Arbor Oatmeal Java Breakfast Stout

Brewed by Arbor Brewing Company Pub & Eatery
Style: Stout
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

Really nice smooth, silky-sweet action balanced with a healthy, hearty roastiness that is edged with coffee, but not overtly so. It’s a really fine effort by ABC and better in its current incarnartion than it was in the last batch (9/13/01). They only serve it in little half pint mugs due to the high ABV, but it’s really more of a desserty, after eating kind of brew, so that seems fine.

On tap at the brewpub on 4/27/06: Pours a nearly opaque black with dark brown edges and a frothy tan head. Aroma of rich caramel java and dark chocolate, but somewhat subdued. Body starts with a mild dark caramel and milk chocolatey sweetness with good coffee bean mocha balance. A smooth and balanced beer, but a little thin.

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours very dark with burgandy highlighs and a small but nice head.

The flavor is sweet canned-cold-latte with a bit of overcooked coffee, but no hint of the 8%. While this is not a standout overall, the beer is plenty drinkable.

draught. deep black body with a small ring of mocha head. fairly typical for a sweet stout - nothing out of the ordinary. some oily chocolate roast and raisin in the aroma with a touch of sweetness. tastes sweeter than I would have expected but has a fair share of mild bitter coffee roastiness. straightforward for the most part but it’s still quite tasty.

um, yeah...looks and tastes a lot like coffee. a desert only type beer which hides the alcohol well. not very sweet or overly bitter; but creamy and smooth with some maltiness that reminds you it's a beer.

Draft @ Arbor Brewing: Very dark brown to black color with a think brown head. The aroma was coffee over big amounts of butterscotch. Roasted malt in the aroma as well. Sweet roasted malt flavor with notes of chocolate and a big black coffee finish. Medium bodied.

Tap. Deep black color. Off white to tan head. Some lacing. Aroma smells of coffee. Flavor is a mishmash of oatmeal and coffee. Somewhat confusing. Body is thin. Some chalkiness. Fair.

Deep chocolate and coffee aroma, fresh and wonderful. Head is completely dead after a moment. Hefty and still in the glass. Totally opaque. Creamy, coffee and chocolatey milk components, chalky, long bitter finish (the finish has weird multiple interweaving levels) - good but only so-so.