Cafe Stagecoach
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

a really nice oatmeal coffee stout, dark and roasty both on the grain side and on the coffee, on the edge of intense but the whole thing also has a mellowing smoothness, creamy feeling from the oats, great design on this, old school in a good way, what ever happened to oatmeal stouts, hot for a second but seem to have faded out of vogue a bit, im still a huge fan, and this one is very good. pretty black colored pour, rich lathered up khaki head with nice retention, some shine to this, clean looking without being crazy high gloss. the nose is coffee forward right away, not quite roasted through its profile or nuance, but pretty dark, bitter cocoa, slight nuttiness, a little char, italian espresso, nice with the dark barley in here but especially nice with the other grains, just enough center malt richness for this to move and be balanced, light toffee and bready notes in the center, sweeter chocolate there too, but its drier overall, way back english sort of yeast character too, this has layers but the coffee drives it. the flavor is deep and delicious, wintery and cozy, but the flavor cannot be separated from the texture, which is also ideal for this, no acidity from the coffee at all, maybe a cold brew was blended in, it hits like that, but the oat smoothness is epic, lots of creamy richness to carry the flavor, but its dry at the end, really a lovely mouthfeel on this. good bitterness too, which outlasts the middle part of this but isnt too much, quicker finishing for all the flavor but its right on. some hazelnut and chocolate ganache nuance to the coffee beans, and the beer is well crafted to bring that out, really pleasant and it warms well, some molasses there, well grounded. impressive overall, robust and delicious, great use of the oats, maybe the best beer ive had from these guys over the years...