Oatmeal Stout
Ribstone Creek Brewery

Ribstone Creek Oatmeal Stout pours into my glass thick and black as pitch. The head is dense, the color of coffee and cream and is respectably lasting.
The aroma shows an up front character that is rich, lush, and at first blush earthy. On closer examination, that up front earthiness reveals the character of oatmeal or porridge you'd expect from an oatmeal stout. Gentle caramel sweetness smooths out the richer notes of this stout's nose. Then comes the scent of ripe dark stone fruits. In the finish I find hints of coffee and cream.
Taking a sip shows me a stout that is as thick, rich, and lush as any stout ought to be. Flavors of ripe berries lead the charge, supported by flavors of oatmeal, malt, and dark caramel. Flavors of ripe berry dominate the center a little more than I care for, honestly. Caramel comes through here, leading into a finish that gives similar hints of coffee as those I found in the nose. Coffee flavors lead into a short, dry finish.
The most I can say is that is oatmeal stout is okay, not great or outstanding. Mostly it`s the overall flavor profile that throws me off. The flavors of ripe stone fruit feels out of place in an oatmeal stout. I was expecting a smoother, more malt dominant flavor profile with fewer fruit esters.

16oz pint at Beer Revolution YEG Oliver Square - again, a strange seasonal release for around here.

This beer appears a solid black hole, yet with subtle red cola highlights, and one finger of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly beige head, which leaves some cannonball splash aftermath lace around the glass as things slowly abate.

It smells of lightly roasted caramel malt, edgy anise candies, a soft dark orchard and red berry fruitiness, some mild damp ashiness, and very weak leafy and floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, a bit of free-range char, some strawberry, plum, and bing cherry fruity esters, semi-sweet black licorice, and more well understated earthy, weedy, and floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite active in its sometimes playful frothiness, the body a decent medium weight, and generally smooth, just a bit of smoke interfering with a burgeoning creaminess. It finishes off-dry, the toasted malt, fruity notes, and licorice presiding.

Overall, this is an agreeable enough version of the style, complex and easy to drink. The oatmeal component doesn't really come through all that much, but there's lots going on here to distract from the fact. Good stuff!