Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout

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

One of the best sweet stouts I have had anywhere. I didn’t know the abv was so high. Lots of chocolate in the aroma and flavor. Very light coffee and considerable malt with a subtle roasted character.

Very dark and thick in the glass with a one finger beige head. Aroma of milk chocolate, oatmeal and coffee. Full bodied. Taste mirrors the aroma, with rolled oats, roasty coffee and chocolate, and a kick of hops. One of the better Dark Horse stouts.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, tupalev & biegaman -- my bottle courtesy of lewis13. Pours a very dark brown with a small diminishing light-brown head. Aroma’s roasty and nutty along with some chocolate, oats and hops. Flavour of oats, chocolate, light hops, some alcohol and a dry finish. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Not one of Dark Horse’s best but still pretty good.

Thanks to skyview for sharing! A very impressive beginning to this series. Lots of chocolate on the nose of this dark brown pour. Hints of coffee in the thick body with a little chocolate in the finish.

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle at Riley’s Wines of the World in Madison, WI. Pours an opaque near black brew with a rich creamy tan head. Excellent retention and lacing. Aroma has rich milk chocolate, dairy cream, roasted nuts, and espresso. Taste is smooth, creamy, and more honey nut flavor. Finish is creamy, chocolatey and a sweet aftertaste.

Bottle (12oz). Shared with blankboy, biegaman and tupalev - blankboy’s bottle. Looks like motor oil. Oily, lush nutty deep roast malt aroma, slightly musty. Bitter, oily slightly sour flavour - finishes with a touch of leafy, musty hops. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy, lightly acidic, smooth finish. Dry and complex - hides the alcohol well, but is ear-warming.

From a 12oz Bottle. Purchased at Riley’s Wines of the World in Madison, WI. Pours a very dark black, chalky obsidian color with a thick layer of foamy bubbled tan head. Well sustaining head that collapses onto itself to form a milky cream topping. Lovely aroma that’s brimming with coffee, dark chocolate, a touch of anise, and a hint of freshly chopped mint leaves. Great balance of the roasty character with the minty hops, and as a bonus, the malt character is roasty and intriguing in other dark dimensions. I love the balance between the hops, chocolate, and coffee; it’s what I would expect an andes mint melted in sumatran roast coffee would smell like. Light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I’d like, and the flavors start out a bit slow, but they really take off on the back end. The start of the palate brings out some weaker flavors of simple toast, but then transitions to an intense, long lasting flavor parade that brings out all of the great aroma traits. The roastiness of the malt transitions into some smooth chocolate roast coffee, turns a bit spicy with the anise and licorice tones, and then finishes with some pleasant mint, all of the flavors lasting while the next phase builds on top of the former. Great beer, but would be even better if it had a bit more body to create a silkier mouthfeel and get some of those flavors dancing in the carbonation to settle down on the tongue more quickly.

Pours a dark dark dark brown with no head. This only makes it look darker, which in the world of stouts, makes me think a beer to be more attractive. Maybe the bottle is old? Doesn’t smell old. Mocha, coffee, chocolate, and everything in between. Really reminds me of a slightly fainter Founder’s Breakfast Stout. Creamy, with a little fig, and only a hint of roast and floral hops. Dense and viscous in the mouth with surprising levels of carbonation given the complete lack of head. Again, tastes a lot like Founders Breakfast Stout, though much cleaner in terms of diacetyl, though there’s still some in there,but rightfully so. Big sweet mocha maltiness. Creamy, with a little hint of alcohol. Chocolate, coffee, and some dates give way to a bit of balancing acidity. Alcohol, roast, and a bit of astringency linger. The aftertaste is mostly charcoally roast. A rather nice beer indeed.