Altered Existence: Imperial Oatmeal Stout
Lord Hobo Brewing Company

Loved it! Didn't even know about it until my son got me 2 - 16 ounce cans for Christmas. 13% ABV poured into a Sam Adams glass. Definitely worth a try.

Poured from a can into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a nearly pitch black color with a small head of brown colored foam. The head has a fantastic retention fading over time and leaving a good sum of sticky and foamy looking lace on the sides of the glass. Upon swirling the brew in the snifter, its thickness can be appreciated, with sticky fingers of brew clinging to the sides of the glass and slowly receding to the base.
Smell – The aroma is massive of a roasted and toasted malt and oatmeal paired with big smells of chocolate and vanilla. Along with these smells comes notes of a coffee smell and as one may expect, a decent hit of a huge bourbon booziness. It is abound by other sweet smells of molasses and brown sugar as well as some very strong aromas of raisin and plum. Notes of wood and char are mixed in there as well, combining with the rest to produce one very rich and indulgent smell.
Taste – The taste starts with a good level of sweetness and a big roasted maltiness with a huge presence of toasted and roasted malt paired with lots of raisin and cheery. There is a creamy oatmeal flavor as well, that creates a nice base taste. Other sweet flavors of brown sugar, molasses, and milk chocolate are there as well, taking the sweet to a quite intense level. At first there is little bourbon that greets the tongue, but as the taste advances more and more bourbon does too, bringing along with it a strong showing of wood and char. All the while the roasted and toasted malt gets stronger, while some of the sweeter flavors fade a touch. Notes of vanilla work their way onto the scene, along with a light earthiness and some cola. Flavors of a boozy rum and hit of coffee come on at the end, and with the rest, one is left with a thick and roasty, rather sweet and robust taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is thick and creamy with a moderate carbonation level. For the big flavors and the big nature of the brew the feel is quite nice and makes for a nice slow sipper.
Overall – A rather big and robust brew with a huge roasty and sweet nature, accentuated nicely by the bourbon aging. One to try and share.

Mellow aroma of bourbon - doesn't scream at you. Pours almost jet black with a short lived tan head. Taste wise, the bourbon barrel is front and center yet stays in balance and doesn't overwhelm. Lots of dark chocolate, a bit of vanilla, a bit of char - it all comes together in a complimentary way. Mouthfeel is rich and creamy, most definitely a sipper. Well done by Lord Hobo and worth s try if you can find it.

Canned 2023/12/05
Pours a foamy dense creamy 1 finger tan head with good retention, soapy lacing, very dark mahogany brown to almost black color

Nose brings some barrel up front, vanilla and whiskey, a sweet bourbon actually, toasted vanilla oak, some chocolate, cocoa, chocolate and vanilla pudding mixed, some caramel notes, nougat and a little candy bar, baking spices, even a touch fudgey

Taste starts a bit sweet with more candy bar, chocolate, nougat, some caramel, baking spices, more of the pudding like the Snack Packs with chocolate vanilla and caramel flavors, some barrel with more vanilla and toasted oak, a bit of a bourbon whiskey but less than the nose, fair alcohol but not overly hot, some bitterness from the roasted malts and a little spicy hop late, finishes mild sweet with a bit more alcohol, and all the flavors lingering

Mouth is full bod, rich almost chewy, med to a touch higher frothy carb, fair warming tingly alcohol but not overly

Overall I have to give Lord Hobo a bit of props for this. I had low expectations for the base beer and the barrel, but this was pretty well done, not over the top on anything, not a kitchen sink beer with everything just thrown in, and good barrel presence (which I attribute to Garrison Brothers as they have awesome bourbon).