Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Sweet Stout
Marshall, Michigan USA

2/25/2007: Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout Ale is an extremely dark brown and is quite opaque. There is no head or crown and a mild level of fine carbonation. The aroma is filled with dark roasted malt, sweet rich caramelized malts, smooth dark chocolate, vanilla, and some char. The flavor is very, very roasted and charred (but not burnt) with some hints of semi-sweet and dark chocolate. This beer is surprisingly smooth on the palate (probably due to the oatmeal) and has a medium to medium-full body and a slightly creamy texture. This beer isn’t really sweet, but isn’t anywhere close to bitter. Overall all I would say that this is a nicely balanced, yet robust Oatmeal Stout. Very good.

12 fl. oz. bottle from Silphium (trade in December 2006). Thanks Brad! Rating #206 for this beer...

nice oatmeal stout. hints of vanilla, oats, nutmeg, and roastiness. mmmm roastiness. not much lacing but a good palate. i love this stout series from dark horse.

Had this side by side with Brass Knuckles and enjoyed it a lot more, although I still like the Black Bier and Too Cream Stout better.

Pours the darkest possible opaque chocolate brown. A small, foamy, British khaki head dissipates quickly, leaving just the dark liquid behind. Virtually no lacing noted. The aroma shows ultra-rich, dark chocolate malts, dark fruits, scorched caramel, and hints of vanilla. There is a surprisingly strong, boozy vodka component that detracts from the nose quite a bit. The flavor is dark and roasty, with chocolate malts again showing strong. The booze component is too strong, however, tipping the scale towards unbalanced, hot, and messy. The medium body is mildly astringent for the style, finishing warm and overly alcoholic. I had such high hopes for this brew after trying the Tres and Fore, but the One falls well short of the lofty standard that Dark Horse has set. Better than average, but quite a bit overrated.

Thanks to tytoanderso for the bottle
Pours a rich dark black color with the darkest brown head I’ve seen on any oatmeal stout. Smell is lightly smoky, stale wet cardboard and roasty malt. Rather unimpressive nose actually. Taste is rather smoky for a sweet stout or oatmeal with decent roasty character. Mouthfeel is just average with light carbonation. Overall, disappointing like the other 2 beers I’ve had from Dark Horse. I expected more, and this seems to have a smoky presence that doesn’t fit the style and is a bit offputting despite the fact that I enjoy smoked beers.

Pours black with a light tan head. Head retention is very fast and there is no lacing in the glass. Smells of sweet roasted barley and hints of coffee come from my glass. Has a medium to light mouthfeel and has decent body to it. Overall a nice stout.

Black colour with a brown head. Roasted malty, light coffee bitter aroma with a vague chocolate sweet note. Roasted, coffee bitter flavor with notes of dark chocolate. Roasted, light sweet finish.

Bottle thanks to Stine. Pours opaque black with a very dark brown 2 finger head. Nose is rich with chocolate, molasses, roasted malts, and some smokey notes. Taste is chocolatey with roasted malt, caramelized sugar, dark coffees, sweet oats, and a kick of booze and smoke. Slightly drying finish and sharp bits of carbonation make this interesting. Excellent brew.