Stout Of Circumstance
Magnolia Pub & Brewery

 

Nice color. Tan head. Black. Thick and chewy. Too much roast. Coffee flavors and chocolate. Boarder line burnt. Not really for me. Almost smokey. Can't drink a lot of this one.

 

 

 

 

 

This pours a cocoa colored foam with a dark roasty-chocolate color. There’s a roasty aroma of dark chocolate. The flavor has a dry roasty-char charcter to it, of dark chocolate and heavy coffee. It reminded me of a Mexican coffee, that is the chocolate notes in a Mexican-origin coffee. I liked this character that came through in the beer, however I wish it had more of a body to support it. A mixed bag but one I’d have again on a cold, foggy night.

 

 

 

 

Served on-draught into a half-pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a half-finger head of tan colour, light cream, decent thickness, and poor retention. Colour is a solid black.

Sm: Heavy caramel, light chocolate, and cream.

T: Rich chocolate, heavy caramel, and light roast. Deep but not complex. Really nicely built for what it is. Balanced. I do wish they tried for more; it's boring and simple but could be so much more. The richness is magnificent.

Mf: Smooth and wet; more porter than stout. Lacks cream. The thickness is nice. In spite of the oats, it should be coarser and dryer.

Dr: Very drinkable for a stout at the cost of proper mouthfeel. It could be so much better than this.

On-tap at Magnolia

A: The pour is nearly black with a towering mocha colored head that slowly dies down.

S: Quite chocolatey to begin with, offering up both dark and milk chocolate aromas. There's a bit of a creaminess to the nose and a nice roasted malt note, with perhaps some burnt sugar.

T: Starts off with the roasted malt flavor. Some molasses and dark chocolate follow and coming through a little bit later is a sweeter, creamier, milk chocolate. Not too bitter, but there is some earthy hop flavor.

M: The body is maybe a little on the thin side and the carbonation is medium.

D: Not quite as rich as many oatmeal stouts, but still a pretty decent beer. Wouldn't mind ticking this one on tap again.

Poured a deep black hue with a one finger foamy tan head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a roasted malts, lactose and charcoal.

The taste consisted of dark chocolate, cafe au laite and a smooth smokiness.

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style.

Overall a tasty and robust oatmeal stout.

had this at the gastropub as part of a flight along with their highwayman ale, proving ground ipa, wit rabbit, half step hefe and a stone levitation pale ale.

good beer with hints of oat and roast.

i paired this flight with a fried chicken sandwich.

not counting the stone, i rank the beers in this flight...

1) wit rabbit
2) highwayman ale
3) half step hefe
4) stout of circumstance
5) proving ground ipa

On tap at the pub.

Dark brown, not quite black with a small head skim across the top. Forms tiny bubbles around glass. Looks more like a porter.

Has a mild roasted scent with some chocolate & coffee aromas.

Big roasted coffee flavor with a considerable bitterness. Some faint chocolate & sweetness as well.

Feels smooth & creamy. Lingering roasted finish.

I'd gladly have again.

Great black color with a khaki-colored head that stick to the edge of the glass like a spiderweb.

Lots of bitter chocolate in the smell and a tiny bit of roast.

This is where things get weird. There is a huge crayon wax/plastic flavor that takes over everything except an oddly sour roast flavor. I have to suspect infection or something because I got nothing like this in the aroma and have never tasted anything like it in any stout.

The mouthfeel is wonderfully creamy regardless of the flavor.

I can't say it any other way than I did not enjoy the flavor of this beer at all.

I had this on tap at the Magnolia brew pub in San Francisco, CA. It was a deep brown color with no head at all. It had an aroma of roasty barbeque, and was very flat with a strong roast taste. It wasn't very thick, more like a porter. Overall roast was the dominant flavor and aroma, and I felt that it was served a bit too warm for the tastes also.

Dark brown to black in color, light haze, topped by a creamy tan head that leaves a nice lace. Dark roast malt aroma, a little espresso, touch of dark chocolate. Rich, dry aroma. Just as I would expect from this style. Flavor has a nice sweetness up front from the oatmeal., roast malt, some bitter chocolate, orange citrus bitterness. Slick and smooth mouth feel. Very drinkable. Really nice example of the style.