Mendocino Winter Ale (06/07 - Oatmeal Stout)

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

12 oz bottle

Thanks to Tom for sending this as a bonus. It was not quite as good as last year’s release but then again I have a hard time with oatmeal stouts. Sometimes they are great and sometimes they fall short. This one is decent but not amazing. I don’t think I will be packing up any of this for future consumption. While I enjoyed it there was just something lacking.

Aroma / Appearance - The deep brown body bordered on black. A half finger oatmeal colored head floated on top protecting the liquid underneath. The nose was an interesting mixture of fresh cherries, gingerbread, skim milk and oatmeal mixed with sugar. A trace amount of coffee lingers in the background.

Flavor / Palate - Creamy dense black coffee washes over the senses. When they finally recover hints of slightly old oatmeal with strawberry chunks in it. The alcoholic nose is offset by a malty finish with some carbonation. It feels as if something is missing even for a sweet stout. In the end the coffee overwhelms everything else which results in a middling release. Give me more of the 2005/2006 Winter Ale instead.

An decent stout. I prefer the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. I thought the beer had a weak coffee smell to it, but after a few sniffs it opened up; I enjoyed the smell after this. Let the reader know it is March 29, 2007. This is a winter ale that I bought for $2.99 on sale. I don’t know why this beer would be that cheap, maybe stored improperly? I don’t know, but I am pleased with the price. Back to the rating, the appearance is pretty nice, black with little head, but the head was nice and dark brown while it lasted. It poured rather thin, after this I knew I would not enjoy the palate. The beer is not thick enough, as a stout should be. The flavor was compromised a bit because of this. The coffee was there but never developed or finished. Let’s just say that a good beer for the price, but rather weak on the taste. I really taste nothing other than subtle coffee notes. Decent beer, worth a try.

nice looking black body with a thick brown head.aroma blends oatmeal,chocolate,toffee,and coffee.flavor is loaded with roasted coffee beans followed by toffee,chocolate,and oatmeal.pretty damn good stuff.

Bottle; Nose of coffee, caramel, and some roasted, slightly smoky malts; opaque black with a medium, glass lacing tan head; flavor has a burnt coffee, smoky taste with some light hop bitterness.

Special Whisky-Barrel Aged version, on tap at the brewery (2/24/07): Served on Nitro tap; Absolutely delicious. The nitro pour brings out the creaminess, while the whisky taste comes through beautifully balanced; neither over, or underdone. Unfortunately, Dan would not allow us to fill any growlers, and was elusive as to when the 2nd barrel will be Tapped!! (note: photos of this can be seen on page 35 of the March ’07 Yankee Brew News) UPDATE 3/22/07: They tapped the last keg on this date; however, there was trouble with the nitro pour, and it lost some of it’s creaminess. Anyone in the area, this will be the last chance before this is tapped out in the next few days!

Ross was going to send a bottle of this beer to me in a previous trade, but apparently he decided to keep it and drink it himself. Thanks a lot Ross! Oh well. After searching and searching and waiting for the bottles from previous years to finally disappear from the shelves, I was finally able to find a bottle of the 2006/07 release at The Party Source in Northern Kentucky...

3/17/2007: Mendocino Winter Ale 2006/07 pours a very dark brown with a medium-sized, foamy brown head. Regardless of the true color of the beer observed while pouring, it looks pretty much black and opaque in the glass. Coffee, buttersctoch, heavily roasted/charred malt and a hint of delicious smoke are present in the complex aroma. The flavor is also quite elaborate and is comprised of many layers. Initially the taste is rich semi-sweet chocolate and cola. Then it shifts to butterscotch with some smoke. That is followed by roasted malt and a little bit of warming alcohol and more smoke (scotch-like alcohol flavors). Finally, the flavor arrives at dark chocolate, blackened/charred wood, and hints of dry roasted bitterness, coffee, and more of that great smokiness. Overall, the flavor experience is creamy, robust, and rich. This beer has a medium to full body, but maybe has a bit too much carbonation for the style and my preferment. All in all, this is an intense and exciting beer that was a privilege to try. I savored every drop!

According to the neck label on the bottle, Mendocino Winter Ale 2006/07 "is a smooth, full-bodied Oatmeal Stout." I am always a little apprehensive when it comes to oatmeal stouts since there really aren’t all that many really great ones out there, but this one definitely did not disappoint. This is probably one of the best (if not THE best) oatmeal stout that I ahve encountered in a very long time. I am definitely going back to grab a 6-pack of this before it’s gone...

12 oz bottle (7% ABV) from The Party Source.

Bottle. Pours black, with some ruby/brown tones where light comes through. Aroma is very rich chocolate, sweet malts, smoke, and oats. The flavor is a nice combination of the elements in the aroma, with a surprising hoppy bitter finish.

This is my last bottle of this year’s vintage and I really hate to see it go. I bought sixer after sixer of this before Christmas... gave many bottles away and enjoyed many on my own. What an awesome stout! Pours a deep, black body with a ruby glow under a slow, mocha head that laces thick. Overwhelming semi-sweet chocolate aroma with a light hint of dark fruit and coffee roasts. Thick in the mouth with an incredibly rich, chocolate flavor. Cleans up with a roasty bitterness to finish. Wonderful. It saddens me that this recipe won’t be back next year.

<font size=-4>Purchased several months ago from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Oak Forest, IL 60452</font>