Summit Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Summit Brewing Company
Style: Sweet Stout
St. Paul, Minnesota USA

Sample from tap at the brewery. Pours dark brown with an amber hue, head is a creamy light brown foam. Aroma is soft roasted malt, coffee and slight fruity. Soft mouthfeel. Flavour is mild malty, only slight sweet. Finish is roasted mild.

(draft) Creamy brown head atop medium black body. Aroma is medium sweetm chocolate, some coffee/roast, light cream. Taste is medium sweet, coffee, some chocolate, roast. Low carbonation, light-medium body.

Nitro pour at Barcade. Deep garnet tinted brown beer with a huge creamy tan head. Very thick and persistent head. Rich sweet aroma with lots of milk chocolate and toasted malt. There is a touch of soft char but that is quite subdued. Flavour is quite lovely. Soft cocoa and milk chocolate and a little bit of slick creamy character. Flavour also has a kiss of herbal character and a light fruitiness. It’s got a very creamy texture and a nice sweet maltiness without being heavy or cloying. A nice almost noble spiciness on the back that works surprisingly well. Very quaffable stout. I really enjoyed this.

Tap @ William’s Uptown Pub, Minneapolis: Dark brown, tan head, nice head and lacing. Nose of sweet roasty oatmeal and herbs. The flavor is thin, a sweet creamy body. Finishes a bit tart. Hmm, meh.

On tap (nitro-pour) at the brewery. Dark brown colour (although perhaps a touch pale for a stout) with a thick tan head. Rather lively - it took the bar tender a couple of pours to fill the glass. Quite milky aroma, although not lacking in roasty malt. These characteristics continue into the flavour, where there’s a little chocolate coming through. The mouthfeel is smooth, with a burnt caramel feel, and, whilst being described as on the sweet side, I thought it finished reasonably dry. Glad they had this one at the brewery, as I gather that the availability is limited. Pleasant, but I have to say I preferred the porter overall. I also have to say I’m not a big fan of nitro dispense anyway as it tends to favour texture over aroma.

Draft at Craft Ale. Pours blackish with a very slight amount of dark brown ruby edge, and a 2-finger, fluffy, Guinness-like head that provides great lacing. Nose is roasty dark malt, dark chocolate, mild coffee, mild walnut, and mild molasses. Tastes very smooth, with the chocolate and malt flavors mixed with nuts, molasses, and a creamy lactic finish. This one surprised me, and I dare say it is the best beer I have ever had from Summit.

A deep dark stout with a thick moka head. A light chocolate aroma, faint and discreet. In mouth, a light silky stout with light cold coffee, a bit too light, but decent. On tap at Ike’s MSP, Sept. 13 2009.

On tap (nitro) at the Happy Gnome. Pours an opaque dark brown, with complete tan nitro head. Aroma is a combo of roast barley/oatmeal and bitter. Taste is very smooth and creamy, with excellent texture, full body, and a palpable of cocoa and coffee blend. Too bad this is not bottled with nitro charge. But again, give them time.