Second Wind Oatmeal Stout
Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse, Dining Room & Microbrewery (The Norwich Inn)

 

Was handed this bottle through the bottle shop window. Thanks to Patrick for brewing it up.

A: Pours a black stallion colored black with a one finger caramel colored head. Nice retention with fine lacing down the glass.
S: Burnt barley with a sweet maltyness that overpowers the burntness. Faint chocolate notes appear with a swirl of the glass.
T/M: Burnt maltyness slams the palate. Huge coffeelike bitterness follows stinging the taste buds. Theres a leafy character to the bitterness--hops make themselves noticeable here. Smokey and dry in the finish. Silky soft at first on the palate but the stinging hop bitterness takes away from the overall mouthfeel. Medium to rich bodied stout.
D: Eh. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. Glad I took one home and wished it was on tap when I was at the Inn.

Presentation: 22 oz brown bomber with a bottled on date on the side of the label.

Appearance: Thin yet sticky lace, opaque and black just as a stout should be.

Smell: Sweetness from the malt and oats, rounded roasted character in the back.

Taste & Mouth Feel: Nearly velvety smooth with a creamy back, full bodied. Rich roasted character, a tad teethy or steely from the oats. Hop bitterness keeps the sweetness in check. Mild herbal hops and dark chocolate like roasted grain in the finish.

Drinkability & Notes: Great stuff, lots of flavor with simply complexities around every turn. Cheers to the brewer for this one.

I purchased a 22oz bottle of Second Wind Oatmeal Stout from the Bottle Shop at the Norwich Inn. The label indicates it was bottled in July, and I assume that means July of this year.

This stout pours a deep black color with a thick fluffy tan head that fades to a thin coating on the top of the beer after a couple of minutes. Aroma is of dark chocolate and dark roasted coffee, with some slightly acidic notes. Taste has burnt caramel, coffee and cocoa notes, with a bitter finish with an aftertaste that I notice in all oatmeal stouts that I can only describe as wet cardboard. But in a good way. Has a slightly thin mouthfeel, but is probably appropriate to style, so I won't take points off. Very smooth going down, an excellently balanced session beer.

Pours with deep black body and a thin brown head. This beer smells moderately like toasted malts, with some nuttiness. It tastes of toasted malt with some nuttiness, but I found this beer a bit lighter than most stouts. Like the taste, the mouthfeel was light as well, lacking some of the heaviness of most stouts.

Personally, when I'm at Jasper Murdock's I prefer the porter, but this stout is definitely drinkable.