Mendocino Winter Ale (06/07 - Oatmeal Stout)

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

Tap @ Mendocino (Old Saratoga Brewery) - This beer pours a very black color with a medium brownish yellow head. Aroma is chocolately with notes of coffee. Roasted malts, relatively sweet and tastes of coffee. Very smooth - especially if you got the draft beers aged in Jack Daniels Barrels @ 11% Alc. One of the best beers I’ve had - When not aged in the JD Barrels, still above and beyond.

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!

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>

poured from a 12oz. bottle into a tulip pint A: Pours a ruby-tinged, inky, black, with a 1-finger, rich, creamy, dark tan head. Head mostly goes away quickly, but a nice ring of foam & lacing sticks with the beer to the finish. S: Rich wafts of cocoa, cookie dough, and maple brown sugar make their presence known right away. Very malted aromas. T/M: Big, chocolately sweetness up front, nice roasted bitterness on the finish, very burnt coffee-ish, which stays with me for minutes. Lots of dark fruit sprinkled throughout too, namely raisins, cherries & plums. Each sip feels like a slightly carbonated raspberry chocolate root beer float. D: I loved this beer, and would like to find a few more! Recommended.

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.

12 oz bottle from Total Wine in Huntersville, NC. Pours a dark brown color with a light brown head. Aroma is roasted malts and some coffee and chocolate notes. Taste is...wow...robust dark malts, coffee, chocolate...sweet and strong. This is impressive. A must try if you get the chance.

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.

Bottled - Pours a deeeep black with almost no highlights and a dark tan head......Nose is a sweet coffee and roasted malt aroma... Flavor matches aroma perfectly... like a sweet black coffee with oats... very smooth... my first Mendocino brew and I’m impressed!