Stacks Bluff
Van Dieman Brewing

 

Pours black with a brown head. The aroma is only slight, but of roasted malt. The taste has a slight hint of coffee, roasted malt and oatmeal with moderate bitterness that lasts on the palate.

 

Bottle enjoyed towards the end of dinner at Stillwater Restaurant in Launceston.

Pours a dark brown, chocolatey on the edges. Head is beige, nice density with thin crown retaining. Lace is a bit thin but OK. Looks nice.

Smells oddly fruity. Esters of banana, pear and a touch of cinnamon. Maybe some acetyldehyde? Toffee and brandy snap as well. Could use some more roast for the style, but otherwise pleasant.

Taste is better; more coherently stouty at least. Starts with toffee, touch of sour cherry, then gets roasty with some espresso towards the back. Finishes light, decently sweet with a touch of caramel and chocolate. Hint of that banana as well. Decent oatmeal stout; sweet at times but overall lightly roasty.

Carbonation comes through a bit harsh which I find often a problem with the style. Body is otherwise smooth, but feels overcarbed maybe.

Decent oatmeal stout, could use maybe a stronger malt base and lower carbonation.

 

330ml bottle thanks to joecast in the Australian BIF. Poured in a Kent Old Brown handle.

Excessive carbonation, tonnes of foam sit atop this black beer with a reddish hue. Slowly the foam recedes, but it takes plenty of time.

The smell is decent, some cocoa, chocolate and just a touch of coffee. Pretty well integrated.

Taste has plenty of chocolate and a little bit of chocolate bitterness on the back end. Faint coffee as well, but its chocolate and a shade of cocoa is what this is all about.

Overly carbonated, thinnish for an oatmeal stout and a little prickly with the carbonation. Sadly this lets this down in a big way.

On the way to being a very good oatmeal stout. Not there yet with the carbonation issues. Once this gets sorted this ought to be quite good beer.

 

This brew pours a very dark cherry hue with average carbonation that leaves behind a one finger head and no lacing,the smell is a mix of port,sherry,expresso and dark fruity hops,the mouthfeel is a let down it is light bodied,averagely carbonated and abit watery and i like my Oatmeal stouts alot thicker than this and taste is abit better with tastes of chocolate,coffee,roasted malts,vanilla,a touch of dark fruity hops and finished with a subtle hint of vanilla and overall its not bad but the mouthfeel is too light bodied and a tad watery for my liking.

Pours black with a small fading dark tan head.
Nose shows big chocolate and vanilla with roasted malt in the background. Very nice.
Less complex flavours, there is a little chocolate and coffee but then it quickly falls flat.
Carbonation is to high, body too watery.

Deep black with a fantastic tan foamy head. Excellent stability and good lacing. Traces of red show up at the edges.

Great stout aroma. Chocolate and coffee, slight roast, cocoa. Very inviting and softens as it warms.

Smooth taste, very mellow. No harshness at all either from hop bitterness or dry roasted malts. The sweetness is well managed and keeps from being too one dimensional.

Guess I should have grabbed more than one bottle as this one didn't last through the review. Great drinkability and I'm usually not too big on stouts. The change in weather certainly helps, but this beer would go down any time.