Earl
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

Within a clear tulip glass, unfortunately, it comes from the tap, black coffee brown with a modest and sustaining beige head. The somewhat pronounced aroma is roasted malt first, then black coffee and oatmeal with hops even less so. The taste is rather even throughout, with roasted being emphasized as part of the roasted malt, leading the way. But to taste, the gap between roasted malt and roasted coffee narrows. Bittering hops begin to include themselves, but they never dominate, even during the finish. Overall, it's full flavored and well balanced. As the thin, yet stratified glass lacing witnesses, this is rather lightly bodied, especially for having oats in the wort. The presence of black coffee becomes more pronounced as the beer is consumed and there is a hint of malty sweetness. Bottom line, it's a very good oatmeal coffee stout. It's on the thin and bitter side, but neither to a fault. Certainly not a one and done drinking experience, but there's probably enough caffeine within to affect the susceptible.

Sampling a 16 oz can at cellar temp. Date stamp is very difficult to read, but was purchased at the brewery sometime in October. Pouring into my .5L dimple mug. The beer pours a rich deep black coffee color with a dense creamy tan head of 1.0 cm. This foam sticks around as a thin surface cover and solid edging. Also get dense lattice when I swirl or take a sip of beer.
Aroma is some roasted malt and a dry, bitter black coffee note. Sort of astringent on the nose due to the coffee. No hint of the 7% and not any hint of hops either. Nose is appealing, yet not very complex as the coffee dominates by far.
First sip reveals a medium body and fine tingly carbonation. Texture is smooth and the physical traits make this an easy drinker.
Flavor is roasted malt, some rich coffee grounds and almost a charred wood note. A little bit of chocolate shows up at the end, but coffee dominates here too. No hop notes and ABV is hidden pretty well.
I enjoyed this beer quite a bit and would definitely drink this one again if given the chance.

 

 

 

 

Just a really solid stout all around. The coffee is expressive on the nose but not candy-like or syrupy in the flavors. The oats make for a soft, fluffy mouthfeel. The roasted barley malts are rich and chocolatey but not burnt or bitter. The hop bill offers a mild herbal note but is not overwhelming. This won't knock your socks off, but it is a fantastic daily drinker

87/100

Wow!!! Malted barley, flaked oats. Roasted malt. Unfiltered and naturally carbonated. Strong coffee flavors, made with coffee from Ethiopia and central/South America. Yeast from hill farmstead ale and water from their well.
Dark black color, dissipating head. Incredible taste. Robust, not bitter, quite smooth.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 440ml can.
Pours with a decent head. Nice body for a relatively light stout. Good amount of coffee in here and some light floral notes. Nice change from all the heavy barrel aged stuff i usually drink.

 

L: Opaque black with a slight dark brown tint. Perfect off brown head which dissipates rather quickly but coats the side of your glass

A: Pure cold brewed coffee with a hint of sweetness

T: Slight chocolate sweetness up front followed by a delicious dark roast coffee and ends with a dark chocolate bitterness on your tongue. None of the harsh bitterness common to this style

M: medium body which is extremely smooth with a slight creaminess

O: Probably one of the best pure coffee stouts I’ve had. Like a great cold brew coffee with alcohol.

On tap at Farmhouse T&G

 

Big thanks to mdfb79 for sending this gem my way!
Backlog notes from Dec 2015

Bottle shared between 2 snifter glasses

This one gets high marks from me in that I have yet to come across a better example of the Oat Stout style.
Without flaws really. Appearance of a shiny dark coal body with a nice lather of khaki tan froth that settles comfortably.
The nose is inviting with fresh coffee and melted chocolate notes, toasted grains/oats, some light fruity esters. Not incredibly potent but very nice. Flavors are barista grade coffee, chocolate mousse, and toasted oats/granola. The coffee compliments and nothing seems to be in competition here. The feel is rich and lush on the palate with a velvety smooth texture. Incredibly simple and straight forward yet with a complexity that intrigues. I find everything is within unison here. Man this has such smooth balance and creamy texture. I could drink with Earl on the daily.

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml. Bottle

This should be a nice mini vacation away from the hordes of New England IPA's I'm consuming regularly....

Pours out black with a gorgeous rising Cascade that forms the dark tan foam cover. Thin top but creamy and bubbly. Intricate lacing all around the snifter.

The dark roasted malty aroma is pretty intense, with major players being the dark roasted coffee, silky smelling oats, creamy dark chocolate topped with caramel and blueberries. Deep aroma, complex nose.

The toasty and roasty malt and coffee charecter is spot-on perfect. Smooth and full tasting oats add a layer of depth. The malt complexity is like a deep well, you can't see the bottom.
Baker's bitter chocolate, dry Earth, bitter and leafy hops give it a big bump. Full as Full can be for the texture, silky smooth mouthfeel and intense coffee adjunct brings this into the realm of Alchemy, not just brewing ingredients together. Masterfully created, every aspect to this makes me shake my head in wonder.
It always amazes me when a sweet, fruity, dark berries like current runs through such a malty creation. On a scale of 1-10, the mouthfeel and texture of this stout is infinite.

Overall...mega complexity, brilliantly formulated and crafted.

 

Great brewery

 

 

 

Growler from 3 days ago

A: Pours pitch-black with a small brown head. Very little head retention or lacing. In all fairness, carbonation seems low, likely from time in the growler. After it warmed up a bit, it does leave quite nice lacing on the glass when swirled.

S: Great coffee. I mean, delicious smelling coffee. Some chocolate in there to boot. Really nice.

T: Coffee and chocolate up front. Turns into a bitter dark chocolate in the middle. Get some creamy sweetness from the oatmeal, particularly in the middle and the finish. Aftertaste is creamy and clean with just some very light lingering coffee and subsequent bitterness.

M: Medium bodied, smooth and creamy.

O: Quite excellent oatmeal stout. Smell is amazing but the coffee taste does not overwhelm like I was expecting. Surprisingly well balanced with a nice creamy mouthfeel. It's not a beer that blows you out of the water but it's just expertly executed.

 

Bottle in trade from Josh, thanks for the hookup. Bottle is a couple of years old. Earthy roasty with plenty of chocolate and a hint of licorice and some dark dried fruits. Lingering roasted malt at the end of every sip. Creamy silky smooth in the mouth moderate carbonation. Really tasty brew.

 

Had this on tap at Whetstone Station in Brattleboro. The beer had a pure black appearance with a light brown, thin head. Aromas had a strong sense of milk chocolate with some roasty tones to it. The taste followed the nose with a bitter milk chocolate flavor. Very creamy mouthfeel. Overall, excellent across the board.

 

 

Fruit forward. Decent coffee stout. One can definitely taste the South American and Ethiopian coffee in this beer. Forward tastes of coffee with fruitiness.