Dominion Oak Barrel Stout

Brewed by Coastal Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Annapolis, Maryland USA

Thanks to Ty5592 for this beer. An almost black pour with a tan head. You better drink it fast if you want to enjoy the head it goes quick. An aroma and flavor that is dominated by chocolaty malt with a bourbon chaser. A tad on the fizzy and thin side. A light bitter in the finish that makes this a very pleasant beer. Not great but well above average.

Sampled on 11/29/2006 at the November meeting of the Junedale Beer Klub. Brought by BeerBob... Tasting notes: Almost black, but surprising clear when held up to the light. Foamy tan head. The aroma reminds me of squash. this beer has a very woody flavor with some vanilla that masks the malty base that seems to be there (only occasional hints roasted malt and light char) but can’t seem to overcome the raw oak flavor! This beer is a good example of how to over-oak a beer! The finish is a bit dry, but overall this beer is smooth on the palate. Medium body. Bottled 110206. -- In some ways this beer reminds me of a stonger version of the Blue Moon Winter Ale with a bunch of wood thrown in!

12oz bottle, bottled 10/06/06. Pours a dark black center; light tan head with good retention and lacing. Aroma is quite surprising (and gives away the fact that this is oak chips and not barrel-aged): chocolate milk and head-on toasty vanilla oakiness; smells like the tastiest cardboard ever. Medium mouthfeel, good density: plenty of milk / dark chocolate, roasted malts, slightly dry, some vanilla and oak; not overly complex, but a very tasty, drinkable stout. Medium, slightly bitter and dry finish, showing chocolate and oak. I could see this as being a fantastic starter for getting folks interested in darker beers.

When I think how good this stout is, I really think about what a shame it is that I can’t get it on the West Coast. I obtained it thru a trade with Immy and he delivered! A huge aroma of vanilla, oak, coffee and chocolate. Appearance was just a great thing to behold, deep dark thick liquid and the mouthfeel was thick and coating. Flavors were strong on the vanilla, roast and chocolate character. As I said, it’s just a shame that it’s not more widely distributed, but isn’t that always the case with really good regional beers?

Bottle. Dark brown with a short lived tan head. Aroma is robust, vanilla with hint of smoke. Excellent bourbon barrel flavor right away. Malty with heavy vanilla flavor that is it’s own entity within the sweetness. Low to moderate carbonation and hop character. Very well done.

Black pour into the glass, with no real retentive head. The nose is of oak, slight vanilla, coffee and sours. The flavor really reminds me of a "sour stout" style... Sours to the tongue amongst the normal oak, coffee and vanilla offerings. This feels like a dry hop back finish. The mouthfeel is rounder than I would’ve initially expected. Not a bad brew at all. Misclassified, in my opinion, but still a nice beer.

I haven’t had many "oaked" beers but this doesn’t taste very oaky. Black color with a dark tan head that reduces to a ring. There’s a lot of vanilla here. some chocolate and a little bit of wood flavor. A pretty boring stout. What’s the point of oaking a normal stout.

This delightful beer has a very dark brown color with an off-white head of medium darkness. The beer has a average fizzyness and is dry. It has a medium body, with a remarkably smooth finish. The aroma was malty and had great vanilla flavors with a hint of oat. The flavor also had a great bourbon taste, that stands out in the beer. I sampled this beer poured from the bottle and was pleasantly surprised, hopefully I’ll have a chance to sample it at the brewpub someday soon.