Tag Archives: oatmeal stout

The Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Imperial Oatmeal Stout

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So this is what it says on the label:

This imperial oatmeal stout is brewed with one of the world’s most expensive coffees. Made from droppings of weasel like Civet cats the fussy southeast Asian animals only eat the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system help to break down the bean. Workers collect the bean containing droppings for Civet or Weasel coffee. The exceedingly rare civet coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma.

So obviously I bought it.

Maybe I made the mistake of looking up what a Civet cat looks like just before my first sip. The nose is sharp and smoky at the same time (the beer, not the cat), and this pitch black beer pours with a thin orange head. The first impression you get is that it is a smooth imperial stout until all of a sudden you are hit by strong hickory spice. It is a sharp flavor that lasts with thick viscosity.

In the end, I didn’t really enjoy it, and didn’t even finish my pint (which has happened maybe twice in my life). The smokey, odd bitterness just took away too much of the beer and left me with a thick, sticky aftertaste I needed to wash down with—well, a different beer. I will say my buddy Chad drank the rest, saying it was okay because it was so different. If you’re looking for something different, and I mean different, this certainly is it.

Mikkeller

Leinenkugel’s Brings Back “Big Eddy” Russian Imperial Stout

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Big Eddy is back, but this was my first experience with it. Appropriately named, Big Eddy is a BIG beer. The name Big Eddy comes from the spring that has fed Leinenkugel since 1867. First released in 2007, this beer is only going to be available for a limited time and if you like imperial stouts you’re going to want to go find some now.

I think the perfect time to enjoy an imperial stout like this is on a cold, quiet, winter evening sitting by the fireside. I loved how this beer poured with a dark tan, thick head. The Leinenkugel beers I have had have been consistently quality beers although also simple in profile, but not this one. This imperial stout was dark and very complex. There were many layers of malt from rich and sweet to the rich coffee and mocha flavors. The roasted malts and hops balanced the beer while the alcohol heat that followed gave each sip a finishing spark.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, especially watching the lacing on the glass as I drank it. Big Eddy Imperial Stout is 9.5% ABV and this year it will have wider distribution than it had in the past. Our readers in the Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota and New Jersey, as well as Atlanta and Phoenix markets should look for it. Leinenkugel has also released in the past for a limited time Big Eddy’s IPA – I can’t wait for it to come around again!

Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout is brewed with 11 different malts including Munich, Carmel, Chocolate, classic Pale and Pale Ale, providing a rich, dry character, perfectly balancing Big Eddy’s hoppy assertiveness. Warrior, Summit and Glacier hops create a bold tribute to the characteristic intensity of the flavor. The beer is reminiscent of the 18th century Russian Imperial Stout style that contained extra malts and hops to act as preservatives during long voyages from England to Russia, where it was served in the royal court.

New Holland The Poet

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Beer-a-Day #293New Holland The Poet

The Poet has a rich, smooth malt character enveloped in tones of roast and chocolate. A soft mouth-feel brings luxurious flavors and soothing aroma. Any time of year, The Poet is as versatile as it is delicious. It pairs wonderfully with earthy flavors such as mushrooms and beef, while remaining the perfect accent to any chocolate dessert.

Why this isn’t from a brewer in Baltimore I’ll never know. No matter; I love a good oatmeal stout.

Deep, dark brown. Roast coffee in the aroma. Smooth and rich, with more roasted flavor. This is good.

New Holland Brewing

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

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Beer-a-Day #269Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

With its deep, dark brown-black color, thick, full-bodied, velvety-smooth mouth feel, mocha character, and, strong yet subtle hop bite, Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is one of the thickest, richest, and most complex stouts on the market today. In 1990, it became our first gold medal winner, at the Great American Beer Festival. Barney Flats was judged so superior to the other stouts that no other medals were even awarded in its category. Try it and see why Stewart Kallen described it as, “Slippery, creamy, dark, and sweet as a Pacific May morning,” in his book, The 50 Greatest Beers In The World.

Thick and dark. Smells of chocolate. Creamy and delicious. That’s good stuff.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company – Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Flying Dog Dog Schwarz

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Flying Dog logoBeer-a-Day #33

As usually happens once a year or so, my FOAM meeting this month was held at the Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland. For the trivial cost of $5 for a glass, I could sample everything they had on tap.

They had a couple of Wild Goose offerings on tap, as well as a large portion of Flying Dog’s “The Pack”, “Canis Major” and the spring seasonal: Garde Dog Biere de Garde. Three offerings caught my eye today:

First was the Wild Goose Pumpkin Patch Ale. Pumpkin ale is a bit out of season, but it is a guilty pleasure of mine so I decided to have that first.

Then I found out that on the hand pump was the Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout. Not only was it on cask, which was unusual enough, but this batch had been further dry-hopped. The silky-smooth hand-pumped oatmeal stout combined with the spice of dry hops made for an interesting combination.

But what made the biggest impression on my was Dog Schwarz, part of their Wild Dog series. I don’t usually like smoke beers, but this one was nicely balanced. Frankly, from the first sip I was craving bratwurst.

You don’t need to join a Maryland homebrew club. Flying Dog offers tours and tastings every Saturday.

Thank you, Ron

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So, I’m home, hanging out with the kids, just chillin’, when the doorbell rings.

It’s the UPS man.

I wasn’t expecting a package, but who knows what last-minute thing my wife might have gotten.

It’s addressed to my family. From Ron’s family.

Well, isn’t that curious? While we send each other greeting cards, our families don’t exchange gifts. Not that we wouldn’t, of course, but by the time I buy gifts for my own kids, their cousins, their step-cousins, grandmas, grandpa, and child-free aunts and uncles, the gift budget is stretched thin. I know Ron is in the same boat.

So this, obviously, is a surprise. I honestly have no idea what it could be. So I call the girls up from downstairs. “Look, girls. We got a package.”

“What is it?” they ask.

“I don’t know. Let’s open it and find out.”

I slice open the tape. There’s a bunch of things in bubble-wrap. I grab the first one.

By golly, it’s a bottle of beer!

Six more bubble-wrapped bottles follow. Plus a note:

Enjoy this sampler of fine ales and lagers, hand selected, specifically with you in mind. Cheers! (I had the hardest time choosing just seven! Enjoy!)

“You shouldn’t have called us,” says my youngest, disappointed, as they head back downstairs.

Hawesome! A couple of them are even from my wishlist.

And they say Christmas is for the kids.

giftfromron2.jpg

(Yes, that is my daughters’ purple Disney Princess tree in the background.)

Thank you, Ron. I will enjoy every last drop.

I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don’t believe I deserved my friends.
– Walt Whitman

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout Review

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Oatmeal Stout… it is one of favorite styles. I jumped all over this Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, by Anderson Valley Brewing Company when I saw it. My first sampling came late at night, the kids were asleep, and my wife and I sat on the porch to read our books and listen to the ocean.

The beer poured very nice and thick with a very small, brown head. It smelled wonderfully roasty, with hops hidden very, very, far in the background. My first sip took me back a bit. It was strong all around, but the roasted malt aroma carried through to the taste too strong for my tastes and was less carmel/chocolate like and more French roasted coffee like. It was thick and creamy, like an oatmeal should be.

barneyflatsbig.jpgOverall, I liked this beer a lot, but not until after I changed my mindset. You see, I was expecting (or maybe just hoping) for an oatmeal stout like the one I used to be able to get from my local brew pub before the brew master left with the recipe. Though they tried, the pub was never able to duplicate it. That Oatmeal Stout was also thick and smooth, but so well rounded and wet it immediately became one of my all time favorite beers.

The Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout was a little too sharp for my tastes. Again, I came around to liking it more for what is really was, instead of what I was hoping it to be. It is a fantastic night cap beer and actually was perfect in the current atmosphere I was in. It could compliment a dessert, but more likely it IS the dessert. Come to think of it, it might also make a good breakfast. As a matter of fact, as they say, “It’s not just shy sluggin gorms neemer.” (I’ll leave that up to you to figure out – post a comment if you do)

Hats off to Anderson Valley Brewing Company for making a great beer in a style that not many try to attempt. I look forward to trying the rest of their collection.