My inaugural craft beer review! Tonight I tried Maclean's Luck & Charm Oatmeal Stout from Hanover, Ontario. I would describe Luck & Charm as a hops first stout which has a floral, bitter note - almost like an ale.
Usually when I crave a stout, I am looking for that sweet, roasted flavour, and creaminess, that embodies the meaning of "barley sandich". This beer, however was a stout that masqueraded as an ale. There was a slight roasted flavour, but the predominant flavour was that of hops, mind you it doesn't quite have the bitterness that one might associate with a hops-first beer.
Consensus: Not your typical stout. If you like a hops-first beer, you might enjoy this more than I did. 5/10.
I haven't had a lot of beers from Ontario, but it's possible that the bitterness doesn't actually come from the use of Hops - usually stouts have very little hops. I would think that it is more likely to come from the roasting of some of these stouts. See (http://allaboutbeer.com/bitterness-is-not-the-same-as-hoppiness/). If you like some of those less bitter ones and maybe something more 'malty-salty' in character, imperial russian stouts might be closer to that (at least the ones I've had). I quite like the Phillip's Hammer Stout - not as bitter, more malty, and a little salty.
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BH
Doesn't really sound like my kind of stout, but I think I may give it a shot if I come across it.
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