Trafalgar Smoked Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Trafalgar Brewing
Style: Stout
Oakville, Canada

Sample at Tied House
This was a decent oatmeal stout but the amount of smoke was not really on par with what I would consider a reasonable level. Still drinkable this was a mostly average oatmeal stout that was thin bodied and weak. This one I passed on mostly because there are so many other stouts worth drinking.

Aroma / Appearance - Deep reddish brown the body swirled around the glass without showing anything unique. Smoke and oatmeal were light on the senses. Even for a beer meant to be sessioned it was not assertive enough to be more than a faint interest. In fact it smells like a fire which has been put out by the rain and then cooled for a few days.

Flavor / Palate - Thinnish and faint it did not impress. Tasting like pie crust which had been left to bake a few minutes too long this faded almost as soon as it started. I don’t know what the cost was but even $5.99 seems like a push for a bomber.

My Bottom Line:
There is a lot smokiness to cover up this Stout’s meager body and malt development, but the flaccid mouthfeel and inherent ash-like roastiness tend to crop up once in a while.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-There is barely a ring of foam to decorate the blackened dark brown.
-Some dark chocolate can be found within the smoke.
-Carbonation is nearly absent, which greatly detracts from the experience and exposes the beer’s flaws quite nicely.
-Some roasted malt bitterness is felt in the end.
-All in all, this is still one of Trafalgar’s most flavorful brews I’ve had...

Bottle.

Really didn’t like this. I’m not a big fan of stouts but this tasted like an ashtray. Smokey aroma that was mildly unpleasant.

650ml bottle, dark brown color, with some reddish highlights, with a toasty, fruity raisiny, datey nose, with a faint roasted, toasted malt accent, with a mild mochaish, chocolatey note, and a very light smoked aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, roasty malt, light smoked peaish malt character, with a faint mochaish, chocolatey accent, with a overtone winey, vinous fruity flavor, and a hint of flowery hop biterness, leading towards a mild, roasty, mochaish finish.

650ml bottle
5.0% ABV
I tried this beer in October 30, 2008 after purchasing from one of my local LCBO outlets. The beers a solid brown colour with a thin light brown head. The aroma is a little smoke, a little chocolate, and a little coffee. The mouthfeel is very weak for a stout, almost watery with mild carbonation. The flavour is roasted malt, smoke, and chicoree.

Very light head. Not quite black with burgundy highlights. Aroma is a bad dirty vegetable soup. Flavour is burnt vegetable.

Bottle. Pours almost black with a medium sized, disappearing head. The aroma of smoke is not pleasant. Mouthfeel is unbelievably thin, especially for an ’oatmeal stout’. Smoke flavour is overkill, with some sweetness in the finish. I’ve never drank an oatmeal stout so thin.