O-tay
LowDown Brewery + Kitchen

Reviewed from notes taken in Winter 2014.

"O-Tay Oatmeal Stout."

Served on nitro draught into a conical mini-pint glass @ LowDown.

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: Mocha colour. Creamy as hell. Thick, full consistency. Soft complexion. Incredible (~10+ minute) retention. Supple, with great consistency and complexion.

BODY: Opaque black-ruby (like Guinness). No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible within.

Appears ideally carbonated. Not a unique or special looking nitro oatmeal stout, but definitely an appealing one.

AROMA: Buried roasted barley. Dark malts. Cream. Milk chocolate. Oats, I guess. Chocolatey sweetness.

No yeasty or hoppy notes are detectable, nor are any off-notes.

A pleasant aroma of moderate strength.

TASTE: Dark malts, milk chocolate, chocolate malts, oats (like one would taste in a chocolate oats and whey protein shake), creamy flavour. Simple and contained, but balanced.

Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour.

Nothing stands out. It's a pretty mundane oatmeal stout, but I do like it.

TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, creamy, light-bodied, well-carbonated, soft, and a little thin on the palate. Suits the taste decently.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.

Those who find nitro dispense stouts too slick or thin may find this disappointing.

OVERALL: Very drinkable, though ultimately unremarkable. A middle-of-the-road pedestrian oatmeal stout that will scratch your itch for the style, but won't impress. I wouldn't get another.

C (2.92) / AVERAGE

i like this one a lot better than their other stout in here. its got more character, more body, and a lot more depth on the grain front. the pour was a little yeasty, maybe a new keg getting tapped in, not quite chunky, but more laden with sediment than is customary in the style. nice inch of head on it though. smells a little yeasty too, odd in a stout that isnt belgian, but it isnt an off characteristic, and i end up kind of digging that aspect. there is a nice roast and dark chocolate profile to this, a hint of burnt malt and sugar, and a remarkably dry finish for all the swirling sweet earlier on. enjoyably round feel, smooth and big on the palate, but not filling, and not too strong to drink a whole bunch of. i like this session type stout this time of year, hunker down with a nice frothy dark beer and watch some sports or something, makes sense, and the idea is well executed here. another well made but arguably a little safe beer from these guys. this one is maybe a little more versatile than some of the others though, solid drink!

edit: there is a rye barrel aged version of this happening at the brewery right now, and its fantastic! the barrels are obviously rye, earthy and spicy and rich, while the base beer isnt overpowered by the barrel at all. smooth and mellow with notes of maple and nut, its delicious, and it really takes this base stout to the next level. get in for some before its gone, i dont think they made much of it...