Captain Rude's Blackwater Stout
Swashbuckler Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

This seems quite thin for an oatmeal stout. Almost like a weak porter, much less an oatmeal stout. A caramel laced ride is what I get on the flavor profile. Not much else, which seems not to style to me. Smooth, yet quite a thin feel. Eh. This is a miss. I don't get what is going on here.

 

 

 

 

This brew poured out as a thick looking black stout with a nice brown head on it. The lacing was pretty good as well. The smell of the beer had some coffee on the noseand some other roasted malts. The taste of the beer is pretty nice, it's rich with malts and chocolate. The. There is even some hops in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel wasn't bad, had a good thickness to it. Overall it was a decent stout to say the least.

Had a few of these as well as their Scotch Ale at a the Ren Faire there and I felt in love, sort of. First 2 I drank from a proper pint glass and the remaining 4-6 from a tall 32oz pewter mug - fit for injury. This is a review from the glass pint.

Poured black and dank like sooty engine oil. Rather generous frothy head (depending on the tender wench), kind of a faint shimmer to its rusty/coppery color. Thick and hearty in appearance.

The aroma tends to waver in the malted milk ball arena. Little bit of bran, bitter chocolate, touch of molasses thrown in. Those elements develop further in the taste. Oh, a faint fuzzy hop presence shows up in the aroma, too, translating, in combination with subtly metallic and a rounded, lightly acidic roasted quality into a firm, somewhat herbaceous, and pleasing bitterness. Almost has a Russian black bread thing going on as well.

Hearty, nutritious feel to it. Fairly smooth and just about medium-bodied. All-weather drinkable. Really nice job here. I could honestly drink this all the time at all hours of the day.

Pours a dark dark brown-black with only a hint of transparency. It always has a one finger head that is surprisingly light and milky in color.

The aroma is dense and coffee-like, roasted and noticeable oat-like thickness.

The flavor is a dry stout with notes similar to the aroma, however there is a bit of sweetness that comes in through out the beer's finish. The sweet oats and thickness of the oatmeal balance out the bitterness of the malts. There is some hops presence mostly in the nose and finishing swallow.

Captain Rude's Blackwater Stout is my go-to beer while at the Swashbuckler's. Many summer days have acquainted me with this beer. It is highly drinkable, smooth and chewy, and filling. Yet at the same time it is very thirst-quenching.

This arrived with a finger of of mocha-brown head with good retention. Color was a deep, dark brown with very little light penetration. Nose was sweetish, chocolaty with a slight smokiness. Mouthfeel was medium with a dark chocolate taste on the tongue. Finish tended more towards coffee than chocolate, but still a very smooth beer. Definitely enjoyable.

A - pours a dark brown, couldn't see any light through it, with a big 2 inch head that left good lacing through the glass

S - very nice subtle coffee and chocolate aroma

T - chocolate and coffee taste with a slight bitter hop finish

M/D - very nice easy drinking stout. Very nicely balanced and smooth. I can't wait to have this one again.

On tap at the PA Renaissance Faire.

Pours a deep, dark, chocolate brown (almost black) with a finger or so of dark mocha colored head. Nice thin layer of creamy retention that flares up nicely when swirled and leaves behind a big cascade of lacing and brown oily residues down the sides of the mug. The aroma is chocolate, roasted malts, some coffe, and a nice tinge of fresh hops in the backend.

The taste is dark roasted chocolate malts, a touch of coffee bitterness, and some underlying caramel sweetness. There is also a nice profile of fresh hop towards the back that finishes things up with a smack of dry bitterness on the lips. The mouthfeel is a heavy medium with smooth and creamy feel from the oatmeal with an occassional prickle here and there.

A rather fresh, robust, and easy drinking Stout that doesn't lay on the ABV, this is perfect for filling up your mug and getting in the spirit for some Renaissance Faire revelry. Good stuff.

On tap at the PA Renaissance Faire...
Appears black with a foamy, tan head that slowly fades into a small cap. Lovely chunks of foam lace sticks all around the glass.
Smell is of toasted oats, grains, cream, cocoa, light caramel, and an open bag of cereal.
Taste is of the aromas with a decent mixture, making for a toasty, sweet, full brew.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, sweet, grainy, semi-dry, with CO2 bubbles bouncing off the middle of the tongue.

I recommend purchasing the faux glass cup from the Swashbuckler gift shop. It gives you an extra few ounces at each pour and it give an idea what the beer looks like (almost as good as real glass).

The Bartender told me this beer is an English style oatmeal stout that is not very bitter. It borders on some milk stout attribute but remains properly classified as an oatmeal stout.

Appearance: Served looking like a black body (in my medieval leather mug) with a large thick creamy head that had good retention.

Smell: The aroma is sweet and creamy with hints of chocolate and dark malts and a subtle suggestion of coffee. The beer is served too cold but if you let it warm enough there is a miniscule scent of oat that shows up as well.

Taste: The beer enters the mouth fluffy and tasting a bit like a milk stout with the hole cream milk chocolate flavor but as it moves across the palate suggestions of oats and dry roasty malts show up with the hints of chocolate and finish has a light nip of bitter hops. Overall this is a very approachable Stout consciously brewed for the mass market group of drinkers at the PA Renaissance Faire.

Mouthfeel: The beer feel smooth and a bit creamy as it enters the mouth but does lack a little bit of body and this a bit at the back end. Regardless a very pleasant beer.

Drinkability: As a stout fan I found this to be one of my favorites at the Faire. It was a simple stout. It was light in the mouth and stomach and has a relatively low 4.9% ABV. These are great attributes when you expect to be on your feet for 5 more hours of walking to shows and jousts etc.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Sampled on tap at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Standard look for the style: black body, sand colored head. Head left a bit to be desired in terms of size and lace.

Faint coco armoa.

Very light flavor out of the gate. A nice bitter moca flavor develops, but lacks a real kick. Did I taste hops? I can't quite tell. The aftertaste was quite nice.