Tuesday Night Tasting - Mayflower Brewing Co: Winter Seasonal Oatmeal Stout

Mayflower Brewing Co. - Plymouth, MA
Winter Seasonal Oatmeal Stout
12 oz. (also available on draft)

It took me a while to find this beer, but once I did I began seeing it in several locations. I tell you though, it was well worth the hunt, because this is one damn good beer!



The beer pours a liquid as dark as oil, but if you look at it at a certain angle you can see a little hint of red. It pours a fluffy, foamy, and creamy dark brown head, that lasts a little while before disappearing into the night of this stout.

It gives off an effervescence of brown sugar, caramel, and toffee, but you can still pick up the malt and subtle smokiness of the brew.

Upon the first sip, you realize that it is much different that most stouts you've probably had. In fact, it differentiates itself from the typical oatmeal stouts. It is smooth, it is slightly smokey, but the bottom line is that the Mayflower Oatmeal Stout goes down as smooth as any other dark seasonal brew I've ever had! What's great is that it's sweet, yet has a sort of hidden bitterness to it. Not bitter like a Pale Ale or IPA, but it's got a slight bitter kiss to it that I really enjoy.

It has a mild, to moderate mouth feel, and has a very subtle and dry mouth feel. It isn't heavy like some stouts can be, yet it isn't overpowering which would prevent you from enjoying a few bottles. In fact, I have to admit...when I first got a the beer, I killed the entire six pack in one sitting.

Which leads me to the most important factor of this beer review - this beer is EXTREMELY drinkable! I first had the stout at the British Beer Company's newest location in Franklin. I then had a few samples at the Beer Summit's Winter Jubilee, and again at Mayflower's private event back on January 29th, and in general I can not get enough of it. The flavor profile changes slightly as the beer warms, as do most beers, so it leads me to believe that this would be incredible cask conditioned. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the BBC locations put this on cask, if they haven't already.

If you see this beer, do not hesitate to pick up a bottle or a six pack of it. If you're new to the world of stouts, this is a good way to help ease your transition.