Mendocino Winter Ale (06/07 - Oatmeal Stout)

Formerly brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Sweet Stout
Saratoga Springs, New York USA

What a surprise when I poured this stout. Dark color. Smell of coco butter, powder sugar, dark chocolate, malt, roasted coffee, hops, cake batter and a hint of smoke. Taste of chocolate cake, hops, roasted coffee, oatmeal, bread, malt, sugar, honey and a touch of nut. Very smooth and creamy. Dry bitterness at the end. Alcohol is well hidden. Its best at room temperature.

12oz bottle. Pours a dark black center with medium brown edges; patchy, medium tan head with slight retention. Light, roasted-malt aroma, showing hints of vanilla and nougat. Medium, roasted-malt, dry chocolate mouthfeel: light carbonation; pleasant milk-chocolate and vanilla. Medium, bitter chocolate and nougat finish.

Bottled. Poured a lovely black with a creamy dark tan head that sticks around for a while. Aroma of dark chocolate, licorice, figs, and sweet burnt malts... the roast factor increased as this warmed up. Rich, dark burnt sugars in the flavor department... dry baker’s chocolate, dates, and licorice.. grainy and thicker as it warmed. Heavier on the palate with an uneven flow.. thick, very nice finish. Great stuff!

Bottle. Pours out a very dark brown almost black color. Smell is sweet, sugary, malty, some chocolate and coffee notes, almost smells like a milk stout. Taste is smooth and creamy and lightly carbonated. Like drinking a sweet coffee with a little bit of alcohol in it. Certainly a treat, but there isnt a whole lot here to make it stand out from the pack of sweet stouts that are out there. This is the bottle I was going to send Craig, but I didnt.

12 oz bottle, which I believe was a bonus beer from Kramer17801. Pours black with a brown head that quickly vamoosed. There is a very faint coffee and chocolate aroma. The taste is smooth and rich with nice notes of chocolate, coffee, smoke and roastiness. This is a solid brew, certainly a quality sweet stout.

12 oz bottle, thanks to whoever sent this. Pours a near black, pretty thick with a massive tan head that leaves a :LOT of lace. Most impressive looking. Nose is mocha and oats. Taste starts semi-sweet, the oats are then, then quickly the burnt malts come through in a dry bitter burnt espesso finish with some bitter cocoa and licorice in the aftertaste. Thin/medium body. Silky mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation.

Bottle from Goldtwins. Black in color with a smallish light brown head. Fair lacing. Aroma is roasty, nice oat presence. Medium to full bodied. Great roasted flavor, dark bitter chocolate. Seemingly nice bitterness in the middle and finish. Pretty well done, certainly worth trying.

Pours deep black with a mild tan to brown head. There was a little confusion I had ordered a case of 06/07 but the neck rings were dated 04/05. When I had opened a bottle I hoped that it was 04/05 but it was not . The aroma was a little confusing with notes of chocolate and roasted malt almost like the porter but when I had tasted it I could easily tell that is was not the porter. Giving off a mild body of chocolate and malt with some notes of sweetness in the finish.