Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout - Independence Brewing Co.

elNopalero

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This stout pours a dark brown with cocoa-colored foam resting atop it. There’s a light roasty aroma to it which turns sharp and bold on the palate. Dark chocolate bitterness dominates with a smooth, dry finish. Not bad but not one I’d break out of jail to drink again, either.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2012 20:18:31 | More by elNopalero

nataku00

California

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Good Foods Awards in SF, poured into a plastic cup. Beer pours pitch black, with a finger of chocolate brown creamy head. Head retention is excellent, with half a finger sticking around for a while and leaving nice sheets of lacing. Some fine carbonation visible at the edge of the cup.

Nose is a good dark chocolate and roasted malt. A bit of oatmeal and grains, dark chocolate as well.

Taste is dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, and fruity roasted coffee. A bit of darker caramel middle of the tongue to sweeten things up. Light pine hop note as well. Medium finish with sweet malt, pine hops and dark chocolate lingering lightly.

Full body beer, silky and creamy as expected from an oatmeal stout. Very easy to drink. Glad the brewery brought this out to SF for the awards.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 22:37:21 | More by nataku00

bisonkron

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A:Dark black/brown in Color. Very thin head with no lace, carbonation was a bit low as is most of Independence offerings.

S: very coffee/chocolaty. Had some chocolate milk there as well. Sweet caramel notes. still a bit grainy/earthy as well.

T: tasted of coffee/toffee/chocolate malts. Very chocolate milky. Had a bit of sweetness and earthiness there as well.

M: Very creamy/smooth. Not very heavy for a stout but still nice. went down easy enough.

O: Something I will go back to in the future. very much exceeded what I had expected from Independence.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2011 19:35:49 | More by bisonkron

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap in a pint glass.

A - black, no head, slightly unremarkable

S - chocolate and dark caramel malts; a bit subtle

T - lots of dark chocolate, coffee, leather with an enduring bitterness. Missing a bit of balance.

M - fairly light with little to no carbonation. Coats the mouth slightly.

D - fairly drinkable but the bitternes

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2011 02:23:34 | More by DoktorZee

armock

New York

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a black color with a tan head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of roasted malt that gives off coffee scents

T - Follows the nose of roasted malt with coffee flavors

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

D - Overall this is a pretty decent beer that I'd drink again and for an Independence beer that says something

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2010 21:24:19 | More by armock

kungpao

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Ginger Man in houston.

A- Looks like a thin pitch black stout with a small 1 and quarter inch soapy head.

S- Wasnt expecting the chocolate and coffee to come threw as much on this beer as much as it did. The oatmeal was very suddle and a bit over powered by the roasted malts and chocolate.

T- I havent had too many oatmeal stouts to compare to, but this one was pretty great tasting. Roasted malts and chocolate on the intial tasting with a coffee and suddle oatmeal smoothness to finish.

M- Inbetween thin and medium on the mouthfeel. Little amount of carbonation.

D- For the style this is not bad drinkability wise. I could easily have had more than one pint.

Overall- Interesting take on oatmeal stout. Big complex flavors, but not as perfectly balanced and smooth as it could be. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and will repurchase on tap and wouldnt hesitate to pick up a four pack on ocasion.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2010 19:39:33 | More by kungpao

champ103

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a dark brown, almost black color. A two finger tan head forms with good retention. Sticky lace is left behind as the foam recedes.
S: Roasted malt, toffee, and coffee. The coffee is strong and acrid.
T: Follows the nose, but the acrid and bitter coffee is a little to strong. Roasted malt lingers.
M/D: A medium body, but a little thin considering what an Oatmeal Stout should be. Harsh prickly carbonation. Not hard to drink, but this is a one and done.

I was not really impressed with this. More acrid coffee that I want for the style, and not nearly as creamy and smooth as I was expecting. Oatmeal Stouts should be incredibly smooth and creamy with a bit of sweetness. This is not. Not bad, but poorly made for the style IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2010 02:01:52 | More by champ103

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the Draught House.

Pours dark brown with a cream-colored head. The aroma is roasted malts with some chocolate. The flavor is roasted malt, coffee, cream and some chocolate. The mouthfeel is medium to thick and is pretty creamy. Low carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2010 21:34:42 | More by Mora2000

fjordhook

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this on-tap at the draught house. Pours with a black color, minimal head, it looks almost oily. Smell was very creamy, hints of chocolate and coffee. The taste was creamy as well. Compared to other stouts, this was an easy drink. Even with a higher ABV, the blend was done well enough where it was hardly noticeable. Great beer from start to finish. Definitely worth a try if you enjoy stouts.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2010 23:59:53 | More by fjordhook

sprucetip

Alaska

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Ginger Man in Austin on $3 Texas pint night. From notes. pours black, thin mocha head fades to flim and ring. Spotty lacing. SMELL kinda faint roasty, some heat. Later some rich caramel maltyness, sweet maple syrup. TASTE licorice, roasty, lightly boozy, vaguely molasses, caramel malty. FEEL rich, smooth, some warming, full body, clean finish. OVERALL very easy drinking for a big beer. Alc well hidden.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2009 03:10:17 | More by sprucetip

omnigrits

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Also on tap at the new Ginger Man.

I've been wanting to try this one for a while, and I'm not disappointed. It pours dark, dark, dark with a tan head that shrinks a little too quickly but leaves good lace. Plenty of coffee in the nose and, of course, burnt malts. The chocolate that you you normally find in this kind of beer plays second fiddle here and the oat flavours are nicely balanced.

Not as sweet as some oatmeal stouts, and that's very much to my liking. I much prefer the drier, more bitter style. This is somewhere between a Stone RIS and a Bear Republic Big Black Stout. It's got something for everyone I reckon.

Mouthfeel is full but not too heavy. Again, nicely balanced. Independence have really hit the nail on the head with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2009 19:59:33 | More by omnigrits

RuinationPress

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was poured into a tulip glass and was a very nice deep brown, almost black in fact. It's so thick, Superman couldn't see through this one! Guinness beware! I nice thick head to start that settles into a pleasurable thin head which leaves a lacing that makes the glass all giddy!

To smell this one, is to experience great pleasure. If the pugnant chocolate aroma doesn't get you, the actual oatmeal smell from the oats will. I took a sip as quickly as I could, but then had to sniff this one again. Wow, unusual to have a local craft brew come out with a stout this nice.

To taste this one is to experience an Oatmeal Stout that truly speaks for this style. The chocolate comes out immediately hits you and then the oats. Kind of like having a bowl of chocolate oatmeal! The taste of hops does not seem that prevalent.

The longer this one lingers, the more the oats come out. What surprised me, was that I seemed to get more of the hops as well. Very thick, but not so thick that it becomes a meal all its own.

Over all, I was more than impressed (if you couldn't tell!). I am a huge lover of Stouts and Porters, Stone's Imperial Russian and Oatmeal Stouts in particular, but this impressed me. Hidden away in the heart of Texas' capital, a gem of a brewery awaits those that are willing to seek it out. Not sure what the ABV is, but seems around 7-8%. Paired nicely with the chicken wrap, chips and queso I had for lunch.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2009 05:03:43 | More by RuinationPress

Redrover

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was has happy to have Independence Oatmeal Stout on tap the Gingerman in Austin. Served in a standard pint, the beer is jet black with a beige head. Nice lacing.

The nose is of sweet malts/oats with dark fruit and molasses.

The taste is sweet and roasty. I get raisins, molasses, roasted oats and a touch of alcohol. The beer is slightly sweet but the roasted qualities keep everything in a fine balance.

I like the silky mouth, and the beer is very drinkable for an Imperial.

Well Done!!

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2009 17:42:10 | More by Redrover

scratch69

Missouri

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured a bottle into a mug.

Appearance- Very dark brown color with a finger and a half worth of tan head. Light amount of lacing.

Smell- Light aroma of roasted malt and oats.

Taste- Roasted malt and light coffee flavor with a hint of char and dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied and smooth. Light amount of carbonation.

Overall- A nice stout with no hint of booziness from the ABV. An easy drinking and enjoyable stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 22:25:53 | More by scratch69

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout has a fairly thin, tan head and a very dark brown appearance, with red highlights under light. A thin lacing sheen is left behind on the glass. The aroma is of sweet, dark-roasted barley malt, cream, coffee, and chocolate. The flavor is of all those, plus some astringency, coal, and a mellow hop bitterness across the sip. Mouthfeel is pretty heavy and viscous, and Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout finishes dry, sweet, and wonderful. This is a delicious beer, and the drinker just does not pick up the 8% abv. Overall, I rate it most excellent.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 23:34:13 | More by RonaldTheriot

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I got this one in a trade with Cyde. 12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 11/4/2012. Pours pitch black color with a nice 1-2 finger fairly dense dark khaki head with good retention that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Some nice spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, cocoa, oatmeal, caramel, molasses, light coffee, dark fruits, roasted malt, and roasted earthiness. Very nice and balanced dark/roasted malt aromas; with good strength. Taste of big chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, molasses, coffee, oatmeal, slight dark fruit, and roasted earthiness. Slight roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, caramel, coffee, molasses, and roasted malt on the finish for a bit. Damn nice complexity and balance of roasted/dark malt flavor; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and chewy mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden at 9.2%, with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent imperial oatmeal stout! Great robustness and balance of flavors; and very smooth to sip on. Really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 04:15:18 | More by superspak

beerdrifter

Germany

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A gift from my nephew that has been in the cellar for about a year. Oily black in color, but an aggressive pour yielded a few carbonation bubbles with almost no head and some spotty lacing. Very subdued nose with some subtle roastiness with hints of oats and coffee. For what this lacked in appearance and smell, it more than makes up for in the taste. Very rich and flavorful with great roasty notes. Lots of fresh roasted coffee along with hints of oatmeal, caramel, dark chocolate, and molasses. The mouthfeel is rich and thick and extremely smooth with a nice subtle bitter finish. The alcohol is extremely well hidden making this scary drinkable, but it's rich enough to be a sipper. Overall an outstanding interpretation of the style!

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 17:51:16 | More by beerdrifter

KKB

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A – This is just some pitch black goo, with almost no light let into the body at all. The head is a frothy wheat toast, albeit it is somewhat limited with only about a finger of height, though it does appear rather sticky—and this is proven by the goodly amount of lacing it leaves down the sides of my glass. Looks like a good brew right here.

S – Roasted malt, dark chocolate, and a sugary sweetness as well. Smells pretty good, though I’m a little disappointed. This doesn’t really have the typical smells of a good oatmeal stout. We shall see though.

T – But you know what, I have immediately eaten my words. This tastes great. I’m utterly partial to oatmeal stouts which doesn’t help and unbiased rating, but this does taste rather delicious. A lot of dark chocolate, you can definitely taste the burnt malt as well though, giving it a kind of cool interplay between bitter and sweetness that results in a rather fine beer. Not outstanding flavor, but still very good and very well crafted.

M – The mouthfeel is just about spot on, very close to what I hope for from any stout. The body is closer to full than medium, but it is still a little bit on the light side which is the only thing keep this mouthfeel from being perfect. Otherwise, just the right amount of carbonation (not much, which is consistent with a good stout), smooth if somewhat caustic on the taste buds. Nice mouthfeel.

O – I do recommend this little lady. I mean, if you are staring at Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout and this, obviously side with the former, but this is definitely worth a try. It is a very good oatmeal stout and deserves recognition as such. Job well done…After all this I JUST saw that it is a 9.2% ABV beer. What? This is incredibly well disguised. That’s going to get a good .5 added to the flavor for sure. Nice job indeed.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 05:33:08 | More by KKB

94Sip

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: poured the very typical stout black color and mocha head. The nice thing about this one was that the head never totally dissipated, but instead maintained about a 1/4" thickness and stuck to the glass going down. Looked great for the whole drinking experience.

S: nothing overly aromatic that I felt worth noting. And not to take anything away from the beer as it was what I expected from a stout. Perhaps a bit of oat smells along with the typical roasted smells.

T: This is where this stout really excelled. For a high ABV beer you could not taste the alcohol or bite at all. The perfect amount of sweetness, but different that a milk stout. Like most stouts the tastes were great after about 15minutes of pouring and warming just a bit. Like others have noted, lots of chocolate - very consistent chocolate flavors. Also some very smooth coffee flavors - not bitter or dark roasted bite either. And at the end you get the oatmeal flavors. I kept finding myself wanting to leave it in my mouth to let the flavors last.

M: really good here. Just the right amount of viscosity and the fact that the head stayed with it only added to it. Also, the carbonation was spot on - better than most stouts.

O: one of my favorite stouts. Nice bold flavors and great when it is cold outside. Perhaps the only negative was there appeared to be some sediment at the bottom of the glass when I got to the end. After I drank the first bottle I left a few swigs in the 2nd glass because I didn't want the sediment. It made the last drink a bit strong and bitter.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 16:31:44 | More by 94Sip

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured black with low carbonation leaving som tannish bubbles but not to much of a head or lacing

S: Smells of flaked oats, light chocolate and faint hints of coffee

T: Starts off with faked oat an coffee which transitions int som milk chocolate, light coffee. The finish is sordov astringent, sme bitternss, rather clean

M: Medium to big body, hearty but I felt it was undercarbonated, somewhat creamy

O: Pretty average. The booze is maskd very well. i would have never guessedthis beer was 9% ABV

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 02:55:08 | More by barleywinefiend

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle thanks to SSW117. Poured into Founders snifter.

A- Pours an opaque dark black with a mocha brown head that quickly dissipates to leave a flat top and a thin line of mocha along the edges of the glass. Some small carbonation bubbles rising along of the side the glass, hard to see further since the beer is opaque but I'd say about average carbonation for a stout. Some spotty lacing.

S- Oatmeal, some light dark chocolate, some malts, and some very light licorice. About average aroma strength, but smells very nice.

T- Oatmeal, some light caramel malts and hint of butterscotch, finishes slightly bitter with a tiny bit of hops and some light dark chocolate. The light bitterness and chocolate lingers on the palate for a little bit.

M- Medium bodied, slightly creamy, nice carbonation, goes down easily.

O- This was a nice oatmeal stout. Nice flavor, decent mouthfeel, a fairly nice aroma. I definitely enjoyed drinking this however I wouldn't say it's the best oatmeal stout I've had. Definitely glad I got to try it, thanks again Sam! Thanks a lot for sending this, definitely appreciated!

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 02:06:13 | More by jaasen64

csiewert

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - opaque dark chocolate/black color with a very thin brown head that does not linger and does not lace

S - strong roasted notes and chocolate malt... Some hints of British hops... Very aromatic

T - the roasted and chocolate malt favors are right up front, finishes with a clean light hop flavor and bitter cocoa at the very end... Flavors enhance and sweetness increases as the beer warms

M - the biggest detractor of this beer... A bit overcarbed and stings the tongue... Swirl it up a little bit to balance it out

O - solid oatmeal stout... Cut down on the carbonation a bit by swirling it for a few seconds and you have a winner

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 02:05:53 | More by csiewert

BryanCarey

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Black in color, Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout pours out of the bottle with some degree of assertiveness. The nose of this beer offers some hints of cocoa, caramel, and dark fruits. A good deal of lacing and a nice amount of foam make for a pleasing first impression.

Moving to the taste, this oatmeal stout has a creamy body with flavors of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, espresso, and fruit. There is little in the way of alcoholic flavor, which is suprising considering the high alcohol content. The body has a silkiness about it that is common for this style.

Oatmeal stouts are usually on the sweet side, but this one is actually better balanced than most. The sweet malts and the contributions from the oats are obvious, but the overall taste attempts to balance itself out before the bottle is finished and it does a decent job doing exactly that. It actually reminds me of some of the homebrewed stout I made in the past.

Overall, this is not the absolute greatest example of an oatmeal stout, but still a pretty good effort from Independence Brewing and one of the better products I have tried from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 03:29:19 | More by BryanCarey

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Received this as an extra in a trade. Poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Poured a nice oily black with a very nice one finger thick mocha head that leaved very good side lacing and recedes into a nice fat quarter inch dense blanket.

S - Pleasant aromas of burnt, roasted malts and oats. Very light chocolate and coffee, oats are very nicely showcased.

T - Wow, alright. Another solid performance. More of those really nice almost burnt malts with nice roasty qualities. Some slight toffee like caramel sweetness with more of those powerful oats. The chocolate is there, faintly, and there is some nice bitter coffee finish.

M - Super smooth and silky and velvety. Its mid 80s and this is incredibly drinkable.

O - This is 9%+, no way. Delicious, very well done. As hot as I am I find myself quickly going back for another drink of this. Very impressed with this oatmeal stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 20:37:53 | More by rudzud

DevilsCups

New York

3.38/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle sourced in a Texas trade. Nice labeling.

A - Pretty good for an oatmeal stout. I notice that oatmeal stouts usually hit the appearance notes I like in a stout. Very dark body with a very dark brown head. Welcoming for sure.

S - Pretty average for a stout. Coffee notes with a background of a bit of chocolate. A bit of "musty basement" to it, but it's not offensive.

T - Coffee notes again, with a bit of a bakers chocolate tang to it. A bit sweet/tart on the tongue. Not bad, but not crazy complex. This is one of those beers that would benefit from a dash of cayenne similar to the OA Chocolate Yeti. The ABV is hidden very, very well. This drinks like a 6% stout.

M - A bit thin, but great carbonation. Nothing crazy. Doesn't really coat your mouth or anything. At 9.2% it would be nice to have a bit more thickness to it.

O - Pretty easy going oatmeal stout. Hides the ABV fantastically well for a beer this big. I'd pick some up every now and then if it were a local.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 06:07:01 | More by DevilsCups