Beer of the Week – F&M Stonehammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout

It wasn't so long ago that seasonal beers were a rarity in Ontario's craft brewing scene. Whether due to conservatism on the part of the brewers, or a simple lack of space and resources, most breweries concentrated on their few year-round brands, which left adventurous beer drinkers depending mainly on imports if they wanted to try less common beer styles.

Nowadays, though, it's hard to find a small brewery in the province that doesn't offer a couple of limited run beers, whether they be one-offs created for festivals and other beer events, or seasonal beers brewed for release at a specific time of year. From Oktoberfest lagers to summer saisons, spring bocks to barley wines, there are now beers for every season and occasion being made all over Ontario, many of them rivaling the best that the rest of the world has to offer.

One brewery that's been a bit slower than some to start with the seasonals is F&M Brewery from Guelph. It not for lack of interest or expertise, as F&M's enthusiastic and animated brewmaster George Eagleson is the sort who would be more than happy to work on a multitude of different beers. But limited capacity at the brewery means that they are generally working at a full clip just to keep up with demand for their three core Stonehammer brands - Pilsner, Dark Ale, and the surprisingly good Premium Light - and contract brands like the Harvest Ale they brew for the Woolwich Arrow pub.

In the last couple of years, however, Eagleson has managed to start squeezing some new beers into his brewing schedule, starting with George's Double Red, a delicious strong amber ale that he whipped up for the 2008 edition of Volo Cask Days. A few more experiments have been revealed since then, usually at special events and small beer festivals at venues like Volo and the Victory Cafe.

One of the most memorable of this one-offs was the Oatmeal Coffee Stout that Eagleson brewed last winter. Appearing in January at his semi-private "Georgeapalooza" birthday bash at the Cloak & Dagger and a few other select bars and restaurants, the entire draught-only batch was gone within a month or so, leaving behind a lot of praise and hopes for a future revival. Less than a year later, those hopes have come to fruition, as the beer is back and available in larger quantities than before.

I had my first taste of the new batch this past weekend at the Victory, where it was one of the beers being served at the busy CASK! Social, a semi-regular gathering for aficionados of cask-conditioned ale. I only managed to get in a pint before the thirsty hordes drank the cask dry, but thankfully Eagleson and  F&M marketing rep Bill MacTavish were on hand and able to hook me up with a few bottles, a new format for this new edition.

Whether poured from a cask, keg or bottle, the brew has a deep almost-black colour with a finger or two of creamy, dark tan head. Both aroma and flavour hold a lot of coffee, which meshes well with the dark roasted malt. There are also hints of cocoa and licorice, and a pleasant soft roundness is lent to the palate by the oatmeal that's included in the recipe. One minor complaint is that the body might be considered a touch thin for the style, but it's so good otherwise, I'm willing to overlook that. And as the Transfair Canada logo on the label indicates, it uses fair trade coffee from the Planet Bean roastery in Guelph. meaning it's both tasty and ethical.

What it's not, however, is very widely available. Even with the expanded production, distribution is still primarily limited to beer specialty bars, and like most anticipated seasonals, the kegs and casks don't last long when they're tapped. The bottles may help a bit, but with no LCBO or Beer Store distribution, they'll be mainly limited to bar and restaurant sales, with a small amount available at the F&M retail store in Guelph. So it might take a bit of work and patience to track it down, but it's certainly worth the effort.