Samuel Smith
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
The beer that revived oatmeal stout as a category and remains its most widely cited reference example.
- Strength
- 5% ABV
- Style
- Oatmeal stout
- Brewery
- Samuel Smith
Silky rather than sharp: the oats give a full, smooth body that keeps the roast from turning acrid, and the Yorkshire square fermentation adds a distinctive fruity note underneath. It is one of the beers that kept oatmeal stout alive when the style had almost disappeared.
This is the reference example of the style, and the easiest stout to recommend to somebody who says they dislike stout — the objection is usually to sharp roasted barley, which this does not have.
What it tastes like
Inherited from Oatmeal stout, because this beer sits within the normal range for it. BeerHQ’s comparative scale, not a measurement.
Why BeerHQ carries this beer
| Reason | Carried as a reference example of its style |
|---|---|
| Strength | 5% ABV — checked 2026-08-16. Strengths differ by market and change without announcement, so this is dated rather than absolute. |
| Record stability | Stable — this product has changed little and is not expected to. |
BeerHQ records no recipe, hop bill, malt bill, yeast strain, IBU or calorie figure for any commercial beer unless it is sourced. Nothing on this page is inferred from what the beer tastes like.
What is distinctive about it
- Credited with reviving a style that had effectively disappeared
- Fermented in stone Yorkshire squares with the brewery’s single house yeast
If you like Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
Worked out from what this beer actually tastes like rather than from what its style typically does. Three kinds of move, because “what should I try next” is three different questions.
Closest to it
Very similar in structure and flavour. Safe ground rather than discovery.
English porter — try Fuller's London Porter or Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
A close structural match for Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: slightly less body (high → low–moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
American porter — try Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Anchor Porter
A close structural match for Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: slightly less body (high → moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Irish extra stout — try Guinness Extra Stout
A close structural match for Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably more dryness (low → high).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Similar, but different
Keeps what you probably like about it and changes one or two things. Usually the most useful answer.
Foreign extra stout — try Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
Keeps most of what Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout does and shifts dryness.
Different: slightly more dryness (low → moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Sweet stout — try Young’s Double Chocolate Stout or Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
Keeps most of what Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout does and shifts sweetness.
Different: slightly more sweetness (low–moderate → high).
May not suit: Very close to Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Dry stout — try Guinness Draught or Murphy’s Irish Stout
Keeps most of what Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout does and shifts body.
Different: noticeably less body (high → low).
May not suit: Noticeably less body than Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
A bigger jump
Genuinely different, but connected by something specific — the shared trait is named so you can judge whether the bridge holds.
Schwarzbier — try Köstritzer Schwarzbier
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Different: noticeably less body (high → low).
May not suit: Noticeably less body than Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Czech dark lager — try Velkopopovický Kozel Černý
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Different: noticeably more caramel & toffee (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more caramel & toffee than Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Munich Dunkel — try Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel or Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Different: much more bread & biscuit (none–trace → high).
May not suit: Noticeably more bread & biscuit than Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.
Likely fits rather than promises. Taste varies, and a recommendation engine that claims certainty is claiming something it cannot know.
What to eat with it
Inherited from Oatmeal stout. BeerHQ does not duplicate pairings onto individual products unless the product genuinely differs from its style.
- Chocolate
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
- Tiramisu
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
- Smoked food
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
- Affogato
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Keeping it
Oatmeal stout shows best within 3–8 months of packaging. After that it declines in quality rather than becoming unsafe.
No benefit from keeping. Sound for its window and then slowly less good. Nothing bad will happen quickly, but nothing good happens either.
Derived from Oatmeal stout. See storage and freshness for the full model.
BeerHQ carries a small set of reference beers to anchor styles, not a catalogue. There is no rating here and there will not be one. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.