St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 45
Style: Oatmeal stout
Colour: I'm getting really tired of trying to describe the colour black
Price: $2.90/473 ml can
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 45
Style: Oatmeal stout
Colour: I'm getting really tired of trying to describe the colour black
Price: $2.90/473 ml can
Perhaps the most popular beer in the very impressive St. Ambroise stable, their Oatmeal Stout stands the test of time and pretty much kicks the ass of most of the vast hordes of craft brewed stouts that are currently inundating the masses.
There's a lot to love about this beer. If you're one of those folks that enjoys an aggressive and long lasting head on your stout, then you'll be off to a great start with this beer. The light-brown coloured head lasts for a really, really, really long-time, dutifully protecting the rich black beer underneath. St. Ambroise makes a real oatmeal stout, and you can taste and feel the difference immediately. Like any REAL oatmeal stout, this is a very smooth and rich beer, especially as it warms up. And like any great stout, this beer has an incredibly complex flavour profile, so you don't get bored with an overwhelming blast of one flavour (ie. coffee, like most other contemporary stouts). With this beer each sip tends to be a new adventure, where you can pick out a myriad of subtle flavours such as coffee, chocolate, licorice, caramel, and cream. It finishes a little bit smokey with a just a little touch of bitterness rounding off each perfectly balanced mouth-full.
I think that what sets this beer apart from its contemporary counterparts is its ability to accomplish all of the things listed above without trying too hard. Although this beer is slightly less creamy and a little more watery than some of the world's great oatmeal stouts, it stacks up pretty nicely on the world stage. This is a great beer to enjoy in the winter time, and also goes really well with food.
There's a lot to love about this beer. If you're one of those folks that enjoys an aggressive and long lasting head on your stout, then you'll be off to a great start with this beer. The light-brown coloured head lasts for a really, really, really long-time, dutifully protecting the rich black beer underneath. St. Ambroise makes a real oatmeal stout, and you can taste and feel the difference immediately. Like any REAL oatmeal stout, this is a very smooth and rich beer, especially as it warms up. And like any great stout, this beer has an incredibly complex flavour profile, so you don't get bored with an overwhelming blast of one flavour (ie. coffee, like most other contemporary stouts). With this beer each sip tends to be a new adventure, where you can pick out a myriad of subtle flavours such as coffee, chocolate, licorice, caramel, and cream. It finishes a little bit smokey with a just a little touch of bitterness rounding off each perfectly balanced mouth-full.
I think that what sets this beer apart from its contemporary counterparts is its ability to accomplish all of the things listed above without trying too hard. Although this beer is slightly less creamy and a little more watery than some of the world's great oatmeal stouts, it stacks up pretty nicely on the world stage. This is a great beer to enjoy in the winter time, and also goes really well with food.
