Ringneck Imperial Oatmeal Stout
The Brew Kettle Taproom & Smokehouse / Production Works

Thanks to fiver29 for this extra, as part of a soul- and porch-crushing box that he delivered unto me. Been a while since I had any Brew Kettle. 22 oz. bottle with a charmingly goofy label that looks straight outta 1989. I can almost envision the dot-matrix printer.

Pour is oatmeal black, & a gentle pour reveals standard carbonation in the glass. Nosing up, I find a gentle roast, nice caramel, touch of graininess. I usually like stuff that sticks a fist up my nose, but this is very nice in a quiet sort of way.

Ringneck Imperial Oatmeal Stout noses in quietly before banging the drum. Roast - not coffee, but roast - scorches through the palate, with a scarce & scared wisp of sweet malt barely perceptible before it's vanquished. Borderline harsh. Almost lactose/espresso in the middle, then there might be the biggest hop crunch I've had in a beer that opens up the back of the throat like a knife wound. Wicked bitterness is accented by the roast. The only drawback is in the simplicity - there's not much here to experience beyond pain & roast. Each drink makes me wince. Happily. Sucking down.

This is an unexpectedly searing beer - I think the brewer dropped the oatmeal before brewing, 'cause ain't nothin' smooth about this beer. Aggressive, assertive, brutal - like. Very good beer that if it had a touch more taste, would veer into excellent.

From notes.

Presentation: Poured from a brown bomber into a standard pint glass. Label depicts a man in a blue shirt wearing a crown and eating a bowl of oatmeal. Got this at the brewpub a week or so ago.

Appearance: Pours with 2 fingers of dense tan head. This settles slowly, maintaining a decent coating of foam and leaving behind nice lacing. The beer itself is a very dark mahogany and opaque everywhere but at the extreme edges.

Smell: Coffee with some hints of unsweetened cocoa. Barley bitterness in the finish.

Taste: Smooth oatmeal body upfront with an ever so slight sweetness in the middle. Finishes with mild roastiness. Slight sourness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Slightly lower than average carbonation level. Body is very good.

Drinkability: A nice example of an oatmeal stout, but to me, there is not much Imperial here.

Almost black with a nice half finger of white that melts to a complete white covering with a slightly sticky ring.

Aroma of toasted malts and coffee...dark rich coffee, but not bitter.

Taste of very dark roasted malts with hints of oatmeal smoothness and then lots of coffee, once again. Finish is nice and hoppy with a light citrus bite.

Aftertaste is a warming alcohol and smooth coffee yet with the bite from the hops used in the brew.

Nice...very nice.
Don't make the mistake of trying to drink this too cold. I did and it came out thin and bitter without much personality. Warmed to above 60 and it is very complex yet wonderfully balanced and smooth as an oatmeal should be.

Thanks Kevin.

A: Pours dark brown with ruby highlights and a bubbly off-white head. Brief lacing that cascades down the glass with each sip.

S: Soft smell of roasted malt lightly balanced with a dry hop aroma.

T: Roasted malt taste with flavors of nuts and dry oats. Superbly balanced with a coffee-like finish.

M: Full-bodied and velvety smooth with fine carbonation. Quite dry.

D: A very well-crafted beer, this one is nothing but nice. Worth geting again.