Mendocino Winter Ale (06/07 - Oatmeal Stout)

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

pleasant suprise when i placed one in a make your own sixpack. earthy right away with a molasses and caffe cocoa taste. silky from the oatmeal and a sweetbread (a cream bun) like fullness from the oatmeal. what an interesting thing that oatmeal does to a good stout. just a touch of what i discern is a vanilla’ey taste or perhaps an added sweetener. certainly better than average. a solid roasted malt backbone that is essential.

Opaque with a tan head. Aroma is chocolate, mollases, coffee, and dark chocolate with plenty of roasted malts. Taste is dark chocolate, espresso, oatmeal, and has a silky body.

Thanks to beastiefan2k for sending this one my way. Very dark black beer with a thick tan head. The aroma is very chocolatey with coffee and heavy roastiness. Warming bumps up the cocoa notes quite strongly. The flavour is okay, cocoa, roast and earthy bitterness. The palate is thinner than the nose would have suggested. Milk chocolate and a hint of licorice as well. It’s a nice beer. Tastes much drier than I’d like. Light oatmealy slickness, but less than I’d like.

Pours deep darkness with multi hued brown head. Full aroma of coffee grounds, dark chocolate, roasted malts, burnt malts, hints of vanilla and wood. There’s also some sweet molasses in the nose to add some balance. Inviting aroma. Wow, great flavor with an array of tasty rich malts. I taste smooth dark chocolate mixed with coffee, burnt malts, hints of sweet molasses and licorice. Delicious. Lots of interest. There is tasty coffee, burnt malts and chocolate that goes on forever into the after taste.

Bottle thanks to shigadeyo. Pours an opaque blackish brown with a light brown scantly lacy head. Coffee, toffee and a touch of alcohol in the nose. Medium body and light carbonation. Sweet roasty taste of coffee and vanilla, with some molasses and a trace of chocolate in there somewhere. Bittersweet finish.

Thanks Jason. The beer pours to a very dark brown/black body with a thin brown head. The aroma is lactose sugar, oatmeal, sweet milk chocolate, and sweet spices. The flavor is sweet spices, chocolate, bitter coffee, wintery. The palate is sweet, moderately full bodied. Has a winter ale taste of wintergreen at times.

12 oz bottle from beastiefan2k Thx Eugene Aroma of coffee, roasted malt, and a little caramel. A dark black body with a huge tan head. Taste of roasted malt, coffee, caramel, and a small amount of vanilla. Nice tasting brew.

Black pour with denet tan head forming. Aroma is raosted grains and coffee. Decent beer.