St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

Black with a thick, creamy brown head. Aroma of caramel, milk chocolate, and roasted coffee. Full flavor of chocoalte and coffee, a touch vinous. Big, roasty finish is dry as a bone. Silky smooth, medium mouthfeel. Beautiful stuff. (Bottle acquired in trade with MartinT. Thanks, man!)

Bottle, with a HUGE THANKS to robinvboyer! Pours a dark brown with a fluffy three finger thick dark tan head; great lacing. Nice aroma of chocolate and espresso, that works very well together. Flavor is more chocolate and fresh roast coffee, with a lingering roasty presence. Palate is silky and smooth, with medium carbonation and a nice finish. This is a nice one!

From the bottle. Reminded me of a drinking a cold espresso -- very rich coffee flavour -- but it works. I can see why this is one of the highest-rated beers.

Verre de dégustation, provenant d’une bouteille de 341 ml, dégusté au Festival Bières et Saveurs 2007 (Chambly, QC) lors d’une conférence de Stéphane Morin. Arôme: Odeur de de café et de chocolat avec une pointe de vanille. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un moyen col crémeux beige avec une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de café et de chocolat. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement crémeuse. Faible effervescence en bouche. Présence de café torréfié en arrière goût. (Rating #1217)

Bottle courtesy of puzzl (thanks!). Poured black with sizeable tan head. Left some nice lacing on the glass as I was drinking it. Aroma of sweet chocolate and roasted malts. Flavor was a bit of a letdown, a bit too roasty for my liking and I feel like the carbonation got in the way of the taste here. Letting it warm a bit helped release more of the sweet chocolate and coffee flavors come out, but the overly roasty finish just didn’t do it for me. Mouthfeel was medium, though above-average carbonation. A decent stout I wouldn’t mind drinking again, though this wasn’t what it was cracked up to be.

Date: 07/06/1996
Mode: Bottle
Source: Chevy Chase, DC

Appearance: black, thin tan head,
Aroma: roasted oat aroma,
Flavor: rich roasted oat flavor with a touch of chocolate
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Date: 12/01/1997
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac
Score: iii to iiii
Words: Sandy Springs

Appearance: black, big nitro dark tan head,
Aroma: strong sweet roasted chocolate aroma,
Flavor: big rich sweet chocolate flavor, just a hint of bitterness
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Date: 10/06/2008
Mode: bottle
Score: iiii to iii
Words: Bruisin Ales

Appearance: black, thin tan head, bits of lace,
Aroma: sweet dark chocolate aroma, dark caramel sweetness, touch of vanilla,
Body: creamy body with an oily oatmeal character,
Flavor: rich dark chocolate flavor, roasted malt brings in lots of bitterness, caramel sweetness brings it back in more balance, long bitter finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Pours black with a reddish-brown head. Great lacing. Complex aroma of caramel, dark chocolate, toast, raisins, sinew, malt vinegar, and chocolate cheesecake or mousse. The aroma seems to evolve the longer I smell it. The flavour is equally difficult to decipher: notes of beef, bitter milk, dark chocolate, toast, and almost chewy malts. Balance is executed very well by a slight hop finish. Medium bodied -- though quite creamy. Finishes dry and bitter with a malty tang and hoppy espresso flavour. Great.

Bottle. Black with a thick, creamy brown head. The aroma is dominated by caramel, herbal hop aroma, vanilla and espresso. Bitter flavour, smokey, has some coffee and chocolate notes too. Watery body compared to style. Good, but I think it’s overrated.