Oak-aged oatmeal stout as dark in color as deep space. Again Obovoid on oak adds earthy character to the roasted notes and bittersweet chocolate finish derived from the black and chocolate malts.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (2/9/2008 9:12:24 PM)
"The beer is pretty well carbonated as it pours with an almost four-finger thick, brown tinged, tan colored head. The beer is opaque and quite black in color, but does show flashes of clear red ruby hues if held up to the light. The aroma is initially a mix of roasted nutty, dark chocolate and burnt berry notes, but then the oak character starts to be noticed. The oak provides a spicy, woody backdrop that adds a bit of sharpness, but it also provides subtle notes of butterscotch and vanillin with accentuate both the berry notes and the chocolate character. The aroma is actually quite nice; it has really struck a solid balance between notes of chocolate, sweet fruit, vanilla laden oak, roast grain and a light spicy oak component. As long as you focus on the aroma in short bursts it is quite complex, though if you linger for too long it becomes dominated by toasted and burnt grain notes.
Quite light for something that alludes to an Imperial Stout on its label, but well within what I expected from a beer of this strength. This has a light sweetness up front that accentuates notes of chocolate, some light vanilla flavors. The beer finishes with a hint of butterscotch, some vanillin derived flavors and a woody kick of oak spice that all mix with a dry, toasted grain / burnt malt character that, along with the hop character, provides a lingering bitterness to this brew. The sharp, roast derived acidity and prickly carbonation keep this beer from being creamy like one would expect from an oatmeal stout, but it does have hints of that character at times. The finish also has a bit of a chalky, dark grain husk character to it at times. Running throughout the flavor profile is a soft mix of vanilla and berry notes that can be pretty interesting at times.
I like that this is quite easy drinking, the oak character is not overly dominant for this "lighter" beer, though it can be a little harsh in the finish at times. This would be much better balanced to my taste if the roast grain had been dialed back just a bit; the oak might be ok at this level then as it could be balanced by creamier oak influence and slightly sweeter malt character. As is, the beer is a little too thin to stand up to both the ample roast grain character and the oak at the same time; it is still tasty and drinkable and the aroma is really quite nice, but it can be a bit too harsh at times. I wonder if a year of age could round this out a bit more.
Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.6)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $4.9 Unit Cost: $3.56 per Pint
[2] Review by Beav from Fort Collins, CO, USA who has tried this beer once. (1/3/2008 12:43:04 AM)
"22 oz bottle. Pours a dark brown with a frothy light brown head that quickly dissipates to a thin film that laces the glass.
The aroma is chocolate malts, oatmeal, roasted coffee and a touch of wood with some initial vegetal and metallic off notes.
The flavor is sweet lactic chocolate with some acidic roasted malts. It finishes with charred roasted bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly watery.
Overall, a decent stout. Its simplicity and some off notes prevent it from being better."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.6)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $7 Unit Cost: $5.09 per Pint
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(3.6)
