Mickey Finns Bills Oatmeal Stout

Cask @ Day of the Living Ales. Pours dark brown with thin tan head. Sweet aroma of chocolate and roast. Decent flavor, but a little thin.

very dark brown, no head, a few off white bubbles. nose of sweet malt, mildly airy chocolate. flavor of chocolate, sweet malt. tame. medium bodied, sweet finish. unitneresting. sampled at day of the living ales, 2009.

On tap at Mickey Finn brew pub. Nitro. Poured a deeper brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of roast, light oats, chocolate, lightly smokey, and some coffee. Tastes were on the softer side (nitro) and included chocolate, roast, oats, and coffee. Thinner body.

Name: 5-Springs Oatmeal Stout
Date: 11/07/1997
Source: Brewfest, Real Ale Festival

black, tan head, slight roasted malt aroma, rich roasted malt flavor, good oatmeal character, light body,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Score: *4
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The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

On tap at StoutFest as "Mickey Finn’s Oatmeal Stout". Poured deep brown with a nice and lasting beige head. Aroma picked up sweet chocolate and light fruity notes, some grains, and had a bit of an artificially-sweetened aire to it. Flavor found dry dark chocolate at the core, moderately-roasted.. smooth, sweet oats and milk chocolate, too.. darker fruit toward the back-end.. some licorice and toffee... tasty stuff! Grainy all the way across the palate.. dry with well-placed bitterness. Solid overall.

Cask conditioned version at Mickey Finn’s. Large, long-lived creamy off-white head with good lacing. Nice malt aroma of molasses, butterscotch, and roasted malt. Medium-to-full bodied creamy stout with clear brown-black color. Very smooth and long lasting flavor that starts with sweetish molasses/coffee flavor with slight dryness at the finish. Definitely one of my Mickey Finns favorites.

I first had the nitro version of this (as "Bill’s Oatmeal Stout") at the pub, and wasn’t very impressed. Looks great, near black with a creamy tan head. The aroma is of roasted barely and barley malts. It’s way too smooth to drink, has a bitter roasted flavor with hints of coffee, and has a brief dry finish. The cask conditioned version is a whole different animal, black with a foamy tan head. The aroma is roasted barley with coffee and chocolate, hints of anise and earthy hops. It’s creamy to drink and tastes much like it smells with the possible addition of nuts and dried fruit. The finish is long, dry, and satisfying. Unfortunately, my rating is a compromise between the two.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=3241>Mickey Finn’s Brewery, Libertyville, IL<font size=-1>

Sample at the brewpub. Dark brown, not quite opaque; light acerbically bitter chocolate nose. On the tongue, very sweet, raisiny...way too thin, no hops or carbonation to note.