Southern Tier Oat

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Lakewood, New York USA

Bottle at Volo, January 2009. This is beautiful in a snifter, dark black with a thick, cream coloured head, some lacing on the glass. There is plenty of fresh dark chocolate in the aroma, some cherry and alcohol. The mouthfeel is really tremendous: full bodied, slick and smooth; slightly oily. Very inviting. The flavour is very dry with subtle hints of dark chocolate, wonderful cherry and a hint of vanilla. The alcohol is very well masked. Fantastic!

THOUGHTS: Powerful and flavorful, but way easier to drink than their Creme Brulee. Hid alcohol fairly well for something this strong. Nice, but nothing special. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that was black in the glass with slight orange highlights in the light and a small, tan head that left fair lacing. The aroma was roasted malt, milk and dark chocolate, oat, chocolate syrup, moderate pine hops, and a little alcohol. The flavor stared very sweet and a little bitter and finished fairly bitter with a little sweetness with a long duration. There was roasted malt, chocolate, oat, dark fruit, chocolate syrup, pine hops and a little alcohol. The medium to full body was oily, but also sticky on the lips with tingly carbonation and alight to moderate alcoholic finish.

Dark brown pour with a tall khaki head-brown head. Silky smooth on the palate with a dark chocolate and char flavor. Mild smokiness builds in the finish. Really well built and well rounded for being a fresh imp stout.

22oz bottle. Black pour, thick as oil. No head. This is one hell of a beer. Not much aroma, but when you pour it down your throat the taste more than makes up for it. Lots of spicy hops, and dark roasted malts. Chocolate. Slight alcohol burn as it goes down. Had a slight buzz after a 22oz bottle consumed in 20 minutes. Serve it slightly warm, as fridge temperature will subdue its flavor. REALLY good brew.

22oz bottle. Pours an opaque black body with a finger-width, brown, creamy head that dissipates slowly and remains pretty lacy. Aroma is a strong sweetness. Good amount of caramel maltiness to it along with a boozy backing. Lots of raisons, some molasses, and a bunch of smooth, oaty chocolate. Some light notes of roasted malts and bittering hops as well. Definitely more of a sweet smelling stout. Flavor is also pretty sweet, but has a moderate amount of hard roasts to it. Lots more of the dark fruit and raison, some dark chocolate, and a more distinct licorice in the flavor as well. A very mild bitterness comes through to balance the initial sweet, chocolate oatmeal and extends throughout and after the sip. Finishes dry and cloying after an enormously chewy malt and velvety smooth body. I love the feel that the oats give this. Leaves a really nice lingering taste. Its like an alcohol/roast mix, but not too much of each. Its almost like sucking on a roasted grain after its been soaked in booze. Warming on the way down too. Overall, a fantastic imp stout. Great from beginning to end. If the aroma was a little more abundant, this would be tough to beat when it comes to oatmeal stouts.

Pours opaque black with a half inch head of tan. Minimal lacework and retention is short. Aromatics lead off with dark chocolate, oatmeal, charred malts, coffee, and toasted bread. A warming Kahlua-like note pulls through. Full bodied and very creamy. Sticky and chewy with a lush mouthfeel. Roasted malts, rich chocolate, fresh oatmeal, and coffee beans start the pallet. A bowl of oatmeal drizzled with chocolate syrup and a fresh coffee on the side. Warming alcohol pulls through, but not hot and fairly subtle. Finishes with lingering chocolate, caramel, coffee, char, and warming alcohol. Another winner from the Blackwater Series of ST. Yum. I think this one is best fresh though, as the bready, toasty, oat character will be fading.

Black with a tiny off-white head. A complex aroma of roses and citrus, licorice, chocolate and caramel. Sweet and really rich with dark malts, chocolate and oat crackers. A slight candy like sweetness that could be too much, but I managed a bottle without it getting cloying.

Pours black with a very thin deep chocolate head. Aroma is very enticing and inviting. Loads of roasted malts, heavy dark fruits reminiscent of a quadrupel, and a heavy level of chocolate as well...mmmmmmmm! Flavor lives up to what I was hoping for as well...a nice conglomerate of sweet and dark chocolate, roasted malts, hint of coffee, some caramel, dark fruit, and some toffee. A slight booze burn as well, but I sat this down for about a year I think (need to start keeping track of when I trade/purchase). Very easy drinking for the ABV, this is a beautiful rendition of an imperial stout. Continue to be very impressed overall with the products from Southern Tier - Prosit!!