Barley Island Brass Knuckles Oatmeal Stout

12oz bottle from Orland Park Binny’s single rack. Pours very dark brown with thick dark tan head. Aroma is oats, roasted malt and chocolate. Flavor is mostly roasted malts and oats with some chocolate and finishes with some coffee bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and properly carbonated. Decent stout. Would be better with less coffee in my opinion.

Bottle at the Bloomington Beer Festival. Poured black with a dark brown head. Aroma was full of coffee and oat notes. Flavor had a combination of sweet chocolate and bitter coffee notes.

Dark brown pour with a beige head. Aroma of lightly roasted coffee and semisweet chocolate. Flavor is nutty with notable hints of roast and bittersweet chocolate

Pours dark brown with a tan head. Smells nutty with some roasty hints. Tastes of sweet chocolate, some nutty hints. Not much going on here.

Ho hum. I was a bit surprised. I liked the label and I had just had a Goose Island beer brewed for Trader Joes (the Black Toad Dark Ale)--perhaps the "Island" in the name made me think it would be as good, and the upgrade from a brown ale to an oatmeal stout would be an improvement. But it wasn’t much of one. Rich, thick, for sure, but the flavors were thinner than expected...so malts, not so much roast, moderate coffee. A little bitterness, a little flavor on the front end....but ho hum among the kingdom of stouts.

12oz bottle into a pint glass. Black with a one finger mocha head. Aroma is sweet dark roasty malt, coffee. Taste is similar with roasty dark sweet malt, dark bitter chocolate. Very soft and milky texture perfect for the style. Not a bad oatmeal stout.

nose is a little black licorice, slightly bitter. pours black with very mild tan head. palate is silky, like mosts oatmeal stouts. taste is smokey and sweet, with mild bitterness. i can definately taste the makings of my one of my favs, Black Majic. A hint of alcohol fools you into believing this is high than it really is. A pretty good oatmeal stout, but there certainly are better.

12oz bottle from StFun - thanks, Josh!!! Base beer for the Black Majic, apparently, and a nice one to try. First warm day of a Carolina spring and I want a roasty oatmeal stout? Eh, whatever. At any rate, I found it pleasant and unassuming. The nose is somewhat modest, decent roasted notes and a hint of creamy chocolate. Fizzy body is a bit of a surprise, given the style, and indeed it’s just a touch too thin for me. Nicely chalky finish, just like the coffee cousin. But the flavor profile’s not nearly as complex as I’d like it to be, even for a style made to session. Enjoyable even so, and big ups to Josh for giving me a chance to taste this.