Review - Southern Tier Brewing Company's Oat
"It is beer #2 in our "Blackwater Series" of original Imperial Stouts. The first in the Series was "Is", a dark and bitter Russian Imperial Stout. "Oat" is the follow up; an Oatmeal Stout with major alcohol volume and tons of body to back it up. The cloying character of the oats in this brew lends itself to a chewy and almost oily mouthfeel. ABV. is off the charts at about 12.5%. Note, that this is an all malt beer fermented with our house ale strain of yeast. Judicious hopping with Columbus and Chinook produce a hoppy aroma that mingles nicely with the chocolate and de-bittered black barley from Belgium. Editor's note: 2007 at 11%, down from 12.5% previous." -- Southern Tier
Pours a dark, rich chocolate color producing a large, light-brown fizzy to frothy head that diminishes down to give nice fizzy lacing rings on the glass. Aroma is rich with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, soft burnt-malts, and very strong, sort of stinging alcohol. Initial taste is just plain delicious. Sweet, silky chocolate up front gives a nice sweet taste, but moving towards the finish, we get a very balanced alcohol bitterness that\s very smooth and doesn\'t give away the alcohol levels. Mouthfeel leaves an oily film, and has a creamy texture with a medium body and a slight alcohol tinge. Eventually, we get a soft dryness. Amazing beer.
Reviewed on March 28st, 2008.
