Oatmeal Stout

Tasted following an evening construction of a fire pit in the back yard with Jen. After cooking portabello mushrooms in the newly designed fire pit, I took off for a night time run. Got back, showered and sat down to enjoy this stout that Joey Waldorf graciously gave me earlier this weekend.

Appearance: Upon pour, the beer exhibits a finger worth of grey/tan Styrofoam head, which then minutes later dissipated into a film leaving behind it a dry residual lacing. The color is rich and black and no transparency.

Aroma: Earthy with undertones of dry leaves and nuts. More profoundly I smell chocolate malt and a graininess to the nose. Alternatively there might be some notes of oxidation as well as phenols.

Taste: Robust and grainy to the tongue that follows the initial toasted chocolate maltiness. Finishing the beer off I can draw out the hops and tannins which help contribute to the beers overall bittersweet dark chocolate flavor. Vanilla is slightly present along with other complexities like roasted grains. I don't make not of any licorice of molasses, and equally any dominating off flavors. The malt profile is rather simple, yet appeals to the palate in a well balanced fashion between hops and malt foundation. The aftertaste is burnt and highly roasted.
Mouthfeel: A lot lighter in body than most stouts. The carbonation is different in that it doesn't pair with the liquid its in, but fights it, but nevertheless it lightly touches the tip of the tongue and then it dissipates. Not at all sticky, very drinkable and drying to the finish. Surprisingly the oats didn't contribute much to the body.
Overall Impression: A spectacular stout resulting in a refreshing character and a simple flavor of chocolate and lightly toasted malt. It isn't the slightest bit heavy, but still maintains a wealthy flavor. I hadn't ever really considered Breckenridge as a worthwhile beer to try, but this one proves me wrong. An entry level and a pro-beer drinker's stout!


87/100