn’t love nutcrackers?

Would I buy it again? Maybe if I saw it on tap at Taco Mac, or in another 12-pack assortment. Not something I would buy a six-pack of, though. If I need an oatmeal stout from a guy named Sam, I would go with Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout instead. That one never disappoints.

Home