When you want to make a stout but you know the people drinking it aren’t roast heads (like hopheads, but for roast—we should try to make that happen, linguistically), you might be tempted to go with the Sweet Stout. That can make for a beer that’s too dessert-like and/or a poor fit for warmer weather, though. A better option is to trot out a beer that’s not bone dry, not intensely roasty, not saccharine-sweet, and not overly alcoholic—but still clearly a stout. It’s Oatmeal Stout time.
Style
Oatmeal Stout is, in my humble estimation, the easiest-drinking stout there is. Some point to Dry Stout, which runs lower in ABV and in body, but where Dry Stout often relies on nitrogen to smooth out its rougher, drier edges, Oatmeal Stout creates a beer that doesn’t overwhelm the palate or the liver while still providing a lot of great secondary flavors. You find mild roast aromas and flavors, full grainy flavor (whether from oats or not, but more on that in a moment), some good balancing bitterness, and a full but not thick mouthfeel. As for the roast, in Oatmeal Stout, it’s much more like a latte than a cup of black coffee, and the difference is nicely noticeable: my father, who hates coffee and anything that tastes like coffee, will drink a healthy dimpled mug of this beer with a smile (and a Happy Father’s Day to all!).
The style also allows for a significant level of creativity, which means that you can choose to dress up whichever part of the profile you prefer, making the beer sweeter, more bitter, less roasty, or more “oaty,” as you like it.