Saranac Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Matt Brewing Company
Style: Sweet Stout
Utica, New York USA

Serve in English pint

22-Jan-11 (12-oz bottle: Obtained in trade with jah noth, thanks Dan!) Oatmeal stouts are pretty easy to drink as far as stouts go, so no surprise that Saranac has an entry in this style category. This is a mildly sweet, milk-chocolaty, lightly roasty, slightly ashy stout with light sweetness and gentle bitterness. It’s medium in weight, moderately carbonated, and fairly dry in the finish. Not all that aromatic, the nose offers chocolate, cocoa, and licorice. Dark-brown in color with clear, mahogany edges and a small, beige head that fully dissipates. Not bad, but not all that interesting either, so in other words, the typical Saranac beer!

Bottle. Dark brown. Claims to be sweet, and is slightly so, but not overly. Less sweet than usual sweet stouts, with a good amount of hops. The oatmeal effect is rather east to miss, though. Good, drinkable, not really distinctive.

Looks dark brown, just this side of black. Puffy light brown head. No light can be seen. Nice brown lace. Lightly toasted malt aroma. Sweet like a mild chocolate. Sweetness is a nice mild balance. Less coffee. Hint of dark cherry/grape. Excellent. Only slightly biter, but with a more pronounced sweet counterbalance. It’s very good, and has a dry finish. Has some alcohol in the flavor. Feels thick and grainy, sandpaper. Substantial but not a choker. A nice, balanced stout. Has the thick chunky feel of an oatmeal, but a sweet backbone. Very nice.

Jason’s bottle from mixed six-pack. Substantial roast, though weak for style. This is a dry stout with lots of oatmeal. Black with big off-white head. black with big off-white head and lots of lace. Lactose acidic. Medium mouthfeel. Drinkability so-so.

Bottle. Pours a brown body with a tan head. Sweet and thin. Sugar notes, lactose, sweet maltose, and some light bitterness and oats. Thin and simple, not to good.

UPDATED: JUL 28, 2009 Eh a fairly average Stout. Decent chocolate and cofee flavors with pretty much the same aroma. It was a bit too watery.

Pours dark brown with a tan head. Smells of sweet malt and roasty with some spicy hints and dark fruit. Tastes sweet and roasty with a decent depth and a nutty finish.

Initially i was relatively impressed with saranac for this offering... But after the initial rush of sweet roasted malt, i labored through the second half of the beer thinking that once my palate was coated there were no other flavors offered. It was quite thin and very very generic...