Black H2O Oatmeal Stout - Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a very dark brown, almost black color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes slowly into a nice cap of lacing. The aroma is of chocolate, graham crackers, vanilla, cream, and roasted malt. The taste is full of roasted malt, with chocolate, and vanilla in the start, and graham cracker in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a low level of fine carbonation. Overall, this is one of the better oatmeal stouts I have had. I will certainly drink this again at the pub, and at home in growler form.

Serving type: growler

03-20-2008 17:41:42 | More by KarlHungus

BeerTruth

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Got a growler of this from todd1, thanks a ton man. Sampled with my buddy Kaleb.

64 oz. poured into a pint glass.

Pours an absolute onyx black with a fluffy dark tan one finger head that dies down to a thin layer. Thin lacing left behind on the sides of the glass. Smell is rich caramel and sweet toasted oat. Roasted barley with chocolate and molasses malt. Some coffee and cream with cane sugar. Just an overall complex smelling beer. Silky smooth all the way, such an amazing feel in the mouth. Pretty hefty for an Oatmeal Stout, but I like it...alot. Thanks again Todd, I think the Masala Mama is up next. Time to go kick Kaleb's ass in Cricket.

Serving type: growler

01-20-2008 01:38:24 | More by BeerTruth

BeerBelcher

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

There was a lot to like about this beer. I thought it exhibited the dry-roastiness of an Imperial Stout while maintaining a lightness on the tongue and dryness of an Irish stout and delivering the light sweet finish of a breakfast stout. So, I would say this is a very pleasant blend of all three styles!

It pours very dark, although not inky like an imperial stout, with a thick nude pantyhose colored head. Aroma was roasty. Flavor was extremely roasty, with hints of coffee, and some slightly sour sweetness at the finish. Mouthfeel was light yet substantial (and wonderful!), and not at all syrupy the way some heavier stouts can be. I found this to be an extremely drinkable, yet extremely flavorful, stout and enjoyed it immensely.

Highly recommended.

Serving type: growler

08-10-2007 00:29:21 | More by BeerBelcher

BlindPig

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Thicker dark tan head on a black body.
S- Big oatmeal and roasted aromas, some citrus and grass hops, and just a great aroma. Not one thing is to over powering.
T- A blend of oatmeal, coffee, and roasted flavors. Hints of burnt grain comes through too. Citrus hops help balance out and "brighten" up the flavor. Leaves a medium/light bitterness on the tongue. Hops and hints of coffee and oatmeal lingering in the aftertaste.
M- Medium body with low/medium carbonation. I wish it had a bit more smooth-creamy feel to it.
D- I really like it. I think there are some better ones out there but this is a solid brew.

Serving type: growler

05-25-2007 07:40:49 | More by BlindPig

brdc

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked this growler up while in Minneapolis, and although the flavor did not last long, still did not disappoint.
This is a beautiful black brew, with a foamy, sticky and long-lasting tan head.
Very pleasant nose, mostly rich coffee, toffee, caramel.
Rich taste on this very creamy brew starts sweetish, loaded on coffee as expected, full of roasted malts with a mild balancing hops.
Very easy to drink, and very pleasant. Unfortunately, my growler was great on the first night but the following day had to be wasted.
I will, however, try this again when I have the chance.

Serving type: growler

04-03-2007 13:25:53 | More by brdc

leftmindedrighty

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

64oz growler received in a trade with objectivemonkey

Smell is in line, very sweet with a good oats aroma, very chocolaty

Taste is more of the same, very sweet up front, almost too sweet, but then the oats kick in the deliver that smoothness. Which is a good thing too, because this brew has no bitterness to it at all. Which I really don't like, but the very unique flavors are making up for it. And the ABV is not even there, but being as sweet as this is, I'm not surprised, I'm expecting it.

Overall, a good Oatmeal Stout, and one I would frequent if available to me. Luckily, there are better Oatmeal Stouts within reach. But all in all, I enjoyed a more sweet Oatmeal Stout, if only to remind me what else is out there.

Serving type: growler

02-12-2007 21:41:08 | More by leftmindedrighty

Jredner

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The aroma is very roasty and coffee accented with some mild chocolate and vanilla notes. It’s much roastier than you get from most sweet stouts, but that is a good thing. The body is black and holds a thumb thick mocha head that quickly compresses down to pencil thickness, but then holds there.

The fore is again quite roasty with vanilla, coffee, chocolate, caramel and a hint of ripe dark fruit. The aftertaste is sweeter with less roasted notes and the mouthfeel is creamy with low carbonation and that hefty feel of a good stout despite some thinness to the flavor through the middle. This is a pretty nice brew and I’m tickled pink to have a whole growler to enjoy. Had a pint yesterday and it seems even tastier today.

Serving type: growler

01-24-2007 13:33:50 | More by Jredner

mcallister

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A very burnt, rugged, amber brown, very dark, reminiscent of something you would find in the middle of the woods that a "cabin brewer" would brew. Still a nice mocha head very frothy that leaves a fabulous sticky lace behind.

Rich and sweet vanilla, slight coffee, burnt roasted malts, marshmallow, a bit of milk chocolate, and even some melted toffee, with a cherry on top.

Rich, and creamy, smooth as day mouthfeel, flavors of burnt chocolate, roasted malt, smoke, oatmeal of course, sweet heavy cream, and a bit of black currant.

This is an oatmeal stout I could find myself drinking on a daily basis.

Serving type: growler

08-19-2006 00:00:37 | More by mcallister

errantnight

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

What a fantastic brew.

Pours a deep black (not quite pitch) with a thick (if not very substantial) head. Looks gorgeous, just loses a point for the underwhelming head (which also appears a little light in color).

Smells like toasted malt and coffee roast and dark chocolate. A delicate and superb balance

A swallow brings the coffee to the fore, and then chocolate, the malt is clearly and afterthought, and if there's any hops at all they're not coming out, although the finish is clean. There's just enough of that oat-y sweetness to give some body and character to this. I love it.

I waited a few days before cracking this growler, and I'm sure that a fresh pint would inch things up here. If this were even remotely available to me in the NE where I am or Cali where I'm going this would be a staple.

Serving type: growler

06-15-2006 16:01:25 | More by errantnight

walleye

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a big thanks to a person in Minneapolis, Minnesota for this growler of beer. had this earlier this month. poured a dark brown to black with a nice sized tan head. aroma, roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, dark cherries a nice sweetness just lingers over the top of the glass. flavor the sweetness is just right for me , got chocolate covered cherries, malts, a touch of vanilla. mouthfeel was a little on the thin side that just made it a very easy drinking beer I just kept filling my glass I think I drank 3/4 of the growler in a very short period time (like 45 min.)

Serving type: growler

05-28-2006 14:40:32 | More by walleye

hanco005

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a growler

A—dark brownish black, espresso like. Very little head on any of the pints I poured from this growler, but the lacing was decent

S—strong coffee, with mild oat and chocolate scents

T—very strong coffee with some burnt taste as well, nice balance of malt and oat flavors, a bit of a dark chocolate taste as well. Yum!

M—creamy and a bit slimy, very thick and robust

D—A great oatmeal stout, finished the 4 pint growler in one sitting and was still not full ( but very tipsy as I hadn’t eaten since lunch). Could have drank this all night. A great winter brew!

Serving type: growler

01-26-2006 03:14:59 | More by hanco005

badbeer

Iowa

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was a decent beer and I would drink it again, I do enjoy Oatmeal Stout, however, this one did nothing to make me go wow. The smell started me off nice but the taste was not as impressive. There is the taste of roasted grains and caramel. This beer is filling and enjoyable, but don't expect to be swept off of your feet.

Serving type: growler

12-14-2005 17:09:58 | More by badbeer

hero27

Iowa

3.43/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

64oz growler. Sampled on 10/01/2005. Sticker says "Enjoy By: 10-5"

After reading some of the other reviews, I'm convinced that there was a problem with the growler I took home from the brewery...somewhat surprising, since I kept it cool the entire way home and put it in the fridge as soon as I got back. Also, managed to drink it several days before the date listed.

The pour was dissapointing. Really no head to speak of..it poured very flat into the glass. Dark brown, virtually black in color. The smell is rich coffee and hints of chocolate. Taste is similar, and the best character of this by far, even with the carbonation problems that were obvious with this serving type.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to try this yet at the brewery. As soon as I do, I'm very confident that my rating of this brew will be substantially higher. I attribute the carbonation problems to the growler, not the beer itself. I just wish I could have enjoyed this beer in it's full glory. I guess I'll just have to wait until my next trip to Town Hall. I'm anxious to try it again.

Serving type: growler

10-02-2005 20:06:17 | More by hero27

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler filled and provided in trade by StuBob. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, only a film of a head over the opaque dark brown/black brew. Film that did form was quickly gone, we'll give the serving style the fault here, and lacing isn't half bad considering the lack of head. Aroma is a pleasant oatmeal, dark malt essence. Taste is sweet dark chocolate, with a light coffee presence, with plenty of oat heartiness. Mouthfeel could be a bit better with some more carbonation, again probably a presentation problem, and drinkabilty is great. I have to get out to this place and try this and many of their other brews at the source. With a young child, who knows when that may be... If you can, do so.

Serving type: growler

06-05-2005 19:06:33 | More by ppoitras

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled from a growler. This stout held up remarkably well, and even after a month in the refrigerator after the initial opening, it still tasted good despite having lost its initially great carbonation.

This stout poured a very dark brown/black color with red hightlights with tall, pillowy, brown foam that persisted and clung to the glass a bit. The smell was roasted malt and cocoa with some barley and a bit of light sweetness. The taste was lightly sweet with flavors of cocoa, chocolate, oatmeal, and a hint of yeast. The hops were there in the background but were pretty well masked by the malty flavors. The mouthfeel was very smooth and creamy with medium-full body and low carbonation feel. Overall it was relatively clean. This was a very easy drinking and smooth stout.

Thanks to felonioumonk for this one.

Serving type: growler

08-28-2004 19:57:06 | More by UncleJimbo

drabmuh

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not my favorite oatmeal stout but a nice one for sure. Served on tap at the brewery. Beer is black with a nice off white head of small bubbles. Some lacing, decent retention.

Aroma is little weak, some grain, mild roast.

Beer is medium in body, bitter, sweet, good mouthfeel, nice beer throughout. I'd have it again but I wouldn't go out of my way.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2012 03:52:13 | More by drabmuh

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewpub. Poured into a standard shaker pint glass.

Appearance: Dark black with a little bit of brown color coming through. Solid three fingers of creamy tan head with good retention and a nice froth. Good amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: Dark roasted malts with some chocolate, nuts, oats, milk, and a little coffee. A fairly strong aroma of smoke mixes in with the chocolate. Smells very roasty, robust, and fairly sweet.

Taste: Sweet dark roasted malts up front with some good notes of chocolate, oats, nuts, milk, subtle coffee and lactose. A pretty noticeable taste of smoke lingers around making this taste like a cross between an Oatmeal Stout and Baltic Porter. Very nice.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation. Very creamy, lightly sweet and syrupy, and very smooth. Sweet but finishes moderately dry.

Overall: A very solid oatmeal stout. The smoke and milk flavors add a nice touch.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2012 06:18:13 | More by MattyG85

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Espresso black, with a cappuccino head, and very nice intricate lacing.

S: Bitter, dark chocolate and deep espresso notes.

T: Dark chocolate and espresso. Very sweet malt backbone. Has a roasted bitter malt finish. This could use a little more of a hop kick to cut the sweetness of the malts.

M: Light and pleasant for an oatmeal stout. Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2011 01:32:08 | More by Heavenisbeer

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on 2011-11-18 at the downtown brew pub.

A - Deep, dark brown with a 1-finger tan head and moderate lacing.

S - Roasted grain, some milk chocolate and floral spice. Not real strong.

T - Solid and well-balanced. Roasted grain and chocolate, light splash of coffee and a dollop of hop bitterness to help the finish.

M - Medium-heavy body and light-medium carbonation. Moderately thick yet refreshing.

O - Gotta say; this is one fine stout. Doesn't knock you over the head but it does everything right.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2011 18:54:51 | More by Tucquan

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: jet black with almost no highlights. Nice head that dissipates to allow a larger than normal ring of froth that is tan colored.

S: smells of coffee and roasted malts

T: coffee, roasted malt, maybe some balsalmic vinegar, and great hop bitterness.

M: medium body, medium-light carbonation, and an awesome sticky malt for a lasting aftertaste.

O: wow, another well crafted beer from Minneapolis Town Hall. Wish I had a brewery of this quality by me. This is drinkable, well put together, and full of flavor. This has as much flavor as many imperial stouts I have had.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2011 22:33:30 | More by Holland

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

on tap at Minneapolis Town Hall -- reviewed from short notes

black body-- like really black. not just dark brown. Very black. Dark tan head with good retention and nice rings of lace.

Smells really weak-- some roasty malt with chocolate undertones. The taste is the same, but it is more dry than expected.

Body is nice and thick-- slightly creamy in feel thanks to a low carbonation level.

Overall, not bad. Not the best oatmeal stout I've had, but not the worst.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2011 01:05:57 | More by AleWatcher

WoodBrew

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Town Hall did a decent job with this Oatmeal stout. It had just enough body to make it palletable. Any less and it would have tasted like typical micro-brew failings. This beer was dark...opaque with nice tan head that laced. The smell included roast and espresso. The taste was nice and balanced...others at the table thought bitter....but I didnt think so. Great balance with the roast, coffee, and enough hops to clean the pallet without being to bitter. The mouthfeel was good....more body would be nice....the ABV was perfect and this is definitely a good stout.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2011 20:47:10 | More by WoodBrew

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap at the brewpub into a pint glass

A- Pitch black one finger mocha brown head, dissipates quickly
S- Very soft mellow aroma, hints of oats and roasted coffee, malts as well, very subtle
T- The taste is better than the aroma, kind of hoppy, sweet, coffee, roasted oats, chocolate, some carbonation, nice surprising taste to this one, very enjoyable.
M- Medium mouth feel well carbonated, very smooth.
O- Solid, oatmeal stout, enjoyable creaminess to it, easy drinkability, a nice regular beer at Town Hall.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2011 07:36:58 | More by Chriscrundwell12

zhanson88

California

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black H2O comes out looking very black and thick with a bit of of thin mocha head. The little head that there is does stick around somewhat.

Smell: I get plenty of roasted malts of course, with coffee and smooth oatmeal as well. Not bad, but not as complex as other oatmeal stouts that I've tried.

Taste: Roasted malts, coffee and smooth, sweet oatmeal. Very rich. A good beer to end the night with.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Just over medium bodied with quite a fair bit of carbonation for an oatmeal stout. Not as smooth and creamy as others that I've had. Pretty easy to drink for the style, definitely worth a shot if you make it to Town Hall.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 01:29:01 | More by zhanson88

ccrida

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draught at the brewery, Black H20 is black with a small tan collar that leaves on a wisp of scattered foam - one drop.

Smell is darker malts, a little char, some crystal.

Taste is pretty good, a solid stout. Full flavored but smooth, clean. One the sweeter side with the crystal malts, not a ton of roast, really more porter in my book.

Mouthfeel is slick, the oatmeal showing up to help it slide down here. Medium bodied.

Drinkability is pretty good, this is a well made stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 02:21:12 | More by ccrida