A Year of Craft Beer, Vol. 45, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Another fine beer!  I'm going to have to start choosing some crappy ones just so I can have a basepoint.  No, f@ck that!  Life is too short to drink crappy beer!

This is probably the foremost Oatmeal Stout in the world.  Just going out on a limb saying that.  I mean, look at this lacing!!!!!

Some good reads there as well.  Can you make out the book behind the lacing or the one that the beer is resting on?  Haha

Anyway this is going to be a Wiss Brau standard someday because of the smoothness brought about by the oats in this stout.  (If I were Canadian, that sentence would sound funny to Philadelphians)

This beer pours a rich dark brown from an awesome 550 ml crimp top bottle!  It is very clear although opaque.  The head starts out a 2 finger pour and quickly recedes to tiny bubbles and a nice full ring with one of the most beautiful lacing patters that I have seen stay on the glass without falling back into the beer.  FANTASTIC!

The aroma is of malts.  Of course.  There is some caramel, and some vanilla.  My nose is officially rendered useless at this point.  It stuffs up after a beer.  Celiacs Disease.  But I can make those out.  I'm not gonna read other reviews and lie to you.  malty malty malty

Wow!  How fecking smooth is this beer!  My first sip from the pint was a wash of malt with a very strong note of banana!  WOW.  The beer was poured at about 60 degress and was alive with aroma and flavour.  Almost at the end of the beer I no longer get the banana.  In fact, it was probably only the first two sips that had that flavour.  The beer starts off in your mouth with nice medium roasted and caramel malts.  You just cant beat those flavours.  And then some vanilla moves in half way through to take you all the way to the ever so slightly hoppy dry finish with still lingering vanilla notes.  F@CK!  

Mouthfeel.  How do you think the mouthfeel is?  Well, I tell you, you are WRONG!  It's creamier and smoother than that!  Moderate carbonation plays with the creaminess and hoppiness at the end making this beer livelier than some other flatter stouts.  The creaminess gets waylaid and the hops are effervesced on your tongue.  It really is a brilliant beer!

11  no, higher!  

Drink it!  This is a bucket list beer.

-Wiss