Stone Hammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout
F&M Brewery

Pours ink black with a compact tan cap that lasts the whole glass. The nose is roasty coffee and dark cocoa notes with some berries and tobacco. Sweet fruityness, somewhat coarse astringent dark malts and cocoa in the taste, and diacetyl in the back. Restrained leafy, herbal hop profile. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a creamy carbonation. Sweetish, lightly roasted finish.

An OK Oatmeal Coffee Stout. A bit too sweet and lacking in silky oatmeal character and coffee flavor.

 

 

 

 

Can from the lcbo for $3

473 mL can purchased at the brewery store; best before Jun 3 2016. Served slightly chilled.

This stout pours a deep, dark blackish-brown colour, and is initially fitted with a half-inch crown of creamy, light tan-coloured head. It dissipates within a few minutes, producing a decent-sized collar; not much in the way of lace, though. Molasses and lots of roasted malts on the nose; coffee grounds come through nicely, with accompanying notes of rich chocolate and perhaps a bit of vanilla. Hints of ash and metallicity are in there too, weakening as the glass gains warmth.

Enticing malt-forward flavour profile that delivers exactly what the name suggests. I'm getting a mix of roasty, bready malts and oatmeal, subtle molasses sweetness and hints of baker's chocolate. Notes of coffee, vanilla and earthiness towards the finish, with coffee grounds and some herbal bitterness in the aftertaste. Light-medium in body, with relatively low carbonation levels that nicely complement the smooth, oily texture imparted by the oats. A solid session stout, to be sure.

Final Grade: 3.85, a B+. It's hard to go wrong with an "oatmeal coffee stout", and Stone Hammer's yummy interpretation is certainly no exception. Exquisite balance: each element is allowed its opportunity to shine, with none that are too dominant, or conversely, buried in the background. Unfortunately for me, this is a seasonal offering that isn't stocked locally - I'd certainly be picking it up on a steady basis otherwise. Enjoyable and absolutely worth a go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A solid stout, with, definite coffee undertones.

 

Bottle from Hopsolutely this past summer. Thanks heaps guys!

From a bottle into a snifter
Planet Beam coffee

APPEARANCE: Muddy dark brown pour yields a 1 ½ finger, medium looking, fluffy tan head with decent retention. Black body with no real carbonation evident. Head fades to a full wisp that remains the whole way and leaves some decent lacing down the glass. Okay, though a touch muddy.

SMELL: Roasted coffee, milk chocolate, some sweet cream, caramel and hints of leather on the nose. Coffee comes off a touch stale, but it’s still okay overall.

TASTE: The first impression is that the coffee is rather stale here. Burnt malts and some sweet cream take up the slack up front. A bolder and lingering finish of burnt coffee beans, light caramel, sweet cream and bitter coffee. Nice, though this might have been better fresher. The coffee gets better as it sits.

PALATE: Slightly thinner body. Medium carbonation, creamy enough, goes down fine and finishes a touch dry.

OVERALL: Okay, but probably better when it was fresher. No best by or bottling date on this one, so I have no idea what I’m looking at. This became less stale as it sat in the glass, which made it a rather enjoyable brew as I got into it. Thanks again Hopsolutely!