Black Oak Stout
Hollister Brewing Co.

 

Draught at the brewpub. Black with a tan head. Chocolate and belgian yeast aromas with a little pear skin as well. THe flavor strikes a good balance between smooth roast, chocolate, and light yeasty fruitiness. The roasted malts cover a lot of the yeast character, but this does a good job at an American version of a Belgian stout if that makes any sense. It lacks the bitterness and roasty edge of American imperials, but the malts still dominate the show. Full bodied with tight carbonation. If anything, it is a tad too sweet and malty, but it is definitely good stuff. From what I could gather, no oak was used in the beer, and the bartender wasn't sure where the name came from

Poured a deep black with a moderate sized tannish head. Decent carbonation. Nose was nice with cocoa, espresso and some yeast. The beer description mentioned Belgian yeast was used and it worked out great. Provided a good and unique twist to this American Stout. Well balanced and tasty brew. Could not recall the ABV but it was between 8-9% ABV. Mouthfeel could have been a little heavier but it tasted good. To many of these and it was DD time.