The PastryArchy Edition #9: Oat Milk Imperial Stout
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

Really cheap price on this one just three bucks for the pounder. Looks like a solid imperial Stout deep dark blackness as my soul with a quarter inch of mocha frappe that settles to a very sexy lace ring. Smells of vanilla and milk sugars slight chocolate and just a hint of oatmeal. Taste is pretty solid I get dark chocolate slight creamy oat and vanilla and just a hint of hoppy bitterness in the finish. I was kind of confused it wasn't sweeter with a name like pastry in the title but it was quite smooth with a body more medium and chewy in flavor. over all these guys really do make the best experimental beers and I'm glad I picked up this one

 

L: dark reddish brown to black with tan head, with intermittent lacing
S: sweet, malty roasted toffee and cocoa
T: creamy, vanilla cocoa up front. Followed by sweetness and alcohol
F: mouthfeel slightly over carbonated, body lacking but overall pleasant
O: I will have this again. A solid imperial stout. I get the sense that this beer is enjoyed at temperatures 45-50F, but mine was at 42F. Reason enough to try again

Mar 01,

Very good beer. Oat milk is a great idea. Excellent smell and taste profile. Just wish the feel was a bit thicker/creamier.

16 ounce can, canned on 1/14/20. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is mostly sweet, the brew smells like oats, chocolate, roasted malt, coffee and nuts. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some cream and vanilla flavors. It's a sweet tasting brew, but not close to being too sweet. There's also some roasty bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and a bit creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought it was an enjoyable enough brew, worth trying if you come across some!

 

Poured moderately hard from a can into a snifter glass, forming a finger of light brown head that soon faded to moderate lacing. Deep brown/black color. Smell is a slightly sweet oatmeal, pleasant but not strong. Taste is oatmeal followed sweetness, effectively a pleasant brown sugar but not too sweet. Improves as it warms. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Really nice oatmeal stout, probably a favorite of that variety.

Canned on 1/15/20. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours almost black; really nice creamy khaki head that falls slowly leaving great thick retention and sticky lacing. Looks great. The aromas are malt forward. Hints of cocoa and marshmallow. Mild hints of smoke. The aromas follow the nose. More cocoa leading the way. More marshmallow notes. Some sugar cubes and cream. There's a sweetness to this one, but it's nothing crazy or over the top at all. Low bitterness. Strong malt backbone. Alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is very nice. It's full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's very fluffy, creamy, velvety, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a pretty solid stout. It's not flashy, but it's not supposed to be. The craftsmanship is on point. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. Not bad at all. I like it.

 

L: deep mahogany, huge tan head, tons of lacing
S: coffee, slightly roasted malts, a little sweetness
T: follows the nose
F: not a lot of mouthfeel, not as full bodied as I hoped/expected
O: decent enough beer, I wouldn’t recommend or revisit

As masters of fusing the whimsy with tradition, the brewers of DuClaw continue the winter season with the same "PastryArchy" Imperial Stout, and this time slathered in the added flavors of oat milk for a creamy alternative to the lactose intolerant.

Very dark brown and a hair's shade from black, a delicately carbonated pour yields a light trickle of foam before its rounded scent of chocolate, coffee, nuttiness and cream; all leading toward a sweet and creamy taste of toffee, chocolate and vanilla cream.

As the tastebuds saturate in its rich malt sweetness, its coating of dark sugars are enough to command the middle palate with bold attributes of vanilla, condensed milk, praline and roasted walnut to support the billowing taste of milk chocolate that continues to pour onto the tongue. Woodsy hops assist in the beer's balance and helps the beer to achieve a stronger component on the late palate.

Trending on the sweeter side of bittersweet, the full bodied and somewhat lumbering stout lightens considerably in the finish, showing a creamy but weighted texture. But it sells its cream flavors well as the beer tastes like a milk induced stout. A long finish of coffee and cream would never reveal its non-dairy secrets.