Simple Man
Frank Brewing Co.

 

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From Frank Brewing Co. on Tecumseh Rd. East in nearby Windsor. My seventh beer from the Windsor, Ontario brewery, and fifth for 2025...

Appearance: An Opaque black as night body as a good stout should have that poured with a finger of head and produced some lacing as well as decent retention. Needs more head presence a whole but good job.

Smell: The potency isn't there initially and after warming it brings out a bit more roasted malt and nuttiness to it. It's not overly complex but it's solid and...well simple.

Taste: True to it's namesake, this is a simple, no bells and whistles Oatmeal stout, done bang on. Well roasted malt that stops just short of coming across as charred the comes forward with dark chocolate and walnut with the barest hint of earthy hop presence. It's a dictionary definition, simple Oatmeal stout, that I would normally give a 4 but because the branding outright implies that's what it is, I'll give it the extra 0.25. It's as far as I can put it without something there to really knock my socks off.

Mouthfeel: Carbonations is a little bit more aggressive then I like with a stout, as I tend to like it a bit creamier, but it's a minor complaint as it still does a good job of accenting the flavors and really, the velvet like mouthfeel the oats in the style impart offset it. The beer beautifully builds up to a bitter crescendo without clinging and leaving a nice mixed malt and chocolate aftertaste.

Drinkability: Heavy bodied, as a good stout should be, but that velvet smoothness doesn't let you notice it until its in your stomach. It's very easy to drink, as a sipping Stout this is not, making it's well hidden slightly higher ABV as something you need to remain aware of. This is your end of day, I need a beer and I want a stout beer and is one that you could certain decide that you'd have another to go with it.

Final Thoughts: This biggest complaint I have with this beer is the song that is the beer's namesake (that being Simple Man) is stuck in my head, but for some reason Pearl Jam is doing it instead of Shinedown or Skynyrd (they're both great, don't hate). Given that's not an actual complaint though, I have to say this is an exceptional beer. This is the kind of beer, you want when you get burnt out of kitchen sink stouts. Just a simple, well made stout.

Smooth which is surprising given that it's a 6% stout. Dark as the night and almost chocolaty in Its taste. Took home a growler that day!!