A Year of Craft Beer, Vol. 31, Dark Horse Brewing Co. One Oatmeal Stout

Now that is One Oatmeal Stout for sure!

This is also a pretty good choice made by Scoats for his 24 beers of Christmas Case.  Thanks for all the hard work on that by the way dude!

I served it at a perfect 55 degrees.  I had it in the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes tops.

The beer poured almost syrupy and black as night with a beautiful brown head of tiny bubbles that capped the beer but fades to a nice ring and Friar Tuck in the center.  The lacing of it is awesome on the side of the glass.  At first the foam completely covers the glass like good heads do, but this one stays around a while (so you get a bigger sip while you watch it) and then breaks up into ever expanding circles.  Very nice!

The beer smells just as good!  Roasted coffee and malts with dark chocolate are most pronounced. Oats are discernible if you look hard.  There is a fruity smell that I can't pinpoint too well almost like raisins and vinegar.  strange... but good!  Truthfully, and I apologize if this offends anyone, but there was a large pop when I opened it and when I poured it, it initially had a rotten fruit smell and then there was a LOT of mud in the bottom and I was worried that it may have spoiled.  But then all those smells went away and the stout came out.

It tastes roasty, dark chocolatey, with a mild vanilla oatmeal taste in the background and at the end with the hops.  It starts off a good balance of malt and coffee with a little chocolate and then the hops come half way through and stay for the rest of the ride.  At the end of the ride you hang around for some bitters and notes of vanilla.  In fact, as I take a while writing and in between sips I taste coffee, hops and definitely vanilla.

Mouthfeel is pretty heavy, I have had heavier, and really creamy.  I freaking love it!

Carbonation is perfect with this beer.  Maybe a little high?  Not sure.  I totally can't taste any alcohol but can feel it!

I like this beer a lot, but can't put my finger on that smell.  I'm still getting a little of it.  Very very faint vinegar like which might be a function of the oats and some other variable.  I'll have to take a point off for that and give this puppy a 9!

9 out of 10.  Good beer, really enjoyable and creamy enough to drink all night.  Quite pleasant!

Happy Friday folks!  I outta here!

-Fish