Oatmeal Stout
Dark Star Brewing Company Limited

 

(Notes of May 2007) Tasted by a half-pint on tap at the Evening Star, Brighton. The alc. strength is 4.2%abv.

A: nearly black in colour, coming with a super-creamy and tight light-tan froth that never retreats… I wonder if the tap is a nitrogen-assisted one?! The serving temp. is also very cold...
S: dusty and roasty upfront, backed by a milder tinge of smoked prunes… the note is very settled, even “quiet”, but not without a healthy fruity backbone. Like all nitro-tap served stout, the thick froth and low temperature prevent the true and deep aroma from reaching freely to one’s nostrils, which I hate.
T: lots of coffees and bitter chocolates upfront, showing powdery cocoa and chewy roastiness, charred woodchips, and bitter-sweet nuts (with skins)... the chewy but aromatic, almost walnutty, bitterness coming from roasted barleys lends tremendous depth to the overall taste, while a touch of prunes also lingers at the back.
M&D: as smooth as it is soothing on the palate; despite the thick froth, which in many other beers creates a false impression of silkiness but in fact only glosses over a flat body, the texture is indeed silky and provides necessary microscopic carbonation to soothe my taste buds. Overall, a highly drinkable, med-bodied stout this is, and it only gets better and better as it warms – maybe not serving it so cold on a semi-nitro-tap would help?!