Courting The Squall
3 Stars Brewing Company

This DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure of mine has morphed into my latest CANQuest (tm) focus! I really had no idea that MaryCANd, especially, was putting out so much beer. 8=O It seems as though every time I feel like I a close, some more beers from that area Pop! up from out of hiding to surprise me. Further, I am back to work so I CANnot keep up the pace that I set during the Christmas/Winter Break. 8=( On top of all of that, even New Beer Sunday is off-limits due to prior CANmitments. 8=( Inna meantime, a shout-out to my local, in-person trader, @tone77 who recently dropped this off for me.

From the CAN: "Oatmeal Stout"; "Embrace The Chaos".

I was heartened by both the name & the label since I never served under any skipper that was not afraid of courting the squall. We used to refer to it as "fresh-water washdown" & turn directly into its path. I was a sailor's sailor from the jump & loved to be in heavy seas. Onward!

I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. This resulted in a pseudo-cascade that resulted in the formation of just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with modest retention. Color was Very Dark Brown to Black/Opaque (SRM = > 34, < 44) with garnet highlights at the edges. Nose was very roasty, smelling of Baker's chocolate, licorice, smoky charcoal & coffee. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but very slick on the tongue. The taste was not as roasty as the nose had led me to expect, but that was actually okay. It did not need to be some burnt offering, as some have been in the past. I'd be curious to know the malt bill - certainly chocolate, but what else? No matter. As I alluded to, chocolate was the predominant flavor, but I still got that light, roasty, smoky charcoal as well as a very light licorice/anise flavor. Mmm. Our courtship came to a close on a dry finish, lingering with the smokiness in my sinuses. Nice. This was not a dry Irish Stout, but neither was it a sweet Milk Stout. It landed solidly between the two & stood as a very good example of an Oatmeal Stout. I look forward to tasting the rest of their wares. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of roasted malts, some oats are present. Taste is coffee, roasted malts, hints of smoke, very light oats Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall this is a pretty good beer.

 

Pours a nearly black color. The head is two fingers high and mocha in shade. Poor retention seems to suggest this will be an assertively carbonated brew, and its soapy texture fails to leave meaningful lacing on the glass.

There's nothing really fancy about the nose...but it just nails that combination of oat and roasted malt that I find so satisfying. In addition, there are pleasing touches of brown sugar, molasses, and chocolate. It's not a complex-smelling brew, however. The way everything comes together more than makes up for any depth shortcomings.

The flavor profile disappoints slightly next to the nose. Roasted malts aren't as vibrant, only showing up as a puff on the front of the palate. There are plenty of oat characteristics, however, and a nice brown sugar flavor lasts from start to finish. I also pick up a little chocolate near the back end. It's structured and balanced nicely, it just lacks a bold flavor - even for 5%.

This definitely seems well carbonated as it first hits the palate. Once it fades (and it fades relatively quickly), it leaves behind a slimy, slick feel. This would be a bigger problem if this weren't so well attenuated, allowing it to drink fairly easily. Still, it could use some more body.

Not bad. I like how easygoing it is, but it needs more "oomph". Whether a bigger roast note, more chocolate - or hell, a slightly beefier mouthfeel - it's just missing something to take that next step. I doubt I'll buy this again.

3.18/5: A definitively average squall

20oz stout glass. Pour is almost black.. no light. Nice 1 finger dark tan foamy head that dissipates quickly.

Smells of dark roasted malts, coffee. Taste was the same, with just a hint of coffee, and a smidgen of chocolate. There were no notes on the can on what to expect, and for some reason I wasn't pulling much in the way of flavor. MF was smooth, with little carbonation.

I would love to revisit this beer, just to see if my taste buds were on strike. For some reason this did not hold a lot of flavor. I gave it 4 overall because it was a tasty stout with only 5 ABV.

Pours a deep ebony color with a tight, tan head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of deep roasted notes along with some oats.

Tastes of the deep roasted malt. Malts lead off with notes of dark coffee and molasses. This gives way to some toasted oats. Earthy, roasted bitterness follows before a light, coffee finish.

Mouthfeel is medium with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is a good oatmeal stout.

 

Canned January 13th, printed clearly on the paper label.

A: Looks pretty black to me, initial abundance of tan foam but that leaves the scene in what seems like the blink of an eye.

S: Toasted oat, roasted malt, sweetish milky notes that remind me of a Milk Stout.

T: Exactly the same for the taste. No surprises either bad or good.

M: Medium bodied, could use a tad more carbonation, imho.

O: A couple of weak points, as I mentioned, but overall, satisfying and very drinkable.