Four Peaks Oatmeal Stout

On draft at 4P w/ Bockyhorsey. The pour was dark black with that choco-colored generous head yielded by the N2. Cascading action was still going on when I got this, but it wasn’t overly impressive. The aroma was chocolate, and then some milk chocolate, pretty sweet smelling. The flavor was sweet chocolate, lacking dryness and roastiness to keep this honest and likeable. Where is the oatmeal-ness in this thing, nothing dry at all, nothing oaty. Mouthfeel was sticky but not silky, somewhat watery and sticky if that’s possible: disappointing. Oh well, good company joined me anyway, Bill, thanks!

Huge let down to someone who primarily drinks stouts and porters. Not a bad beer, but bland. Aroma and color implied a much richer brew. Well used as a session beer or transition for your bud drinking friends.

On tap at the Scottsdale Grill & Tap. Pours a dark brown under a thin but dense dark khaki head. Thin veils of lacing coat the glass all the way to the last sip. Aroma of coffee and warm cocoa. Flavors of bittersweet chocolate, coffee, vanilla and a touch of caramel. Creamy texture with a nice level of prickly carbonation. Long sweet finish with a hint of smoke. A nice oatmeal stout.

A- Brown/black hue, tan light head and lacing S- Subtle bread and biscuit malts, roast and toast, coffee, anise T- Initial mix of bitter chocolate and coffee, light floral hops, biscuit malts, finishes bitter M- Medium-bodied, watery texture, moderate carbonation D- Simpler type of stout, very mild and straightforward, not much incentive to drink this beer in great quantities

Very oatmeal-y. I liked it. Easy going palate, nice flavors. Not too heavy/thick but far from watered down.

Nitro Tap. Buddy bought a keg for new years so this rating is based on a quite large sample. :) Pours a nice dark brown to black with a creamy head. Aroma is roast, chocolate malts, coffee, oatmeal and a touch of vanilla. Flavor is much the same, nice roasty coffee chocolate taste, not too watery not to thick. Great session stout, you could drink these all night.

On tap in Tempe. Deep black pour with a small creamy tan head that lasts and laces. Nice roasty malt and coffee aroma. Flavor is not highly complex, but very nice and slightly sweet. Smooth, but a bit thin on the palate. Not great, but worth a try.

Pours midnight black with a velvety single-finger head. Aroma is of mostly roast and sweet malt with a very nice underlying oatmeal sweetness. Taste encompasses the full spectrum of coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, and roast all in velvet goodness. Far better than any of the dozen other oatmeal stouts that I have had. Update: Their inconsistency continues to confound me. Sometimes this beer is other-worldly (4.8 region of rating) and othertimes mediocre. Makes me angry, but I’m thankful when I get one on the high end.