Stone House Oatmeal Stout
Clemson Bros. Brewery at The Gilded Otter

 

 

Clocks in at a modest 5.5 ABV.

A: Dark murky brown. 1/8" coffee colored head. No lacing.

S: Dark chocolate predominates a modes toffee/diacetyl scent. Coffee grinds and roasted grains. A surprising ethanol waft caught at end.

T: Good earth flavors. Roasted coffee, burnt chocolate, roasted malts, rolled oats. Moderate-low bitterness. Low sweetness.

M/O: Semi-dry with only a medium body. They weren't swinging for the fences, and it is surprising easily to put down. I would have liked some more body to support the depth of flavors. Carbonation is too piercing at first, so the beer doesn't quite "meld". Sorta Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde impression when it comes to flavor and effect.

 

Draft at the brewpub. Blackish body with lace and 3/16 inch of head. A smooth mouthfeel,, like a nitro but its on-tap. Roast, chocolate and coffee grounds. Decent bitterness. Above average mouthfeel. OK drinkability for me, others are coffee-crazy more.

Nearly black with clear, chestnut highlights. The beer arrived at my table with a half inch of dense tan head, which showed excellent retention and left rings on my glass at each sip. The aroma was all roasted malt, caramel, and dark chocolate with just a hint of grassy hops. A solid hop bitterness kicked things off, followed by roast, burnt, and sweet caramel. It had a bit of acidic bite and hop flavour was strong (and overdone) throughout. Dry with moderate carbonation and a medium/light body. Decent texture, though it didn't have the creaminess I expect from an oatmeal stout. A good beer overall. I found the strong hop presence a bit out of place and the body not quite full enough. It was also served too cold from the bar, so it took some time to warm up and let the malt character appear.

Pours a creamy, opaque black, topped with a rather dark tan head. Typical nitro retention and lacing, coating the glass with foam everywhere. The aroma is nice and smooth, the roasty, coffee maltiness tempered by a generous amount of oatmeal. Mild hopping is noticable. The flavor opens with an even tempered roastiness, heavy on the coffee and creaminess. Oatmeal is apparent throughout, adding that crumbly, almost lactic softness. Very nicely done, nuanced and soft. Milk chocolate and piney hops take up the finish, adding a slight bite of bitterness, which keeps me interested enough to want another, or two. Soft, nitro carbonation, fairly full bodied, and creamy as can be. Yum.

After a meal on the Gilded Otter's beautiful porch. Black body, large-bubbled and highly reactive mocha-colored head. Smelled of elderberries--er, nuts, general ripe fruit, sap, sticky piney hops, milk chocolate and toffee.

Tasted of nuts, chocolate, and coffee, with a finish very similar to a sweet/milk stout. Very mealy in texture, though it avoided being grainy. Alcohol came out in miniscule amounts, and it had a bite like espresso before becoming sugary sweet, which worked very well. The ripe flavors are hard to enumerate, but banana might be there, and pear too.

I enjoyed it much and want to try it again with more specific notes.