McNeills Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Sweet Stout
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

<b>In short: </b>An infected beer, at least this bottle
<b>How: </b>Bottle 22oz, drank (or attempt to) relatively fresh 2 months after purchase
<b>The look: </b>Black body topped by a small tan head
<b>In long: </b>Nose is roasted and vinous. Taste was wine vinegar and roastiness. That’s it that’s all. The vinegary flavour was too overwhelming and only the basic burnt/roasted notes managed to come through. Obviously this was an infected bottle. Drain pour after two or three sips. I’ll re-rate one day if I’m offered a bottle but after this atrocious bottle you’re more likely to find Jimmy Hoffa’s body in my car trunk than a case of McNeill’s Oatmeal Stout.

Bottle (22oz). Shared with blankboy and garthicus, via trade with glouglouburp. Opaque near-black pour with an average light brown mottled creamy head - this actually *looks* thick. Dry, slightly tart yeast aroma (that McNeills aroma again), with deep roast character of molasses and tart fruit. Very dry and deeply roasted coffee/nutty taste, finishes almost burnt. Average of body, incredibly dry and bitter in the linger - a lovely, lovely dry stout.

Bottle (22oz) shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours black with a large somewhat-lasting creamy light-brown head. Mild aroma of roasted malt, coffee, lots of green hops and some lactic notes. Flavour of coffee, chocolate, hops and roasted malt -- very tasty. Medium bodied. Creamy mouthfeel. Well done, a very good Stout.

Tasted on tap at the brewpub. Black with an off white head. Chocolate aroma. Flavor is more subtle chocolate with light licorice. Very creamy oatmeal texture. Super drinkable.

(Bottle). Sweet clean aroma. Pours deepest brown, with a tan moderate size head. Flavor is sweet chocolate and malted toffee, with a tangy after-bite. Full finish. Nice stuff.

22 oz bottle, via BA BeerTruth. Pours a flat black body under a rather large fizzy brown head that settled to a craggy mass of meringue. The nose is roasted malt with an earthy oatmeal undertone. Some light hops and a bitter chocolate scent round it out. The flavor is sweet chocolate and roasty malt with a slight sour mash pervasiveness that makes it a little acrid. Finishes with moderate bitterness and a lactic twang. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a little too much fizzy foamy carbonation. Fairly disappointing overall, a little too much of that "house" character if that’s what you want to call it that McNeils is infamous for.

Tap @ Blind Tiger. Poured black with a tan head. Sweet roasted malt aroma with mild-moderate amounts of chocolate. The flavor was semi-sweet and full of roasted malt. Semi-dry finish. Nice smooth mouth feel.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Oaty, stale aroma, a bit sweaty. Stale coffee in the flavor, but nice and clean and drinkable. Lightly sweet. Not distinct but a pretty good stout. I find it funny that this is listed as a Sweet Stout and the Alchemist Coffee Stout is listed as a Dry Stout, consdering how similar these two are.