Oatmeal Stout
Tied House Cafe & Brewery

Draft at brewpub. Immediate chocolate on the nose, rich and sweet. Hints of coffee too. Taste follows with more of the same, really well crafted. Only knock is it could use a bit more body. This is really, really good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - Served a dark black with a touch of brown with a finger of creamy chocolate head. Fades slowly with good lacing.

S - Roasted chocolate malts with a touch of burnt, with some lactose sweetness.

T - Roasted chocolate malts with a bit of milk sweetness and a touch of vanilla. Touch of more heavily roasted chocolate and a bit of burnt malt. Finish is chocolaty with a lactose sweetness alongside.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth creamy mouthfeel from the nitro with a roasty finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice roasted flavors and sweetness but could have used a bit more body and kick.

 

 

On tap at the Mountain View location.

Easily looks the best of the sampler platter I had. A deep opaque black-brown, with flashed of red-brown at the edges. Head is a thick and consistent creamy mocha colour, aided by the nitro pour. Good retention, and it leaves some pretty good lacing. Looks pretty good.

Roasted malts on the nose, quite deep and toasty. It's not particularly strong, but the characters are right, at least. Not verging on smoky, it rather stays quite bittersweet, a hint of brown sugar or burnt toffee. Not bad.

Taste is also good without being great. Tasty enough, starting with a good roasted character, some charred balt on the back which lends a pleasant bitterness. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth from the nitrogen. Again, it's not stellar but it's pretty good.

It's a tasty little stout, pretty drinkable with a decent amount of character. Not the best stout I've had by a long shot, but it's not bad, and easily the best of the Tied House brews I sampled.

(Sampler at the San Jose location)
This stout is black with a tannish head. The aroma is of deep roast and chocolate malt. It has a medium body and is reasonably smooth-- not chalky like most of the other Tied House offerings. The flavor is of dark roast, perhaps raisin, but dry-- not that sweet. It's perhaps a bit light, but it's a nice stout. In my opinion, this is this brewery's best offering.
(rated May 24, 2007)

Pours a dark black body, with a creamy tan head. Smooth appearance. Aroma of dark malt. Taste of chocolate, coffee and a slight roastedness. Mouthfeel is too light, and taste is too watery. Ends a bit sour. Good attempt at an Oatmeal stout. Had better.