El Toro Negro Oatmeal Stout

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

Black as an Oatmeal stout can be. Beautiful brown Imperial-like foam with well retained teeny bubbles. Huge roasty nose. Underlying coffee, chocolatae chip dough, and prunes. Hops are featured in the forefront here before very refined flavors of roasted coffee, oats, and licorice-like twang. Perfect palate with light creaminess, moderate carbonation, and roasty texture. Finishes with strong afternotes of coffee and chocolate truffles that linger until the next sip. The best Oatmeal Stout I have tried that was produced in the states. Thanks, user_ex!

My first Oatmeal Stout, and impressed I am. Dark chocolate aroma with the taste of strong black coffee. Very viscous creamy mouthfeel with a tiny hop-bite aftertaste after the chocolate/coffee taste subsides. Worht buying more of for sure... Thx User_Ex.

Yum. This was great. Pours almost black with a tan head. Nose was chocolate malt with some roasted coffee. Smooth, creamy, satisfying feel in the mouth. Chocolate malt and coffee in the flavor with a touch of bitterness. Robust and rewarding. This was quite good. No bull.

On tap at the El Toro Brewery in Morgan Hill Calfornia. Dark brown/black with good sized tan head that stuck around forever. Aromas of coffee, bitter chocolate, and tobacco jumped out. Tasted of coffee and bitter chocolate. Low carbonation. Very smooth and creamy. A classic.

Blacker than the view through lead sunglasses. An initially large head gives way to a swirling, entrancing thin film of foam, caramel-cream in color. Very good aroma; not as effusive as you might get, but what's there is rich in roasted coffee beans, chocolate, shades of the oatmeal, a hint of vanilla, and a bit of nuttiness. The carbonation produces some tingle on the tongue, giving way to roasted bitterness and subtle support from the hops, as the flavor pounds away with roasted flavors. The mouthfeel shouldn't be criticized too heavily--perhaps a little thin but also very pleasing and smooth. Only some slightly curious flavors as it warms(suggesting something sour, not unlike things I've found in Bells stouts) gives me any reason for reserve. But overall this is a worthy and enjoyable oatmeal stout--very well done and a pleasure to drink. Thanks to my bud, Jazz88, for sending this my way.

Very full cocoa and roasty nose over its perfect dark foam. Semi-dry with a bit of light fine particulate texture finishing bitter and some creaminess. Very well-balanced and completely delicious. I underestimated this one or it’s gotten better.

Bottle poured black with a thick fizzy head. Aroma of chocolate,roasty malts and coffee. Flavor is rich chocolate and rasty malt and is very good but could use a bit more alcohol.

Bottle courtesy of Irishboy. Pours brown with a thin tan head. Smells of malt, rich chocolate and some oats. Tastes malty with nice dark chocolate elements. Some cherry tartness is there as the beer warms up. Finish is coffeeish and slightly bitter with some nice earthy hops revealing themselves at the very end. Great multi-layered sweet stout.