Oatmeal Stout: A beer once considered a health food
I find it amusing to look at historical advertisements for beer, and to imagine how government regulators would look at them today. All sorts of bold claims used to be made, including the famous, “Guinness is Good for You.” There was even a time when beer was marketed as health food. Oatmeal stout from England is one of the prime examples of that trend. Try doing that today . . .
Oats are a common cereal grain that is perhaps most famous as a warm breakfast cereal, especially for those looking to increase fiber in their diet. Oat bran was popular for a while due to health claims of lowering cholesterol, although it now is often shunned due to those with real or perceived gluten intolerance.
In brewing, oats are a starchy adjunct that can be added to the grist. Without enzymes, the oats need to be mashed along with malt. Sometimes oat malt can be found at your homebrew supply shop, and it is used in some beers (notably Maclay’s Oat Malt Stout), but flaked or rolled oats are the more common form for brewing today. Simpsons Golden Naked Oats (GNO) are another form that brewers will find and is classified as a crystal malt.
Depending on the concentration, oats can add noticeable flavor to beer. However, the main effect from oats is an increase in body and mouthfeel of beer. Sometimes associated with a silky mouthfeel, they can be easier to use for some brewers than manipulating body and mouthfeel through mash control. In the US today, I think oats are more likely to be found in a beer like New England IPA than in oatmeal stout, which is regarded as somewhat of a specialty or sometimes seasonal style by many consumers. Even in more traditional IPAs, oats can be used to add mouthfeel in a beer that is otherwise very dry.
The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) places oatmeal stout in Category 16, dark British beer, as style 16B. Other members of this category are sweet stout, tropical stout, and foreign extra stout.
Oatmeal Stout History
Oats have historically been used as an adjunct in brewing in Scotland and England for hundreds of years, but the development of oatmeal stout as a distinct type of beer was more recent. Oatmeal stouts originated in England in the late 1800s as part of a general market demand for “nourishing” or healthy beers, often marketed at invalids, nursing mothers, or others looking for some nutrition as part of their beer consumption.
The style followed the development of sweet stouts (also known as milk or cream stouts) but were not derived from them — oatmeal stouts do not typically contain lactose. Rather, they were both trying to address a similar market. Sweet stouts were certainly on the market first, however.
In later times, after the start of World War I at least, some breweries began exploiting the health link to the type of beer by only using a small portion of oats in a larger parti-gyled brew so they could legally call any product of the batch an oatmeal stout. There was no minimum amount of oats required to be in the grist. The time between the World Wars was the height of popularity for the style in England, but it eventually declined as part of the general shift away from darker beers in England and in the lowered gravities associated with taxation.
Michael Jackson wrote about the style in his books in the 1970s and 1980s, which helped generate new interest. The beer importer and distributor Merchant du Vin convinced Samuel Smiths into reviving the style for export. This then caused it to be noticed more by the emerging American craft brewing industry, and it has now been revived as a popular style using a noticeable amount of oats.
The Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout remains a great example from the UK, while my favorite US version is Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. The style also helped launch several variants such as Founder’s Breakfast Stout and its many progeny.
Oatmeal Stout’s Sensory Profile
Oatmeal stout is a dark, full-bodied, roasty, malty ale with a complementary oatmeal flavor. The sweetness, balance, and oatmeal impression can vary considerably. Some versions are dry and grainy, while others can be sweeter and fruitier. Some take after the original English versions, while others are hoppier and more American in character (in base malt and yeast profiles, at least).
As a type of stout, oatmeal stout should be dark (medium brown to black, often opaque). A thick, creamy, persistent tan to brown head is typical. The color of the beer and foam is suggestive of the ingredients used in the beer. Stouts also tend to be fuller bodied, and the oatmeal stout is no different. The oats can give the beer a smooth, silky, velvety, creamy texture. A moderate carbonation level keeps the beer from being too heavy. The alcohol level in ABV ranges from the low 4% to nearly 6%, but around 5% is fairly common. A bigger beer will feel heavy regardless of the attenuation, so this is often limited.
However, the main effect from oats is an increase in body and mouthfeel of beer.
The aroma and flavor can be mild compared to other more aggressive stouts. A strong roastiness is rarely seen, but it often has a coffee-like character. The sweeter versions can suggest a coffee with cream impression. Esters can vary, with English versions often having higher levels. As Samuel Smiths is cited as a source, a little diacetyl is allowable since that is a characteristic of that brewery; however, most versions will not have diacetyl.
The oats can have a nutty or grainy quality, or can be more prominent. Toasting the oats can enhance the nuttiness and toastiness and bring out oatmeal cookie-like perceptions. Darker grains bring more of a milk chocolate to coffee with cream quality. Bitterness is moderate so as to not dominate the malt. A light hop flavor is allowable but not always present. The finish is variable, and can range from medium-low to medium-high sweetness.
So the concept is basically to have stout-like qualities (dark roastiness) but with enough sweetness to support the oatmeal flavors. The brewer is free to interpret the style over a wide range, including the balance and the degree to which the ingredients represent an English or American heritage.
Brewing Ingredients and Methods
As a British-derived style, oatmeal stout is made as an ale with simple methods. A single infusion mash is typical, often with a higher conversion temperature. English pale ale malt is a typical base, but modern American versions can opt for the less bready American base malt. Oats are added to the mash in the form of flaked or rolled oats (5 to 20% is common), which are pre-gelatinized. Oat malt can be used instead, but this ingredient can at times be hard to find so you may need to order as a special request from your supplier. Steel cut oats (non-gelatinized form) can be used but must be processed in a cereal mash first, a step most homebrewers don’t want to do.
Chocolate malt, roasted barley, caramel malt or darker brewing sugars, and sometimes debittered roasted malts can be used for color and flavor. Simpsons GNOs can also be used as a portion of the crystal malt addition. Bittering hop additions are most common, although a light late hopping for flavor is acceptable. English varieties are often used (Golding, Fuggle, Challenger, etc.), although for bittering almost any hop could be used. I personally think citrusy varieties clash with the roasted malt profile so I would rather see those omitted.
English ale yeast can provide a subtle fruitiness or malt-forward profile, but clean and neutral American varieties can be used. I prefer the English strains, sticking with those associated with the classic producers (Samuel Smiths, Youngs) such as Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III).
I mentioned that sometimes the oats can be toasted to help remove some of the graininess and to develop more toasty and nutty notes. This was an idea I first saw explored in Randy Mosher’s Radical Brewing. Although Randy recommends toasting the oats for a longer time in a warmer oven, I normally go for about 20 minutes in a 250 °F (121 °C) oven — enough for a light golden color — then let them air out for a few days before using.
The beer does not have a significant water-derived profile, so a relatively neutral source is recommended. Waters with up to a moderate carbonate level can be used, so long as the mash pH remains within its optimal range (about 5.1 to 5.3).
Oatmeal Stout Homebrew Example
My version is a bigger version of English examples, so I will use English ingredients where I can. The base malt is a pale ale malt, such as Maris Otter (I prefer Crisp). The dark malts and grains are chocolate malt and roasted barley (again, I like English versions such as Crisp or Thomas Fawcett). Crystal malts in the 40 °L and 80 °L ranges and a caramelly and dark fruit background flavor and balancing sweetness.
Quaker Oats – Old-Fashioned are what I normally use for oats, although flaked oats from the homebrew shop can also work well. I tend not to use quick oats as they are more highly processed and have less flavor. Rolled oats can be readily mashed, so I use those.
I want the oatmeal to be noticeable but not so dominant to make the beer seem overly grainy, so I am using about 9 or 10% oats. The combination of chocolate and roasted barley together in the 8 to 9% range is my sweet spot, with more chocolate being used than roasted barley. Again, I’m concerned about giving the beer too much of a biting quality from the grain.
English Golding hops are used for about 25 IBUs of bitterness, which is enough to support the malt of the beer without distracting from the malt flavor. I’m targeting about a 6% beer, at the upper end of the range for the guidelines, so that it has a heartiness. The sweetness from the crystal malts also helps take the edge off any rough grainy notes.
I’ll use a simple single infusion mash as the English use, in the 154 °F (68 °C) range for a bit more body and chewiness. As with many of my recipes, my technique of adding the dark malts and grains and crystal malts during the recirculation and sparging phases also helps control the harshness of dark grains. I like to recirculate for 15–20 minutes at 168 °F (76 °C) before slowly fly sparging. Be sure you are rinsing the dark grains and crystal malts for at least 30 minutes total to get the full effect of the color and flavor from those ingredients.
A good, malt-focused English yeast is appropriate for this style, and I like the Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) for this purpose. The slightly fruitier Fullers-type yeasts (Wyeast 1968, White Labs WLP002) can also be used, but I like the 1318 yeast in darker, maltier styles. Ferment cool to keep the beer clean and let the malt be the star.
I like to keep this beer around during cool weather. It’s not my first choice for a middle-of-winter fireside beer, but it does have a substantial feel that helps take the edge off a cool day. It’s not really a health food, but if your exercise program includes doing 16 oz. curls, why not add this to your regime?
Oatmeal Stout by the numbers
OG: 1.045–1.065
FG: 1.010–1.018
SRM: 22–40
IBU: 25–40
ABV: 4.2–5.9%
Recipe
Oatmeal Stout
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.063 FG = 1.018
IBU = 25 SRM = 42 ABV = 6.0%
Ingredients
10 lbs. (4.5 kg) pale ale malt
1 lb. 4 oz. (567 g) flaked oats
12 oz. (340 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
10 oz. (283 g) chocolate malt (450 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) roasted barley (550 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
4 AAU UK Golding hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz/21 g at 5.3% alpha acid)
2 AAU UK Golding hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz/21 g at 5.3% alpha acid)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or Imperial Yeast A38 (Juice) or White Labs WLP066 (London Fog) or LalBrew New England yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash.
Mash the pale ale malt and oats at 154 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Once conversion is complete, add the crystal and dark malts as well as the roasted barley, then begin to increase mash temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) using direct heat or infusion, and recirculate for 15 minutes before beginning the lauter process. Fly sparge with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort.
Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe. A kettle fining can be added near the end of the boil, but is not necessary.
Chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C), aerate the wort with oxygen, pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Rack and package the beer, or rack and clarify the beer if desired with finings before packaging (prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate).
Oatmeal Stout
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.063 FG = 1.018
IBU = 25 SRM = 42 ABV = 6.0%
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1 lb. 8 oz. (680 g) pale ale malt
1 lb. 4 oz. (567 g) flaked oats
12 oz. (340 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
10 oz. (283 g) chocolate malt (450 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) roasted barley (550 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
4 AAU UK Golding hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz/21 g at 5.3% alpha acid)
2 AAU UK Golding hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz/21 g at 5.3% alpha acid)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III) or Imperial Yeast A38 (Juice) or White Labs WLP066 (London Fog) or LalBrew New England yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Use 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 154 °F (68 °C). Steep the pale ale and flaked oats in a mesh bag for 30 minutes at this temperature then add the crystal and dark malts and steep for another 30 minutes, trying to maintain temperature at 154 °F (68 °C) then remove and wash grains with 1 gal. (4 L) hot water. Top the kettle off to 6 gal. (23 L).
Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated.
Chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Rack and package the beer, or rack and clarify the beer if desired with finings before packaging (prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate).
