St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

Excellent stout. Pours deep black with a smooth tan coloured head. Aromas of bakers chocolate, coffee, and hops present. The aromas continue through to the taste with a distinct bitterness that carries on through the finish. Surprisingly not as heavy as other stouts.

Bottle. Thanks to my parents for bringing this one home. Creamy lightbrown good fully lasting head. Black colour. Nice malty dark chocolate aroma. OK flavor, but just too much coffeenotes to be great. OK palate. Good stout but not a beer to travel round the world for.

(06.27.06) 11.5 oz brown bottle from DiCarlo’s, Mundelein, IL. Poured opaque black with a medium tan head. No discernable carbonation. Medium bodied stout that starts dry with intense roasted malt/coffee expresso/licorice flavors. Increasing hop bitterness in the middle. Finished with lingering hop bitterness. Rough ragged end. Intensely bitter stout that is on the thin and watery side. Bitterness seemly increased with every sip. Ugh. A tough stout to stomach. Bad batch?

bottle: Pours a deep black with a frothy light brown head. Lot’s and lot’s of head I might add. Lots of flavours going on, but the coffee really overwhelms everything and leaves a really bitter tast at the back of the mouth. I couldn’t drink more than two of these in one sitting. Not as drinkable as Guinness. Beamish - the best stout of all time - has complex oatmeal flavourings yet is balanced and drinkable. Dissapointing for a beer in the 100th percentile. Just OK in my books.

341 mL bottle. Dark black colour with dark tan head which lasts a long time. It tastes like it smells: lots of coffee and chocolate flavour. Excellent example of the deep folds of flavour a stout can have, but too much hype here for me. The chocolate and roasted flavours leave it bitter and very dry, giving a large bite. Could be smoother. Young’s Double Choc Stout is richer and Beamish has just as complex a palate (though not nearly as strong & bold) and neither of these stouts’ flavours over-ride the finish, and both are smoother and more drinkable. Just doesn’t balance out in the taste, but still very flavourful. Worth a try but I won’t rush back. You know, a chef could make a meal taste like garlic, basil or lemon but if it overwhelms the taste, the dish is a failure & I think the same is true for beer. Art for art’s sake means nothing.

via trade with HogTownHarry - Pours a dark brown color with a nice tan head. Nice lacing Has a roasted malt, coffee, and light chocolate aroma. Flavor is much the same but with a slight roasted bitterness. Has a smooth but some what dry finish. Medium body. Very nice beer. Thanks Harry.

Bottle during my Great Lakes region brew tour. B-L-A-C-K with a tall, tan head. The nose is of sweet, creamy chocolate, oats, bright coffee, milk, and almonds. Licorice, oats, raisins, and soft coffee are present in the mouth. This flirts with the definition of a sweet stout. This is mild throughout but still complex and extremely well balanced. Scarily drinkable stout, this.
[August 10, 2008]
bottle from Leaf & Ale. Pours black with ruby evident in the light. A tall khaki head forms and lasts for the entire leisurely drinking session. The aroma is mouthwatering. It’s amazing what this stout can achieve in its tastefulness. It’s not powerful to the nose, but distinct toasted oats, mocha, smoke, and coffee are all noted. The flavor is the same. Oh, but let’s not skip over the oh-so creamy palate. It covers the tongue and just begs to wash down the gullet. The beer isn’t very heavy, but more than adequate to quell the hunger for flavor. I get toasty oats, mocha, just a hint of meat, and toffee in the finish. The whole thing is scarily drinkable. This is one balanced and pleasing package. St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is the definition of a session beer.

On Draught @ TFOB 2006. Well it pains me to rate a stout this high as I am not a stout fan, but I must give credit where credit is due. Appearance is everything a stout should be, Think black body with a head that is VERY creamy and deep tan in colour. Aroma of chocolate, coffee and toffee. Taste a complex combination of bitter chocolate, toffee and heavy roasted coffee. Surprisingly easy on the aftertaste and not so heavy that I felt like I just ate an entire meal. It was the perfect stout.