Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Sweet Stout
Chicago, Illinois USA

Location: 12 oz bottle from Trader Joes (Short Pump), 12/27/09

Aroma: Somewhat muted nose of roasted/burnt coffee
Appearance: Pours an opaque brown with a small tan head
Flavor: Taste is lightly burnt coffee, some mild bitterness
Palate: Lightish body, decent mouthfeel, a touch creamy
Overall Impression: Overall, a decent, though thin, stout. Not a bad beer, but not one I would go out of my way for either. Decent, drinkable, forgettable - yup, that pretty much sums it up...

Opaque red-black, with an impressively steady beige head. Damn, that’s a pretty nice stout. Sweet, lightly bitter, chocolate aroma. Velvety and smooth, there is a nice sweet oats dipped in chocolate flavor in the finish. Medium bodied, there are some deep chocolate tones in this beer. This is the best beer I’ve had from any of the Trader Joe’s contract brewed beers. Sure, it is still a little pedestrian in some respects, but any Stout lover is doing themselves a disservice passing up this one.

Poured a thick dark brown / black color with a small brown head. Aroma was strong malted barley with hints of coffee and soy sauce. It tastes of deep roasted malts, chocolate, soy sauce, coffee, oatmeal and a bit of a dry hoppy finish. Not as creamy as I would like. The body is surprisingly not as thick as it appears, but it is very drinkable. A decent, fairly balanced oatmeal stout for the price.

A: Pours a deep black in color with a nice 3 finger head. The head quickly dies though and leaves just a small outer ring at the edge of the glass and there is no lacing to be seen. S: Has a nice mild smell about it. There are notes of nicely roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate. I would like a more powerful aroma. T: The taste is mild as well. What is there is nice but I would like it to me more forward. There is a nice sweet maltiness at first sip. It is not until the finish that I finally detect notes of chocolate and coffee. M: Way too thin for a stout, especially an oatmeal stout. This one needs more body and creaminess.

Thanksgiving beer at Colleen and Mike’s, because they knew I wanted "good" beer. Dark, in a light, kinda watery day. Red tints. Lil bit of cream colored head. Nose fruity malt. Taste a lot the same. Not too dark or flavorful or thick. Better than drinking fizzy yellow.

12oz bottle from funkybrewster. Pours a dark near black with a slight red hue and a medium creamy light tan froth. Aroma is a bit fruity, quite roasty, slightly grassy, really strong on the chocolate, some dusty malt flour. Flavor is fairly complex but seemingly without focus, chocolate, harsh coffee, bit acidic, lots and lots of oatmeal, finishing very sweet and bright. Medium bodied with corse unrefined carbonation, very dry feeling mouth-feel with a vacant finish.

Fairly unimpressive pour. no real head even with an aggressive pour by the third bottle. Fairly good aroma on a beer of the price. Flavor is good. Roasted malt and coffee flavors. Pretty bitter. Thin feel. A little watery. Overall good.

12 oz. bottle. Pours an initially thick, later deflating to thin mocha colored head, with extensive lacing, over a clear reddish black brown(SRM 35) body.....nose roasted malts (coffee, chocolate), minimal toffee....tastes of roasted malts with coffee, chocolate, toffee, finishing with a light bitterness.....mouth feel is light for an Oatmeal Stout, carbonation adds a bit of creaminess, but is not a rich and satisfying as many.