El Toro Negro Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by El Toro Brewing Co.
Style: Sweet Stout
Morgan Hill, California USA

Bottle. It looks just nice in the glass, next to black and withouth sediments, and a tiny head. The aroma is sourish at first, with cocoa, sweetness, chocolate and some roasted malt following. It’s too sour in the mouth, with burnt malt and a little fruityness, and that continues into the finish. A bit thin body, but ok for a 5.5% ABV beer. I looks really nice and smells nice, but the rest of the beer isn’t special. Overall though, it’s a really good one. (080411)

Bit of this and that, very faint dark fruit note incliding prune or plum. Creamy like a decent outmeal. Roasty and burnt. Did not come together for me.

3rd Annual Woodshop Tasting, 3/1/08. Thanks Chris! I went to El Toro High School...sweet. A fairly bland, disappointment of a brew. Held no real malt complexity or depth and the flavor showed through some strange sour vegetable notes on top of its normal stouty flavors...eh. At least the name kicks ass

Dark brown; minimal copper head. Strange funky aroma and flavor with minimal malts, sourness, and funky times on this mofo...huh...

12 oz bottle courtesy of Irishboy, thanks Richard! Pours a dark opaque brown color witha small khaki head. Nose of mollasses, chocolate, coffee liqour and roasted malts. Initial mouthfeel is light to medium body displaying some vegetable qualities up front. Moving into tangy lactic and deep roasted malts. Mid palate displays some coffee more given off my that roastiness. Finishing roasty and tangy hops. Palate duration is above average and pleasant. Reminds of fresh black coffee in the morning.. Finish is only slightly dry not overwhelming. Minor head retention. A very light brew indeed, displaying good qualities, maybe more similar to some homebrewed porters and stouts. Well done, I enjoyed it.

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle at Brennan’s Country Farm Market in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Pours a dark opaque near black brew with a thin light tan head that has some good retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted dark malt, sine dark chocolate and coffee character with a touch of licorice and molasses. Taste is full bodied, semi-sweet with little carbonation along with flavors of roasted dark malt, a touch of flowery hops, oatmeal and some dark pitted fruits. Finish is semi-sweet at first and then a dry roasted dark malt aftertaste that sticks around after the finish.

Pours jet black with 1-finger tan head. Aroma is liquid raisins dipped in dark chocolate and molasses. Tastes rather sweet, with the malt mixed with raisin, plum, cinnamon, brown sugar, tobacco, mild maple syrup, and prunes, even some blackberry notes. Rich complex palate that gets a tad tart late, but retains a complex flavor and aroma profile. I didn;t expect this one to be so good.

Courtesy of Quake1028 again, thanks John. It pours black with light brown mocha head. The aroma is roasty mixed with charred malts, licorice, mild smokiness and hints of malt sweetness. The taste is roasty, chocolate and oatmeal twang to start and becomes increasingly more charred. Midway another pulse of dark chocolate hits before being dragged into oblivion by the burnt malts. Very nice.