When someone tells me they want to “try a craft beer—but not an IPA,” I nudge them toward something like oatmeal stout. It’s full-flavored without being aggressive, it showcases a lot of great beer ingredients, and it checks in at a modest 5 to 6 percent ABV. It has easy appeal.
Yet oatmeal stout is far from boring, and a great example of that—and one of my all-time favorites—is Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, a beer that uses its signature ingredient—oats—to soften and balance a bigger, bolder (and thus more American) interpretation of the style.
I got some helpful insights into this beer from Danny Connors, senior innovation manager at Rogue. Here are his tips for making your own high-intensity oatmeal stout.