Lovely, Dark And Deep
Brewery Ommegang

The dark black beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 2" tan head that leaves a web of lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes to a thin layer foam most of the surface and a small ring of foam around the glass. Sipping creates small patches and a few legs of lacing.

The aromas include some dark fruits, some roasted malt and some coffee up front. There’s also some chocolate noticeable as well.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose, with dark fruits from the Belgian yeast, the rich chocolate and some coffee up front, all well supported with a bit of sweetness, a touch of roasted malt and a hint of earthy, herbal hops way in the background.

The mouth feel is on the full side of medium bodied and smooth with some light but persistent carbonation. The finish begins as the coffee and roasted malt begin to fade so that the slightly sweet dark fruits, a bit of the roasted malt persist quite a while before they slide away into that light, slightly bitter, slightly fruity dryness that invites another sip.

I'd say this is a well made and enjoyable beer that I'll be looking to have again. There's a nice balance and complexity here with none of the flavors dominating the others and all getting their chance to contribute. If I were truely rating this to style I'd probably be giving a few lower scores, but I happen to think a Belgian Stout should be given a bit of slack since there are no separate categories making provision for the use of Belgian yeast in an Oatmeal Stout.

RB transfer

Black color. Medium-sized, beige head. Coffee, chocolate, and a hint of yeasts in aroma. Taste follows. Smooth , medium body.Mild , roasted bitterness.

 

"Best by 9/20/16"; drank 3/31/16 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a HUGE dark tan head; strong, frothy tree-rung lace.

Red wine, minerals & faint clove notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Red wine & banana flavors up front; faint clove notes on the finish. Complex but not over the top. Unique & enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love good oatmeal stouts
Pours a very large creamy foamy rich 2 finger head that fades at a med pace, seems a bit over carbonated, nice lacing, very dark brown color touch of light coming through,

Nose nice toasted oatmeal stout, touch roasty, plenty of dark chocolate cocoa, creamy oats, perhaps some lactose, little roasty bitterness, hint of coffee

Taste more rich dark malts, a bit of roast and char bitterness, touch of coffee with that, lots of black dark malts, plenty of creamy oatmeal, plenty of oats, some dark chocolate cocoa notes, a touch roasty acrid, touch of bitter hops, slight dry finish, sticky, little roasty bitter acrid note on the finish

Mouth is med bod, some creamy rich oats, a bit light on the carb

Overall not bad, but not great, malts were way to dark and roasty almost acrid, not quite creamy rich enough overall, but not bad

 

 

 

L - Pitch, opaque black with some dark brown highlighting the edges. A medium thick tan head that sticks around and leaves some lacing behind.
S - Sweet barely and oats with a hint of bittersweet chocolate and very light notes of roast. Almost reminds me of a milk stout in terms of smell. The smell isn't particularly strong though.
T - Sweet malt, barely, and oats with slight notes of chocolate, roast/toasted oats, smokiness, and toffee. The sweetness really reminds me of a milk stout rather than oatmeal stout.
F - Medium to fuller bodied - but leaning more towards the medium side of things with a moderate amount of carbonation. Feels a little on the lighter and more carbonated side for a stout than I prefer.
O - A decent stout worth a try but it feels like more of a milk stout than oatmeal stout to me - a melding of the two styles I guess. The flavors are nice, however they aren't too strong which takes away from a beer than could be good but just makes it decent.

Not so deep as the name implies for an oatmeal stout. Nicely balanced flavors of chocolate, coffee and fruit. Medium-bodied and smooth to drink. Overall pleasant, but too tame for my tastes.