McNeill's Oatmeal Stout
McNeill's Brewery

3.74/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Old bottle, probably 3 years old.

A: Pours a dark brown with an extremely large and effervescent light brown head. Head fades slowly, leaving big chunks of very fluffy and light lacing behind. Great head retention.

S: Mild roasted malt and oatmeal. A little bit of char.

T: Mild, smooth roasted malt. Bits of char and chocolate mixes with smooth oatmeal. Very smooth and mellow throughout. A little bitter in the finish with the oatmeal and char again. Slightest hint of oxidation in the aftertaste with a little bit of dusty cardboard.

M: Fairly light but not watery. Smooth and creamy.

O: Huh, not bad. Did not expect this to hold up. It's a nice, mellow, easy drinking oatmeal stout. Very smooth and goes down easily. Simple.

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3.26/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a three-finger light brown head that fades slowly to a thin layer and leaves some lace. Roasted chocolate nose. Black color, no highlights. Light-medium carbonation and light-medium bodied, seems watery for a stout. Flavor is dry, roasted chocolate. Very dry finish. $2.99 for a 22oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.

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3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Weak psfsh when opening. Good blackness, light seeps through extreme edges. Head is weak and quickly fades to weather pattern. Chocolate, ash and marshmallows on the nose. Flavor finishes w/ grassy bitterness. Weak psfsh translates into slightly flat mouthfeel.

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4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great chocolate color and beautiful head...lacing is consistent down the side of the glass. Smell is rich in roated malt and coffee/chocolate notes. Taste is like an iced coffee that is quite crisp. Mouthfeel is nicely dry throughout, with a good lingering dry finish. I liked the dry quality and felt that it enhanced the drinkability. Very nice brew I would try again.

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4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

#12 - one of the several bombers of McNeils that Moon0 brought to Dwarbis BBQ.

This beer pours a nice dark colour with a tan head. The aromas are of chocolate malts, lactic notes, caramel, hops, and more. The taste is a wonderfully chocolate-y caramel-y blend of hoppy goodness. The mouthfeel is thick, but not too thick and the drinkability is excellent!

F

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4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The darkest brown I've ever seen, pours syrupy from the glass and rises to a dark brown frothy head. The head settles quickly, but wafts an aroma upward of cocoa and deeply roasted malt. There's even some coffee smells hitting my nose. Flavor is rich and itense, the mild cocoa hits first, followed by molasses and brown sugar, trailing to a coffee bitter, and ending with raisin. Almost seems like an imperial at times. Mouthfeel is a bit watery, as I find with many beers from this brewer. Spotty lacing dots the glass. This is rich and intense and complex, even for an oatmeal stout. Really nice beer.

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4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at McNeill's Brewery in Brattleboro, VT.

A- Pours nearly black with a thick, dark brown head.

S- Scent of coffee and dark chocolate, slight hops undertone.

T- Big and powerful, it starts of with sweet malt than goes to bitter coffee/chocolate, and finishes slightly dry.

M- Smooth and creamy, thick on the palate, nice dryish finish.

D- Very tasty, one of the best Oatmeal Stouts I have had.

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3.39/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Beautifully dark with a huge-I mean HUGE cocoa colored head on top. Has to be 3 inches thinck. Dessert in a glass. Mellow aroma-slight roasted malt, somewhat metallic. Good smooth roasted flavor. Slight licorice bite to it. Has a somewhat "homebrew" wang. Sort of industrial or mechanical flavor to it I cant get past. Very full and creamy body-disgustingly smooth. Overall a nice oatmeal stout but the one flavor I cant seem to get away from. Detracts from the whole package for me.

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4.52/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A fine oatmeal stout. Pours with a thick jet black body, and a thick frothy caramel-colored head. Has a pleasant sweet aroma, a mix of coffee and caramel notes, a nice roasted malt character. The beer tastes strongly of nicely toasted malt, slight hops, and a nice nutty character from the oatmeal. This beer is absolutely silky, and dances over the tongue. Delicous and wonderful.

Thus far the best I've had at McNeills, and one of the best stouts I've had in a long time. And even better: McNeill's sells growlers now. :)

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4.23/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a deep dark dark brownn blackish with a nice deep tan head. Nice and roasty, just like we like the oat stouts. Malty thick. Dry, yet smooth. Certainly another great Vermont Oatmeal Stout. Right up there with Otter Creek's Organic and Heart of Darkness for top VT oat stout.

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4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Another 22 oz. bomber from McNeill's, brought back quite a few with me from VT.

Its a fairly attractive beer, as its black as night with a nice slow-forming cocoa-colored head. The chocolate malt mixed with some smokiness in the nose is a delight. So far, so good. Its certainly a full and heavy-to-medium body with a tantalizing slick and creamy mouthfeel. There is heavy roastiness with toasted chocolate malt and lighter coffee bitterness begging for showtime. It remains pale and very earthy throughout, true to the style. It finishes with more coffee residue than the mouthfeel would suggest. Still, nicely balanced with a creamy malt texture that is satisfying. Wholesome and well crafted.

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3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears black with a slight brown hue. Nice 2 finger brown head that lasts and fades into a decent film. Streaky lacing is left behind.
Smell is of rolled oats, bitter chocolate, black plums, rich, ripe black grapes.
Taste is of oats, roasted malt, black plums, bitter chocolates.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, velvety smooth, with bitter and slightly sour sensations standing out.
Drinkability is nice and tasty. I won't run back to this but it was pleasant.

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1.89/5  rDev -50.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

in the glass this is a beautiful oatmeal stout with a rich thick black body and a rocky, caverness milk chocolate brown head that stands at three fingers. Dots of lace are left as the head slowly fades. Nose has some zest, meatiness and a odd dose of sink water. Ok, before I start to go on a tyrate here lets just hope I got a bad bottle. This beer is soured and not in a good way. Ashy, and abrasive. This can't be what this beer was meant to be. It is just not right and I will leave it at that. Almost a drain pour. I will try this one again in the future to rejudge.

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2.55/5  rDev -33.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I shared this with herbjones during a mini southern california beer advocate tasting. McNeill's Oatmeal Stout pours an opaque black color with no head. The flavors are a bit sour, lactic, with a touch of hops. The mouthfeel is creamy. The aroma is slightly roasty.

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3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a beautiful looking beer. Black as night with a huge dark tan head, which dissipates after a few minutes. There is a lot going on in the strong aroma. Dark roasted malts with a sweet background reminiscent of chocolate. Make sure to serve this on the warm side, as it loses almost all its character when too cold. The taste begins with a roasted malt bitterness, which gradually gives way to a mild sweetness imparted by the oats. The roastiness never completely leaves though, so the sweetness is never more than just a very nice accent, a counterpoint to the bitterness. There is a metallic note that is fairly harsh when the beer is too cold, but virtually disappears after warming up a bit. The mouthfeel seems a little thin for a stout, but overall it is a great and interesting beer.

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4.02/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Vermonthiker for this. Initial reaction was; what happened to the bottle? No bubbles on top of the liquid, it even appeared to be missing some fluid. Dark, almost no carbonation present. The pour-was this a cask beer? The taste-a cask RIS and a magnificent one based on that with understated natural carbonation and tasty coffee-chocolate bittersweetness, with complexity at sips. A delight of a beer.

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4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Yeah baby, this is some mighty tasty stuff. Bomber bottle with the paper label. opens with no sound, very low carbonation. A hard pour raises only a 1/4 inch head. Anyway, classy tiny bubbles are what were talking about and world class lacing. Malty, burnt nose. Smooth mouthfeel, velvet on the tongue, nice roasty malt notes and a nice soft and dry finish. Love the style and love this rich and bold take on it

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4.74/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer poured a darker brown than I expected -- almost black. The head was creamy, with a dark tan color, but very thin. The best-by month was not marked on the label, and when I saw the thin head, I was afraid the beer had gone flat. Fortunately, the smell proved that theory wrong. Hops, oats and roasted malt were all present -- a very fresh smelling beer. This is a delicious beer. In my opinion, this is what an oatmeal stout should taste like. Light hop flavor floating in a sea of malt -- and then the oats come in strong. This would be a great session stout. If only I didn't have to drive so far to get it.

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4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22ozer from Waterbury Beverage, Waterbury, VT.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a chocolate brown 1/4" head, over the inky black liquid. Laces superbly, even though the head has faded down to pretty much nothing. Aroma is all about coffee and chocolate malts. Taste is also mostly coffee and choco malts, but keeps from over-doing it, and actually comes off with a slight hops bite at the end of the tasting experience. Mouthfeel is good for an oatmeal stout, although it could use a bit more carbonation, in my mind. An imminently drinkable stout, for sure.

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4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Monster sized head. Superior lace; chunky rings after every sip. Dark brown; so dark, no light passes through.

Creamy, chocolate milk aroma; great mild hop in the background. Attractive, balanced and rich.

Deep, dark cocoa--beyond semi-sweet--very bitter. Thinnish body, the only real negative. Long-lasting aftertaste of coffee grounds. Simply a delightful, heavy stout.

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4.19/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I have been waiting to try this beer for a number of months now. I picked this up during a trip to Vermont this past summer and wanted to wait till we had some cooler weather and today was the day. This brew poured jet black with a smallish dark tan head that had some legs but broke down to just leaving froth around the edges of the glass. The aroma is very nice, coffee, chocolate, and a smoky roasted scent. Has a nice flavor which seems to have quite a bit going on. Smooth with a sweet flavor upfront which breaks quite quickly a nice smoked roasted taste with expresso, oatmeal and vanilla flavors. This brew ends with a nice dry feel. Overall this is a pretty easy drinking brew with a lot of characteristics. Glad I waited to give this one a try, went well with the cooler weather.

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4.42/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1 pt 6 fl oz brown bottle.

Pours a syrupy, chocolate-maple in color. Slightly creamy, deep brown colored head that lingers as a whispy sheet. Faint lacing with decent strength.

Rich, milk and dark chocolate with whaffs of oatmeal, oak, and warming alcohol. Nice creaminess with tones of toffee, mocha, and fudge.

Rich milk and dark chocolate, mocha, and fudge upfront: intensely rich. Creamy vanilla and oatmeal flavors that provide a nice balance. Dried oak, faint hints of slick alcohol, and notes of dark fruit: plum, grape. Complex and very flavorful.

Full in body; rich and robust, yet also creamy and smooth. Not quite syrupy, but coats the palate well.

McNeill's Oatmeal Stout is addictive, nevermind drinkable. Great aromatics and flavor: a stunning brew for the colder months.

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3.54/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz purchased at brattleboro co-op.. best by 2/06.

pour is absolutely perfect, dark and oily. black stout with a mild, bubbly head the color of chocolate nougat. given time, the head actually grows and evens out to a one-finger, glistening airy cloud. then, the top of the head begins to condense into a creamy, rich, dense material like melted chocolate ice cream. it all settles into something picturesque, with solid sheet lacing that looks like latte foam.

nose is deep roasted coffee with some earthy, fresh greenery. smokier than it is creamy, bearing no 'off' notes but nothing particularly huge and satisfying either.

mouthfeel is easygoing and light.. feels watery but doesn't taste it. that charred malt coffee/chocolate aspect doesn't have a chance to dominate, this is a hoppy stout. enters the realm of bitter citrus rinds and coffee grounds in the finish.. just a bit abrasive but overall strong in a good way. surprisingly balanced, which is odd for the typical OS. as drinkable as a black beer can be with bitter hops, but a solid offering from mcn's nonetheless.

this would be wicked on hand pump i'd reckon. love me a good oatmeal stout, and this is a good one, just not my favorite.

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3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Of the McNeill line, this is the best, butthere is still this strange, sour house taste that is neither pleasant nor easy to explain.

Pours a deep rich black with a decent off white tan head. The aroma is roasted, malty, with a bit of chalky chicory. The flavor is roasted and a bit coffeelike. It has some dark toast and burnt sugar. But at its center is the strange, hollow, thin, sourness that seems to be the defining character of McNeills. Another near miss.

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4.37/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber brought back from VT. Poured into a chalice. The pour shows a breautiful, thick tawny head. Decent lacing on the way down. The color is perfect - dark brown/black.

The nose is great on this beer. The sweetness of the roasted grains jumps out. There is no real typical sour smell with this oatmeal. You definitely know that there is some richness on the way.

In the mouth, the smells are verified. Layers and layers of sweet oats, chewy and substantial nuttiness. The maltiness is not overwhelming, as there is a little hop character and slight carbonation to break it up. The finish is nice and dry, with the sweetness giving way to a more organic earthiness.

Musings: This is a wonderful oatmeal. One of my favorites. The taste blew me away.

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