One of America’s favorite breakfast foods is celebrated each year on Oct. 29, National Oatmeal Day. There are many health benefits to eating oatmeal: a bowl of oatmeal daily can lower cholesterol; may reduce the risk of heart disease; may reduce your risk for cancer (according to the American Cancer Society, eating a diet high in fiber may help reduce your risk for cancer); low in fat; low in calories; good source iron and fiber. Back in the day, most of the oatmeal recipes began with steel cut oats. The oats were soaked overnight in cold water, salt and maple syrup. Early the next morning, the cook added ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon and if desired, ground ginger. The pot was then placed over heat and cooked for approximately 90 minutes and then they were served with cream, milk or butter. Oats can also be found in many craft beers. Oats are in the same family as barley, and a small addition yields great flavor. They’re added in the grist, which adds a smoothness or silkiness to the mouth feel. Back in the day, it was thought that adding oats to beer made it healthier, and was considered a table beer by the mid-1800s, even prescribed to nursing mothers and ailing children as a remedy for general sickness. Let’s salute our health and drink five craft beers brewed with oats. Enjoy Craft Beer Crosscut 10.29.17: A Flight of Oats.
Logsdon Far West Vlaming
6.5% ABV, 16 IBU
This Logsdon Farmhouse Ales red ale is brewed in the “Vlaming” or West Flanders style. A combination of pale, crystal, and dark roasted barley malt, wheat, and oats are brewed with local whole-cone hops, with a select variety of yeast and lactic bacteria. The Hood River, Oregon brewery ages it in oak barrels for a period of time to develop complex richness, soft tannins and fruity, tart character. The aged beer is then blended with young beer to create the desired balance of malt sweetness with a dry finish. It’s relatively clean for the style with added wood notes and hints of soft, ripe fruits.
Firestone Walker Mocha Merlin
5.5% ABV, 27 IBU
Firestone Walker released Mocha Merlin, a variation on the brewery’s Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout. The new beer is brewed with a Colombia La Granadilla coffee blend from San Luis Obispo’s HoneyCo Coffee Roasters and cacao nibs from Ghana. The coffee is added straight into the fermentation tank, similar to the dry-hopping process. The cocoa nibs are secured in mesh bags and steeped into the beer. The base beer of Mocha Merlin is the milk stout version of the original Velvet Merlin recipe, with lactose incorporated into the brew for a rounded mouthfeel, medium body and creamy coffee chocolate.
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
5% ABV, 32 IBU
Popular in the late 1800s, the last oatmeal stout was brewed before the First World War until Samuel Smith reintroduced this style in 1980. Oatmeal conjures stick-to-your-ribs fullness, but Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout is incredibly easy to drink. It hits the nose with sweet and roasted malt. The taste follows the nose with a big abundance of roasted malt with some sweet tones followed by a nice oatmeal flavor. It’s creamy and full with just a hint of graininess — and it just nails that almost-coffee, almost-chocolate flavor profile.
Ninkasi Vanilla Oatis
5.5% ABV, 37 IBU
We really enjoy Vanilla Oatis — an oatmeal stout brewed with vanilla — which is another beer from the Ninkasi Brewing Co.‘s Flagship Series. Among its varied and complex aromas, we note charred marshmallows, chocolate milk, and a whiff of sunscreen. There was also the scent of a Black Russian cocktail in this boozy beer. With a good amount of vanilla up front, Vanilla Oatis had a silky smooth mouthfeel and some meatiness to it, as well as flavors that brought to mind a campfire.
Skookum Woke Up Quick
8% ABV
The American double stout is medium- to full-bodied and very dark in color, with lots of malty flavor and alcoholic warmth. In the case of Skookum Brewery’s Woke Up Quick, oats are added to the grist for additional body. It offers more robust flavors of hops and malts. While bold, with an intense and beautiful coffee aroma and flavor and a touch of booze, this oatmeal coffee milk stout has silky smooth mouthfeel to boot.
