Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout - Rogue Ales

sam_bliss

Washington

3.34/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This nitro-tapped brew fills the pint glass with creamy near-black goodness capped by a milk-like latte-colored head. The head is not bubbly but instead sits atop the deep dark brown stout like the cream ready to be skimmed off fresh milk. The super-smooth foam cap produced lacing that can hardly be called lacing – it is more like a wall of foam that lines the sides of the glass.

The beer smells nutty with loads of dark chocolate, but American hop presence lends a piney and herbal tone to the aroma. It tastes like black and toasty malts, with some lighter floral notes. Caramel peaks out underneath burnt bitterness and black coffee.

The mouthfeel is medium-full. This one goes down smoothly and leaves a hint of hoppy bitterness, which is somewhat unique among oat stouts. The carbonation is...actually nitrogenation? It is creamier and less prickly than the fizziness to which we have all grown accustomed. Nitro-tap is the new thing for me.

I like this beer; it is comparable with Ninkasi's Oatis for a bitter malty oat stout. I did not even know it was made with oatmeal until typing up my napkin-scribbled review. It tastes like a thick stout with harsh dark-roast coffee bitterness. The American hops are incongruous with the rest of the beer. They should be toned down and perhaps replaced to some extent with Noble hops...or more caramel malt!

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-18-2013 07:19:54 | More by sam_bliss

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on 2012-10-28 in Lititz, PA at the Bull's Head.

A - Opaque black with a 1-finger thick tan head and great lacing. Looked like a hand-pulled Guiness when it was served all foamy from the bottom up. Gorgeous.

S - Mild, medium roasted oats and light bread. Nice but not much aroma.

T - Sour dough bread, medium charred oats, unsweetened chocolate and a light touch of molasses. Dry, not sweet. The lingering aftertaste is a nice combination of charred oats and hop bitterenss.

M - Medium body and light carbonation. Very creamy but not thick. It seems this beer is made to be served on nitro.

O - Very good. Not quite as fine-tasting as a Founders Porter but leaning in that charred direction. Not as rich in the taste or mouthfeel as a Founders Breakfast Stout, and no coffee in this one. Nevertheless, it's a very good tasting, lowish ABV stout that I enjoyed.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-28-2012 21:09:51 | More by Tucquan

tdm168

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at World of Beer.

A - pitch black with a soft, off white, creamy head

S - roasty, nutty, faint coffee

T - roasted malt, coffee, creamy, a bit of charcoal

M - full bodied, creamy, smooth, low carbonation

This is a nice, easy to drink stout. The nitro tap adds a great mouthfeel and a creamier taste. The roasted malts and traditional stout flavors are on point and balanced. Overall, this was a very enjoyable pint.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-18-2012 00:56:35 | More by tdm168

syu3003

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a pint glass at the pdx airport via nitro line. Beautifully pours creamy black with two fingers head. Aroma not too apparent as it was served in a pint, but hints of a malty essence and oatmeal of course. Drinks thick and creamy and very delicious. Although nothing really stands out about this beer, it is very drinkable and balanced and extremely satisfying especially waiting for a flight departure. Highly recommend stopping by the rogue taproom at pdx, and a friendly bartender! Cheers!

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-24-2012 05:16:07 | More by syu3003

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on nitro-tap in a tulip shaped glass

Appearance – Served a nearly pitch black color with a wonderful thick light brown nitrogen formed head. The head was very persistent and lasted the entire drinking experience.

Smell – The aroma was of roasted malt and cocoa with a sugary sweetness. The sweet aromas were hard to plac,e but seemed to be mainly of molasses and brown sugar . Mixed with these was a light burnt smell that overall created a nice balance to the sweet aromas of the sugar.

Taste – The taste started out of roasted malt and a lighter oat flavor. The cocoa that was detected in the nose quickly came to the tongue. It started out sweet when it arrived due to a nice molasses sweetness the accompanied its arrival, but the molasses started to fade more toward the middle of the taste as some roasted coffee flavors began to develop. These bittered the brew a bit and left a nice, more dry, roasted and cocoa flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The creamy nitrogen driven body coated the mouth, bathing it in all the wonderful flavors of the brew. Being a nitro the effervescence was lighter, this accentuating all those wonderfully slightly sweet dark and roasty flavors.

Overall – This was one fine tasty beer. The nitro pour suited all the darker roasted flavors very well giving an overall creamy and satisfying brew.

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-10-2012 19:51:28 | More by Darkmagus82

DoubleSimcoe

New York

3.7/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Shakespeare on tap at Pony Bar, served in a 14-oz pint.

Appearance: Beautiful nitro pour, intensely black with a foamy mocha head I just wanna bite! Outrageous lacing.

Smell: Chocolate, coffee, hops. Stickiness. Nice barnyard-farm aromas. But all very muted due to the nitro serving.

Taste: Hop-forward, then roasty-toasty. Smooth but rich, with a strong bitter coffee feel. The chocolate is less intense in the mouth as opposed to the nose. Some dairy, milk powder.

Mouthfeel: As expected, creamy and rich, easy to drink. A little too bitter at times, but fine. Dry like a classic Irish stout. Water, please! Full voluptuous body all around, like a curvaceous ebony mama.

Overall: Nothing earth-shattering for sure, pretty simple overall but oh-so-pleasant and drinkable. You could session this all day and have fun.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-03-2012 05:51:27 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Kornoms

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on nitro-tap, pours incredibly smooth and took quite a while for the head to settle. The smell is very light, hints of oatmeal and malt. The Oatmeal gives the taste a sweetness which we really enjoy. You can taste the oatmeal, malts, and overall roasted flavor. The mouthfeel is amazingly smooth and so easy to drink. Overall this beer was extremely enjoyable and very well done.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-24-2012 19:43:21 | More by Kornoms

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on nitro at Rogue, Portland, OR

Poured black with a starkly opposing creamy tan head. Gotta love nitro. Aroma was as expected: dark roasted malts, toasted grains, notes of coffee and cocoa, with promises of earthy hops. Taste followed the aroma: dark malts and grainy oatmeal, roast and toast, cocoa, some coffee bitterness, and a hint of earthy hops. Smooth, though not as full-bodied as expected from a oatmeal stout on nitro...about medium-bodied I suppose, but still smooth and easily downable.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-10-2012 21:06:56 | More by Rifugium

denver10

Colorado

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This was already one of my favorite beers via the bomber. Then I tried this on tap and, WOW, it was only ridiculously better. The big downfalls from the bottle version (effervescence and somewhat thin body) were improved upon and what was already good was only better.

A: Nice, creamy dark brown body with a nice, brown head.

S: A rich, semi-sweet, and somewhat bitter aroma.

T: A beautiful combination of chocolate, sugars from the oats, roasted malts, and bitter coffeeness

M: Beautifully creamy and medium bodied.

O: Fantastic. Fantastic. Fantastic.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-10-2012 00:25:54 | More by denver10

bruachan

Rhode Island

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

i usually don't go for the nitro and i've re-realized why. i know why places push kegs with nitro but, for pounding on the bar, pick a lesser beer to do it with

the top 20% arrived a khaki froth, neatly sequestered from the 80% of blackness below

the nitro seemed to lock in the flavors of this otherwise pungent brew. i bet the tight bubbles don't burst and release their empyreal scents like they ought. once i tip a few sips, the cloud parts and singed delicious permeates. wonderful roastyroast

similar experience with tasting the beer: it feels subdued and nitro has a definite flavor (or at least contributes to a distinct flavor). the beer's balance between sweetness and stouty astringency is superb, and hop flavors even play a fantastic part on the stage

suuuper smooth oatness (and someone would probably try to convince me the nitro contributes to this, too). one of the most drinkable stouts around

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-05-2012 13:02:43 | More by bruachan

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

one of my favorite stouts. pours dark dark browm almost black cascading from the nitro tap with a memorable creamy head. smells rich and dark malty, with notes of unsweetened cocoa and coffee. taste is a little bit bitter at the end, but not a hop bitterness as i know it to be, more like bittersweet chocolate. the mouthfeel is so creamy and smooth, full bodied and as drinkable as any stout in the game. a wonderful noontime drink after a hard night of drinking. rejuvenating and delightful

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-23-2011 23:36:39 | More by StonedTrippin

bishopdc0

Maine

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had a nitro version at a tap take over at Novare Res

Black, black color with a big tan head. The head is dense and creamy.

The aroma is mainly roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. It all ends with a metallic nitrogen that detracts.

The flavor is big flavors of chocolate and roasted coffee. it is a smooth flavor and the body of the additional oatmeal make a nice mouth.

The only detraction is the nitro, I bet it would be better on straight co2

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-22-2011 00:17:16 | More by bishopdc0

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on-tap in an over-sized brandy snifter at The Cask Republic in New Haven, Conn.

A: Black body with a two-finger thick had of persistent, creamy tan foam that left nice sheets of lace and retained til the bottom of the brew. Bless the nitro-tap system!

S: Charred malts and an earthy, herbal hop bitterness sting the nose a bit. Some roasted, milk chocolaty characteristics leap into the aroma as well.

T: Bittwersweet, roasted black and specialty malts impart a chocolaty and bitter espresso flavor up front. A somewhat fruity, nutty malt center blends with an herbal, spicy hop profile before finishing out smooth, creamy and bitter with a lingering hint of semisweet, dark chocolate and nuttiness.

M: Full-bodied, slightly creamy and rather smooth given the use of oatmeal and its 6% ABV.

O: A fine after-dinner brew to sub-in for your coffee or espresso with dessert. Shakespeare would pair nicely with a chocolate torte or mousse, perhaps. But, it's just as fine on its own and perfect as a digestive at 6.1% ABV; not too heavy with enough robust character to put a cap on the evening.

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-05-2011 05:24:20 | More by Gambrinus1184

BranfordBound

Connecticut

4.05/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On nitro-tap at Mikro last week.

Pours jet black with a solid nitro head that leaves abundant lacing. What else can be expected from a nitro-tap?

Mild aroma of roasted malts and some espresso.

Very flavorful, at first there is a touch of roasted malt, then just a little chocolate, but the coffee, oats, and roasted aftertaste make this stout stand out. Very robust for the ABV.

Creamy smooth and at the lower end of medium bodied.

I drank this one slowly as I enjoyed fish and chips, this is an excellent stout regardless of the nitro-tap and I hope to try the bottled version soon.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-12-2011 22:54:01 | More by BranfordBound

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nitro-tap at Prime 16 into a shaker pint.

A: Dark brown body with plenty of reddish highlights under two fingers of predictably creamy light-brown nitro foam. Similarly typical (and great) retention and lacing. Attractive.

S: Quite roasty, with plenty of milk + dark chocolate malt. A touch of coffee as well, but (unfortunately) lots of metallic sharpness. Not terrible, but not that good, either.

T: Good balance of caramel and chocolate sweetness, with dark chocolate roasty bitterness on the tail end. Dry finish. Tasty.

M: Medium bodied and creamy. Definitely doesn't hurt that it's nitro.

D: Quite easy to quaff.

Notes: Considering this is firmly in the Top 100, I was really expecting more. It's a tasty stout, sure, but the metallic aroma and general lack of complexity left me less than excited. I think I'll just move my one bomber from my cellar to my office as a piece of Shakespeare-iana.

Cheers!

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-21-2011 03:23:59 | More by woosterbill

DNICE555

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on nitro tap at Prime 16 along with some very good burger and fries

Pretty much sticks to my original reiew minus the mouthfeel

A: Black body with some nice tan head.

S: Big roasted malts. Chocolate, hearty oatmeal, and a nice hop backbone to balance it out.

T: Roasted coffee oatmeal up front with some bitterness attached and a chocolatey finish.

M: Smooth full bodied mouth feel like the regular tap but insanely creamy. I prefer this one on regular tap but it was very interesting and I'm glad I had the opportunity to try on nitro.

D: Nice heavy stout that goes down easily because it is very well balanced.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-16-2011 18:23:00 | More by DNICE555

Lerxst

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On nitro-tap at Kickbacks

A-Black as night with a inch and a half creamy khaki head that has good retention and leaves some nice lacing. Looks really good.

S-Understated and tame. Some roasted malt and hints of dark chocolate and coffee. Nose needs to be more prominent.

T-Bready malt, hints of chocolate and coffee as the nose suggested, a somewhat sour, astringent back end that isn't very pleasant.

M-Rich and creamy.

D-The sour and astringent back end really hurt the drinkability.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-08-2011 19:33:37 | More by Lerxst

rtepiak

Poland

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks elegant out of a nitro. Nice and frothy. Creamy that fades but a head that leaves lace. Nose is subdued. Some dough and chocolate. Palate is a bit broader. Chocolate lace of carob, earth and tobacco. With a tad bit of licorice. Very mild leathery. Most say that it's an awesome example, but i've seen some equally if not more consistent english made.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-18-2010 05:01:24 | More by rtepiak

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got to have this on Nitro at the Library for 3 dollar happy hour. Sweet!

A - Pours a jet black liquid. Very solid color for a stout. The layers of pillowing foam dance down the glass like a calm rainstorm in the night. Got Nitro is awesome.

S - Got some slight chocolate and coffee malt here. Not to big or too little in the smell. Slight oatmeal.

T - Full yet drinkable this stout starts with bittersweet chocolate, followed by a nice bitter oat like body and finishes with the sweet delicious taste of delicious coffee. No bitter finish to speak of.

M - Every sip is a treat coating the mouth. The pillow foam layers the sides of the glass well.

D - I will have to try this in bottle forum to see if it was just the nitro making this awesome but it really was an overall soild stout with really nothing off putting about it. Nice offering Rogue! I could drink this one all happy hour!

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-08-2010 01:05:56 | More by DrDemento456

CampusCrew

Florida

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

had this at the huge kickbacks dinner in Jacksonville, FL. I took some notes but mostly doing this from memory.
Appearance: black body and creamy head from nitro.
Smell: earthy, some vanilla
Taste: rich full bodied stout. soe mellow chocolate. love this beer!

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-17-2010 17:11:19 | More by CampusCrew

mynie

Indiana

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Last night, seeing this on tap for the very first time, I had no choice but to re-review the first beer I ever awarded a perfect score. Back in the day this was, like, *the* beer; you couldn't think much of yourself as a beer person until you had tried it. And now it's still a big deal, I guess. It's really impressive to see a lower-ABV beer getting an A on this site, especially when it's got over 1200 reviews. Even in this age of the mindless adulation of bigness, people still can't deny Shakespeare its due.

The Nitro pour doesn't detract from the appearance. It's still got a nice, big brown head and it is still as opaque as concept the of death.

Smell rough, burnt, dry, and yet also smooth like milk and sweet like chocolate syrup.

Tastes like a wonderful hybrid of an English dry stout and an American oatmeal, starting with burnt, bitter malt, moving into a long and lingering wave of dark and milk chocolates, and then ending on firm cascade hops that are spicy, dry, and flowery all at once.

Four years later, this is still perfect.

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-01-2010 23:55:50 | More by mynie

arizcards

Arizona

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had a couple of pints at the Rogue Ale Public House in late March.

This beer poured black with a fine two finger head. Nose is of chocolate/coffee roasted malts. Taste is a delight, a perfect balance between the roasted chocolate malts and a generous portion of Cascade hops with hints of coffee. Mouthfeel medium bodied but is very creamy and lively. Overall drinkability is great. I have been dissapointed with the change in taste with beers on nitro-tap but this one did not dissapoint!

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-11-2010 00:23:26 | More by arizcards

taxguyjase

New Mexico

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Apparently, Burt Reynolds is paying Shakespeare at a liquor store near you. Having about 30 minutes to kill before heading to the Oakland Airport, so ended up swinging into the Rogue Ale Public Room in San Francisco for a quick brew. They had a great selection on draft (probably 40% Rogue ales, 59% other microbrews, 1% the King of Beers). I ended up going with the Shakespeare Stout, as it sounded very dramatic.

I love nitrous beers - they have this amazing waterfall effect as the head settles. Just fun to watch and take in as the beer works its mojo. The beer's head was a nice creamy tan color and featured some light coffee/mocha scents. The beer itself was really smooth. The coffee and chocolate taste was light (just like the smell), but flavorful. No aftertaste on this one - just a great stout. WAY better than a Guiness, I'd get this one again. Too bad there isn't a Rogue place here in ABQ...curses.

Appearance - 5.0/5.0 - love the waterfall effect of the nitrous, tan creamy head - very full
Taste - 4.5/5.0 - silky smooth - coffee and light chocolate taste
Feel - 4.0/5.0 - no aftertaste, extremely smooth in mouth
Smell - 4.0/5.0 - very light with coffee/mocha accents
Drinkability - 4.5/5.0 - way better than a Guiness - very tasty, smooth - I will be repeating this beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-02-2009 18:01:53 | More by taxguyjase

Kendo

New York

4.4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got it off the nitro-tap at the Blue Tusk in Syracuse, 5-27-09.

A: Body is black with a cascading, slow-rising 1-finger, tight tan head that retains well. Good rings and even curtains of lace. Nice presentation.

S: Not terribly strong in the nose -- a bit of coffee, roasted malt and a hint of chocolate.

T: First impression is chocolate, followed by roasted coffee beans. A slight burnt charcoal bitterness lingers into the aftertaste over the chocolate, providing nice balance to each sip.

M: Medium-bodied, but feels lighter on the palate due to the creamy nitro feel.

D: Very good.

Notes: I don't often review a beer twice simply because I had it via a different delivery (e.g. bottle vs. on-tap), but the experience on the nitro-tap was significantly different and so I made an exception in this case. Viewing my bottle review, I see that I felt the nitro tap added to the experience, resulting in some bumped-up scores for this one. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-28-2009 14:50:24 | More by Kendo

mhewes

Colorado

4.97/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A : Poured a dark brown with an incredibly creamy tan head. Lots of lacing

S : Roasted malts, coffee, chocolate

T : Good creamy flavor that's just full of roasted malts. Good coffee flavor in there also. A nice bitter chocolate on the finish to round things out

M : Creamy, full-bodied

D : A great stout on nitro. One of the easiest drinking ones I have ever had.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-03-2008 21:10:46 | More by mhewes