Evening Sunrise
Grimm Artisanal Ales

Review: 2356
Name: Evening Sunrise
Brewery: Grimm Artisanal Ales
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Style: Imperial Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 12%
Canned: Unknown
Date: 8 April 2025
Going back to my cellar, I opted for an oatmeal stout. I know this beer is at least four years old. A lovely hiss emitted as I pried the cap off, giving signs of life. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 50 degrees. The pour created a frothy, creamy, half-fingered head, tan head with poor retention. The quick dissipation left a ring around the liquid without lacing on the glass. The color is pitch black with a dark garnet hue, charting at SRM 34, and mostly opaque. The appearance of the beer is poor; the head retention is dismal.
Nosing the glass, I smell oats, lightly toasted malts, roasted malts, vanilla, medium-roasted coffee, light nuttiness, char, caramel, molasses, dried cherries, earthiness, and leather.
Sipping the beer, I tasted oats, vanilla, cream, oats, lightly toasted malts, dark roasted coffee, grassy, dried cherries, caramel, molasses, toffee, earthiness, tobacco, leather, anise, a skosh of nuttiness, char, and a hint of soy sauce.
The mouthfeel is creamy and chewy, finishing smooth with a slight warming. The body is heavy and has low carbonation.
This oatmeal stout is one of the few beers that I have consumed in which the coffee is expressive and does not get lost, with slight bitterness. The beer has a bit of char, dark roasted malt bitterness, and a light Maillard note that can distract some, but it does not bother me. Overall, this is a solid oatmeal stout with vanilla and coffee.

 

 

L: A jet black dark color.
S: Sweet nutty notes.
T: An oatmeal cookie as a beer. A light rush of chocolate with more oatmeal and nut notes with a tall of sugar and vanilla covered by chocolate.
F: An oatmeal cookie.
O: A unique oatmeal cookie in a beer.

 

 

 

I love this stout. The color is dark without a thick foamy head. It is sweet but smooth. You can taste the vanilla, coffee, chocolate notes but not too overbearing. At 12% it is easy to drink, not bitter. A good beer while relaxing, watching a movie or listening to mellow music.

 

This was one of my favorite stouts all-time! It's not the densest, thickest, richest of all stouts, so if you're looking for a fudgy beer soup, this isn't it. But what it has in spades is balance. It's got great depth of aroma and flavor, and the coffee and brown sugar and vanilla really come through. And with a medium-heavy body, it's a super smooth-drinking stout. I liked Grimm's Double Negative stout, but this one was a step and a half above. Do yourself a favor and grab one of these if you find it.

 

 

Look, SRM is about 39, great lacing
Smell, Vanilla, strong coffee
Taste, Starts with strong almond & vanilla, initially sweet leaves a nice strong coffee, charred aftertaste
Feel, Almost a gritty feel, substantial gravity
Overall this is a great stout. Everything is present, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla, toasted almonds. Really a great balance.

 

 

 

L: Oily crude with a short-lived head but forever ring of tan froth leaving spots of lace that slowly slink back in.

S: Mostly a meld of vanilla and almond stand out here. The touch of spirits out-do the coffee aroma.

T: The taste is more vanilla on roasted malts, booze, and an espresso note is present.

F: Medium body and a bit too syrupy for the weight IMO.

O: Something a little different but not a standout. This strikes me as integrated but still in a failed pastry stout category.