Revolution Brewing (2025)

Alright well there's still some at the brewery so maybe some may make it into half time or tavour. Thanks for the input. I planned buying 1 or 2 but from what you're saying I'll grab 2 as well.

 

I agree with @GuyFawkes on this one. I'm not usually much for rum barrel ageing because the rum character typically ends up overpowering the base, but I didn't find Rum VSOJ to be offensive in that way. For me, it gives some additional new fruity flavours that are complementary.

 

I finally had time to pickup my allotment on Saturday, and the only beer I've tried is the Apple Brandy Ryeway. Bit disappointed with this year's version. Doesn't pack the punch like the last version did. I found the apple brandy to be very muted but it did open as the beer warmed. Not a bad beer, but compared to the previous version this one is a bit of a let down.

 

Have we talked about how much of the Deth and Deep Wood series is listed as Oatmeal Stout? The style's ABV range is generally considered 3.8-6.1%. In my experience most beers that are intended to be listed as such are much more prominently identified as Oatmeal Stout on the label.

I never thought of any of these as Oatmeal Stouts. Oats can be used in all kinds of beers, and I tend to think of Oatmeal Stouts as much more subdued, and more focused on malt profile with a slightly rounder mouthfeel than you might find on the lighter end of the ABV scale. So I was shocked when I saw how dominant Revolution was on the top rated. They definitely deserve to dominate top lists, but Oatmeal? That threw me off (not to mention Rusty Nail, another one that blew my mind, Fremont though).

 

I've never (ever) had an oatmeal stout that I thought had a full mouth-feel. I think it's a myth and the boil time is the real factor for thickness

 

No Hoppin' Frog? Ironically, they also classify theirs as RIS (it's all in the name Bodacious. Oatmeal. Russian. Imperial. Stout. lol!). Now, are they viscous or gloppy or "thick," perhaps not, but I feel the concept of full mouthfeel has shifted dramatically with these overly lactosed SP stout goobers.

 

Again, they probably do an exended boil time.

 

I think I do tend to still think of regular Deth's Tar as an imperial BA Oatmeal Stout and attribute my enjoyment of it compared to other BA stouts at least in part to the inclusion of oats. Once we start discussing the variants though I feel like the oats are a complete afterthought. And it's almost certainly the case that I'd have a more difficult time distinguishing BA beers with and without oats from each other than I would with non-BA stouts.

The category here kind of reminds of when there was one general American Porter listing years ago and you'd see Victory at Sea and Evil Twin and Funky Buddha imperial porters all in the same category as Founders Porter and Edmund Fitzgerald. Is Samuel Smith's at 30 the first one with no barrel-aging or added ingredients?

 

All the boil does is reduce water content. It's the fermentable vs. non-fermentable sugars and yeast attenuation which have the impact on mouthfeel.

 

Fremont Dark Star

 

Reduced water content would create a thicker liquid. Much like cooking down a sauce until the desired consistency

 

*AngryChairThiccBro has entered the chat*

 

I get where you're coming from, but BORIS has been around for 20 years. Though Hoppin' Frog has always been on the forefront of crazy experimentation, extended boil--at least as it's practiced today, particularly in the aim of achieving extreme viscosity in barrel aged stouts--wasn't really en vogue back then. I don't think HoFro really even does that to this day, at least to the degree that Side Project or Voodoo or whoever is doing it, even though HoFro has several long aged strong ales and stouts nearing 20% ABV.

This again gets to the argument that desired mouthfeel has dramatically shifted for stouts, whereas oats in oatmeal stouts added a certain roundness to something like The Poet that did not exist in the watery thin (once you get past the nitro head) body of Guinness.

It seems palate shift, something we often think of as temporary, particularly in regards to sweeter NEIPA consumption, has not just occurred, but actually permanently relocated

 

All things being equal, sure, the point of the boil is to hit a certain density of sugars before fermentation. But you can leave behind a ton of sugars, and if they're fermentable they're just going to turn into ethanol.

This may have been posted before, but here's a good overview of Rev's approach to brewing and blending from a variety of sweet vs. dry components (and other insights about crafting recipes for barrel aging): https://www.beerandbrewing.com/brewing-technique-bound-for-the-barrel

 

Great and informative article! Thank you for posting this!

 

Oh wow, Hoppin' Frog. Haven't had their brews in a minute.

 

Josh and the brewery were on CBS news this morning talking about our sustainability efforts.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/sustainability-at-revolution-brewing-in-avondale/

 

Just dropping in to say I had the rum VSOJ last night and thought it was excellent. Perfect amount of oak and spirit for me with a coconut note I found super pleasant.

 

Seems the commetariat here are fans, if it ever goes to Tavour I'll be buying. It sounds like they got exactly what they wanted from the rum barrel without undermining what's great about VSOJ. It's still stocked at the brewery too which is mildly surprising, but that's all beer nowadays.