From the Brewery: 

“Brewed with well water (the original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use, with the hard well water being drawn from 85 feet underground); fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ to create an almost opaque, wonderfully silky and smooth textured ale with a complex medium dry palate and bittersweet finish.” 5% ABV

The Pour: 

Poured from an 18.6 oz bottle into my Samuel Smith tulip glass. Color is nearly all black, with a small amount of ruby red on the edge. The head is light tan in color, sudsy/foamy, and dissipates to about 1/4 inch quickly.

The Nose: 

Mild sweet, malted barley. Undertones of chocolate covered raisins.

The Mouth: 

Medium viscosity and a pretty fair amount of carbonation for a stout. Light, roasted malts lead to a roasted barley flavor on the back end. Not much mouth coating, finishes pretty dry. The carbonation makes it finish a little harsher than I expected. There is no alcohol taste present.

Final Thoughts: 

Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout is one of the first beers that “wowed” me early on in my beer-drinking endeavors. Oddly, this bottle was not nearly as flavorful as I remember. I’m thinking that maybe I got an old/expired bottle from Bevmo. The flavors were subdued, missing even, and the drinkability was semi-harsh. I’ll withhold a final score on this one until I can get another bottle to compare it to…maybe all of the beer I’ve been drinking has changed my palate. We’ll see. TBD

Samuel Smith Old Brewery – Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, UK