Jump Ship Stoker’s Stout

Since the last time we visited a Jump/Ship beer, the company have been busy collecting awards (a gold medal and a bronze medal at the 2021 Scottish Beer Awards), and coming up with what might possibly be the best marketing ever – ‘Get Ship-Faced’! Their beers are also making an impact across the pond in the states, with alcohol-free beer store Brew Zero picking up Jump Ship’s wares and shipping them stateside.

Jump Ship Brewing have been around for about 3 and a half years at time of writing, and continue to slowly bring out new products to complement their already great range of non-alcoholic beers. Already offering a lager, a pale ale, and a juicy IPA, the perfect addition to this line-up would of course be a stout or other dark beer style. Well aren’t we fortunate then, as the brewer’s fourth release is Stoker’s Oat Milk Stout, a dark beer with a title that accurately describes itself better than I could!

Apparently a long time in the making, Stoker’s Stout is brewed with roasted malts and oats, with cacao buttons and vanilla extract added to the recipe to enhance flavour. To keep to Jump Ship’s trend of making their beers Vegan friendly, the brewer has eschewed the use of lactose in their beer, which is often used in similar brews to add both body and sweetness, and has opted to use an oat extract in order to try and give the mouthfeel of the beer that extra heft and creaminess. Hence the ‘oat milk stout’ label. I don’t think I’ve seen oats used to replace lactose in any other AF stout that I’ve tried, so let’s see how it works in practise shall we?

The beer pours a deep dark brown colour, almost jet black in appearance. Despite me trying my best (I went back and tried several cans, at different temperatures), I was unable to produce any head at all except for a few large bubbles that quickly popped. However, there was a touch of scum on the top of the beer, akin to what appears on the surface of my cup of tea when using the tap water here in SE London. Nothing really off-putting, but I’m missing a head. On the nose we’re greeted by roasted grains which quickly transitions to a mild coffee aroma. There’s a sweet chocolate aroma to it too, and in the background something that may be tobacco.

On tasting we get roasted grains and coffee, giving an inviting mellow bitterness. There’s almost no sweetness here at all – something that seems to be a common trait in Jump Ship beers – but the balance is good. A little chocolate comes through from the aroma but roasty coffee flavours are dominant here. The body is quite light, but we get a good smooth mouthfeel to the drink, with even a touch of creaminess from the oat extract. The finish is smooth and bitter.

Stoker’s Stout has many of the things I was expecting from Jump Ship Brewing – dominant bitterness with little sweetness, quality aromas and flavours – but the use of oat extract has surprised me. It does add an extra depth to the mouthfeel of the drink and shows that brewers do not have to rely on the crutch of lactose in their beers. However I am wondering if the oats are what is causing the slight surface scum that adorns the beer, and of course I’d much prefer there to be a thick creamy head there instead.

Buy Jump Ship Stoker’s Stout

If you’re in the US, visit the Brew Zero store linked above in the review to get your hands on Jump Ship’s beers. Elsewhere, you can get Stoker’s Stout either direct from the brewer, or from one of the following shops:

Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the can)
ABV	0.5%
Energy	20 kcal
Fat	0.2g
Carbohydrates	3.7g
Sugar	0.1g
Protein	0.3g
Ingredients
Water, Barley, Oats, Oat Extract, Cacao Paste, Hops, Vanilla Extract, Yeast
Additional Information
Country of Production	Scotland
Brewer	Jump Ship Brewing Ltd – https://www.jumpship.beer/
Gluten Free?	Yes
Vegan Friendly?	Yes