Round Boy (Honey & Oatmeal Stout)
Union Barrel Works

$ 5.25 / “16 oz” draft at the Union Barrel brewpub in Reamstown, PA. Reviewed 6/29/19.
"Honey and oatmeal stout?" I think not.
Served in a nonic with about 14 oz.
Appearance – 3.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque.
Head – Quite a wait between the beer order and its fulfillment. The head had dropped to a five mm tan, dense cap. Upon further sitting, it settled into a two to three mm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Roasted chocolate malt.
Flavor – 3 – chocolatey and oddly sour. No alcohol taste or aroma (5 % ABV), no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Thin, watery, soft carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 3 – Not good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beer pours a dark brown color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a dry, earthy black malt scent that's quite coffee-like. The taste is good also. It has a smooth, earthy flavor that has a nice oatmeal feel in the finish. It goes down easy and finishes thin and dry; very quaffable. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium/full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking dry stout. It's got great black malt character and a wonderful oatmeal character.

On nitro-tap at UBW on 3/21/08.

A - Pitch black body with one-finger creamy beige head that receded into a thin ring with minimal lacing.

S - Roasted malt with notes of coffee and bitter chocolate. Some earthy hops also push through.

T - Aromas come out in the flavor, especially a dry roasted coffee aspect and some chocolate. There is also a slight nuttiness present along with a slight earthy hop bitterness.

M - Medium body with smooth, watery texture and moderate carbonation. Finish is quite dry and bitter with a roasted coffee aspect.

D - Pretty solid dry Irish-style stout with a pronounced bitter coffee flavor.

I sampled this brew during a lunch visit this afternoon. The beer is served cold in a 12 oz tulip glass. A tan creamy head of .5 cm floats on the beer upon its arrival but fades to a surface layer quickly. The aroma is roasted malt and chocolate with no hop presence. A rich espresso aroma comes through as well. First sip reveals a very smooth body with fine rolling carbonation. The body is a little thin for my likes.

Flavor is roasted malt and chocolate but is dominated by coffee and espresso notes. This makes for a drying and slightly bitey finish. The coffee lingers for a while.
The beer is easy to drink with no ABV hints, a slightly more robust body would be my only improvement.

a: Pours black with a minimal tan head.

s: Pretty mild here. Smokey roasty malts with a bit of hops and some sweetness.

t: Some coffee, smoked malts, and a nice hop tingle at the end. I didn't taste any honey.

m: A tad thin, could use some more carbonation.

d: A pretty tasty little stout not far from home. Sweet.

The beer in my pint glass had a black color with ruby highlights. The aroma was typical stout with roasted grains, hop bitterness and a coffee undertone. The beer had an upfront flavor of burnt grains with a hop finish. It had a chalky quality in my mouth with decent carbonation (considering it was from a growler). It had the texture you would expect from an oatmeal stout but not the sweetness you would expect from honey. That being said, it was a decent stout for general beer consumption.

I must admit I had expectations of this since I remember liking Neversink's honey oatmeal stout from when Tom Rupp brewed there.
Served cool in a standard pint at the brewery in Reamstown.
A - Dark brown w/ cola highlights and a coffee cream colored head.
The lace is thick and stays long after the first sips are taken.

S - A dark roasted coffee scent w/ almost overpowering charred/smokey aroma.

M - Rich and roasted w/ an average stout body. Chalky dry texture shows up in the mouthfeel.

T - This is a pleasant stout w/ dark malt and roasted malt flavors. There is a tinge of dry chalky flavors that I associate w/ black patent malt. It starts roasted, but gets a bit of cinder in the middle of the ale. I found it nicely roasted and smooth tasting, but a little bit like burnt toast lingering in the back of my mouth.

D - Basically what I consider an ordinary stout flavor. It has all the expected roastiness, but lacks some of the sweetness you would expect it to have w/ honey and the full feel you might expect from an oatmeal stout. I might have enjoyed this more if I didn't know it was a honey/oatmeal stout.

If there ever was a typical by-the-book stout, this is it.
Served as a very deep brown, almost black colored beer with moderate creamy tannish head. Beautiful lacing.
Smell is loaded with chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee.
Taste also has lots of roasted malt mixed with coffee and chocolate.
Perfect example of the style.