Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Service: Can


A:
Pours pitch black with two fingers of airy tan head that quickly drops to a film/ring. OK retention; lots of sticky lacing. (3.75)

S:
Smooth, creamy malt sweetness. Roasty malts, coffee, toasted nuts. (3.75)

T:
Similar to the flavor with general creamy roast character, bread, toasted sugar, and a slightly mineraly finish. (4)

M:
Medium bodied, velvety feel with medium carbonation and a slow, roasty finish. (4.25)

O:
Really nice Oatmeal stout.
It is pretty aggressive and pretty restrained at the same time, if that makes any sense. The aroma and the flavor are both very roasty, but both toe the line that separates roasty from bitter, while staying on the nuttier, sweeter side. The body is nice and although it could be a little richer for my tastes, it is plenty velvety, rich, filling, and smooth. She's got a little more stout to her than some, but is still very smooth and drinkable. Would have again. (4.25)

 

Aroma is big dark/roasted malts and chocolate/cocoa. The flavor is chocolate/milk chocolate, slightly sweet fruit and an acidic/big roasted malt/hint of lactose finish.

RB transfer

 

 

12oz can

Pours a finger of brown head into my nonic. Retention is subpar and the head fades within a minute or so. Lacing is low to void. Body is jet black. Looks underwhelming.

Nose gives off a brief roasty impression that quickly gives way to chocolate. Very smooth. Leans slightly towards the sweeter side once all is said and done. Smells great.

Flavor is much the same, roast blends perfectly with chocolate. An absolutely lovely flavor.

Has a modest carbonation, but does well to tingle the mouth on the way down. Sits light on the palate, has some sweetness that adds a little body and a brief cloying stickiness. Perceived bitterness is low. Overall a really nice mouthfeel.

Drinkability is great.

Overall a wonderful, flavorful stout that remains relatively balanced.

 

12 ounce can poured into a Willi Becher.

L: 2 finger tan head, near black in the glass, rocky foam has medium retention.
F: Chocolate and caramel malt, fresh spicy hops.
T: Roasted malt and coffee, sweet caramel and vanilla cream, roasty/hoppy bitter finish.
F: Medium body with oaty smoothness, just enough carbonation for an opening bite.
O: Sweeter but very drinkable example, second pour please.

Look: Pours jet black and quickly, a tan head builds up and settles to a lid, leaving decent lacing behind

Aroma: Dark chocolate, espresso, warm brown bread, roast, and light earthy notes

Taste: Opens up like the nose did with a huge, rich dose of dark chocolate that slowly unpacks as espresso and roast follow behind. Bready malt comes on more prominently in the middle and joins the chocolate/coffee duo as earthiness lingers in the background, popping in occasionally until it closes

Mouthfeel: Full, silky smooth, medium-high carbonation, and smooth and soft on the finish

Overall: This is some tasty stuff. Another classic that I really wanted to try again and review, which was an easy buy for me in the winter when my dark beer game is dialed in and once again, surprised myself at how much I dug it. A delicious and well-made Oat Stout that brings a great flavor/aroma profile and is ridiculously smooth in body. Good stuff and recommended

Barney Flats has a medium, beige head and a dark-brown appearance, with ruby highlights and minimal lacing. The aroma is of brown bread toast. The flavor is of that, with sweet chocolate, oatmeal, and low bitterness. Barney Flats has a low-medium body and a mostly-dry finish.

RJT

 

Drunk at The Good Beer Company in Singapore in October 2023.

L: Jet black with a thin off-white head. No carbonation can be seen because the beer is opaque...

S: Very mild chocolate and cocoa and maybe a bit of dark fruit but I had to work hard to find it.

T: Raisins and other dark fruits. Molasses. Chocolate and cocoa. The beer comes into its own as it warms, but I wonder if the average drinker will have the patience to tease it out.

M: Smooth and silky as expected for an oatmeal stout. Carbonation minimal bit correct for style.

O: For the first half of the beer I struggled to detect aroma and flavour. The beer opened up as it warmed but the start was so neutral that it detracted from the end result.

Cheers!
#337

 

 

 

 

A well carbonated black body with a brief brown head. Roasted smokey malt profile that takes on dark choclate, coffee, tobacco, and dark fruit notes with a fair amount of sweetness throughout. Pretty enjoyable oatmeal stout with an complex and satisfying flavor profile more reminiscent of a Russian imperial stout than an oatmeal stout.

 

Good head production and decent retention. Attractive enough beer overall.

Very traditional roasty aroma with a hint of oxidation (two year old can). Prune, burnt coffee, bitter chocolate, raisin, toast, molasses, and perhaps a bit of licorice. Really excellent aromatic profile considering the modest ABV.

Appropriate for the ABV, this isn't a particularly thick stout, although it does come across as fuller bodied than you might expect. Very smooth and silky - again, quite appropriate as an oatmeal stout.

Flavor profile is really smooth. While the nose implies some strong roasty bitterness, it's quite even on the palate. Granted, those notes tend to smooth out over time, and this is an aged can. Tasting notes of prune and raisin immediately, followed by licorice, caramel, molasses, grape, toast, light bitter chocolate, and coffee, leading to more dark fruit and cola on the finish (seemingly influenced by age and a touch of oxidation). Very flavorful, although the profile is a little bit fruitier and sharper than I'd prefer; think of this as an evolution of the Guinness profile, not a radical mutational leap.

Overall a very nice beer, especially for the ABV.