Negro Oatmeal Stout
El Toro Brewing Co.

Negro Oatmeal StoutNegro Oatmeal Stout
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From:
El Toro Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Oatmeal Stout
ABV:
5%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 11.56%
Reviews:
47
Ratings:
67
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 25, 2018
Added:
Oct 15, 2001
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  4
This beer is a traditional English Style Oatmeal Stout using 10% flakes cold rolled oats, large amounts of Black and chocolate malts. Mild bitterness, full body yet very drinkable.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by cokes:
Photo of cokes
Reviewed by cokes from Wisconsin

3.91/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
NIce oatmeal stout here. Pours pitch black with a dense tan head that sinks rather quickly.
Odd sweetness in the nose..can't quite place the exact aroma...not bad, but not really fitting for this bier.
Big robust taste, with coffee, chocolate, oats and a creamy (almost milky) sweetness. A little vanilla bean on the finish.
However, this bier is not quite as complex as the above would indicate. It needs more hops bitterness for balance. The sweetness tends to dominate. Not bad, but just slightly off-balance.
Sweet and smooth in the mouth. On the thick side. Again, the sweetness weighs slightly too heavy in this respect too...otherwise, almost perfect.
Still a winner of a oatmeal stout. A little more balance and this would be phenomenal
Apr 11, 2002
More User Ratings:
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.47/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Draft
Light fizzy head, little lacing, pitch black little light coming through

Nose roasty, cocoa, little caramel, biscuity roast and caramel candy like syrup

Taste syrupy candy, roasted malts, toasted biscuity wafer cookie, cocoa, chocolate syrup and earthy syrup but mild earthy hop too, fair bitterness between roast and hops, little creamy oats but not much, drier short finish, bit more bitterness

Mouth is med to lighter bod a bit thin, not very creamy, decent carb

Overall meh, not very good for an oatmeal stout
Jan 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by CJNAPS from California

May 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.12 by Dave2234 from Minnesota

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by DeadeyeOTDO from Arizona

Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by CBodamer from Pennsylvania

Oct 06, 2014
Photo of BMWiens
Reviewed by BMWiens from California

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%
Pours very dark, almost black, with a thin tan head.

Taste is on the bitter side, combination of the hops and the roasted malts. Malts are darker than a typical oatmeal stout, in my experience, with a bit of smokiness adding to the aroma.

Mouthfeel is fine, nothing special.

A good beer to go with smoked or wood grilled meat, or baked beans.
Sep 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by NRo from California

May 29, 2014
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

3.46/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a single at Total Wine at the end of September for $1.99.

Beer poured black with a nice tan head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose has hints of coffee and roasted malts.

Taste has a bit of a metallic tinge, some coffee, roastiness.

Mouthfeel is lacking for the style, thin and not overly smooth.

Overall it is a quaff-able beer but nothing to write home about. Overpriced for what you get.
Jan 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jaydoc from Kansas

Nov 16, 2013
Photo of rixcat
Reviewed by rixcat from New Jersey

3.11/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Sweet, cold, wet, dark dark brown, slightly bitter, and almost sticky, offering up a relatively suburban clean-cut low-statement middle-of-the-road taste. Kept sipping hoping I would find the right something that would help me put into words a rousing review. I started concluding that I was over-thinking it and that I should just try and enjoy the cool drink in my face; a superb beer would come up with its own invigorating remarks. Well, I finished my beer, decided that it didn't do it for me and enjoyed time with my friends.
Aug 08, 2013
Photo of rickyleepotts
Reviewed by rickyleepotts from Arizona

3.18/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
I have had this beer before, but learning the brewing process at El Toro has me pumped up to drink it again. Cool they brew so little beer at the brewpub. Looking at pictures of the brewpub, this place is small. Our kind of place. Oh, and looking at the label makes me think of the Breakfast Club. "You mess with the bull… you get the horns!" Ha!

We just got back from Flagstaff where we visited nearly every brewery within a 10 mile radius. We hit up Flagstaff Brewing Company, Lumberyard Brewing Company, Beaver Street Brewing Company, and Mother Road Brewing Company. Mother Road is sweet. They were all sweet. We also went to Hops On Birch, McGaughs SMoke & Bottle, and Oak Creek Brewing Company. I am losing track here… At Hops On Birch they had a Four Peaks tap takeover, and they had Sirius Black on tap. Yeah, we had some of that!

Before I forget, we also went to Made in the Shade, a huge beer festival in the middle of nowhere. It was $40, and while we drank a TON of beer, we won't be going back. The Strong Beer Festival is our new favorite. Anyway, I will stop talking about our weekend and start talking about this beer. Bottoms up, people!

In the Glass: Pitch black is right. That is dark as night. The head was nice, but didn't last long. It was a nice foamy tan that I wish was thicker and stickier. Not much lace here. The next time we have a weekend off, I want to head to California and see this operation. From the looks of it, it's small and this was basically a homebrew before they started bottling it. I have had all three beers from El Toro offered in Arizona. This was my favorite. Of course, this time I am drinking with a purpose!

Nose: Not much going on here… it has a nice metallic finish, but not as impressive as I expected it to be. I am getting some subtle chocolate malt flavors, but I have to dig deep to find them. I hope the flavor is better than this.

Flavor: That really delivers. I like the mouthfeel best…but I will get to that. The flavor isn't overwhelming, and it has a nice fluffy mouthfeel. The flavor hangs on a bit, but leaves my mouth polished and ready for another sip. This isn't an incredible beer by any means, but it does have a nice drinkability. I can see myself drinking a pitcher of this during dinner.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel, and the finish, is my favorite part of this beer. The head was, at first, thick and creamy. The mouthfeel is every bit of that. On a second sip, I swished it around in my mouth a little bit. Some of those same chocolate malt flavors come out, but it is SO overwhelming that I could barely swallow. Still a nice finish leaving a somewhat metallic finish. I bet this would be great room temperature.

Aftertaste: I expect a beer like this to have a longer finish… but that's OK. It's thin enough to justify drinking a pint or more of this. The price is right, too. That is if you can find it. Total Wine & More is always out of the El Toro beers. Not sure if that is just a distribution problem, or what. They ALWAYS have their amber, but I am not a fan of amber ales.

This is a good introduction to the style. The tasting notes mentioned the oats, but I am not tasting much of that. If I didn't know any better, I would almost call this an Irish dry stout. Still a good example of the style. If you are new to craft beer and/or oatmeal stouts, this is a great place to start. Cheers!
Jun 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by MastaShonuf from California

Jun 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Liondiscs from California

May 30, 2013
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.64/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: totally black with a thick finger of frothy dark-tan foam atop. Classic.

Smell: quite roasty and chocolatey, with a bit of over-roasted character. Good, but could be a little bit cleaner.

Taste: roasty right up front, with a harsher, ashier flavor toward the middle. Hop character is a bit vegetal, as well. Not bad, but not as smooth as I like in the style.

Mouthfeel: while the flavor might not be so smooth, the texture really is. Medium body with a silky creaminess that hits the spot.

Overall: there's an edginess to this beer that barbs me a little bit. It has its good points, though, and is worth a try at least.
May 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by slimntubbs from Pennsylvania

Apr 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Mosul from Arizona

Apr 17, 2013
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

2.79/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5
Dark color, nearly black, with brown edges. Modest foam with no lacing at all. Kind of flat flavor of dark malt. Not real sweetness, and not much hoppiness either. Flavor is more of a grainy,butnt malt taste, with a malty aftertaste and very little bitterness.

Tastes more like a Schwartzbier. Is this the way Oatmeal Stouts are supposed to taste? The burnt sourish tang is stronger than I like. More like it's on the way to becoming a sour. I keep finding this taste with Arizona beers. Scorched cereal, mediocre carbonation, and that unpleasant sour edge. There are so many better stouts of every description. This is worse even than bottled Guinness.
Apr 16, 2013
Photo of ocelot2500
Reviewed by ocelot2500 from Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep ebony color with a quickly fading tan head that leaves little to no lacing.

Smells of cocoa and oatmeal mostly.

Tastes of the oats and roasted malts. Coffee notes lead off transitioning over to some cocoa notes. Oatmeal is present throughout. A touch of earthiness also comes through and rounds everything out.

Mouthfeel is medium with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, a pretty decent oatmeal stout, but nothing that stands out.
Apr 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by rbrefbeerman from California

Jan 21, 2013
Negro Oatmeal Stout from El Toro Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 67 ratings