Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout - Rogue Ales

Grunewald

British Columbia (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - poured from a 650ml bottle into a tulip glass. It pours opaque black a thick tan head. The head leaves a wall of lacing.

S - coffee and sweet/candied berries (strawberry jam)

T - sweet roasted malt and tannic hops

M - low carbonation, smooth body and a semi dry finish

D - the smell is inviting but the taste does not follow through as well as I hoped. It's still a decent stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 02:44:28 | More by Grunewald

masikon

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark ebony with a perfect tan head which leaves a whole lot of lacing. Nose is strong in the hop department for the style with subdued coffee tones in the background. Taste is pleasant but not overly interesting, Some good classic coffee notes, I didn't detect much chocolate. Mouthfeel is rich and the aftertaste is very nice and lingers, taste like the foam on top of a good mocha. Overall a pleasant stout but I think maybe I expected a bit more, I'll go back to this one day and see how it treats the second time around.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 01:12:04 | More by masikon

Enola

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a deep black with a huge tan head. There is not a lot of lacing. The smell is grain and a small amount of bitterness. The taste is similar to a porter. There is a roasted flavor. The smootheness is not as good as I would like. The drinkability is ok but I think there are better options if I want a stout. Overall, a decent beer that is average for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2006 21:41:25 | More by Enola

jdubjacket

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out of a bottle into a pint glass. Pours a nearly black color with minimal lacing.

Smells and tastes exactly like a strong coffee. Unfortunately, that's all it tastes like. I remember this beer being much more complex. But, after having it tonight, I feel as though it's a decent stout, but there are definitely better ones on the market.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2007 02:10:05 | More by jdubjacket

ktrillionaire

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Several of my friends swear by this beer; me, not so much. It's good, but it is too low in ABV and a bit too tame for me. I would take, say, a Lion Stout over this 100% of the time. Then again, Lion is no slouch, so my complaint is actually a compliment.

A – It pours nice and dark, but not black, with decent head and moderate retention.

S – Roasty. That is the main olfactory sensation. Burnt cocoa, dark roast coffee, charred grain and a bit of a malty sweetness to tie it all together.

T – The taste is roasty and stout, perfectly average. Forgive my lack of superlative and whimsy, but it is just a bit of a fence-sitter of a beer. It tastes quite good, but given the obvious quality, it seems just a risky tweak for something stunning, which it is not.

M – The feel is thinner, but viscous enough to overcome it.

D – As I said, good but not great.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 23:56:25 | More by ktrillionaire

locarboy

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle from sam's liquor in chicago. Pours black with dark brown fluffy head. Nice roasted coffee and dark chocolate aroma that mingled with the aroma of cascade hops. The mouth feel wasn't what I expected with it having oatmeal as one of the ingredients. Nice lacing down the glass. Had a bit of a smokey, phenolic flavor (is it infected?). I expected more of a dark chocolate flavor. An interesting beer. There are other stouts I'd buy over this, but it was very drinkable all the same.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 01:14:18 | More by locarboy

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a large light brown head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of roasted dark malts, chocolate, oats and coffee with a touch of hops.

T: The taste is malty up front as you would expect, with flavors of dark chocolate, roasted oats and coffee. The sweetness fades quickly and leaves the bitterness of dark chocolate and pale hops. The after-taste is bitter-sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, I like the fact that this beer isn't as sweet as most stouts are and even though I think this is a solid beer, I've definitely had better stouts than this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2008 03:42:57 | More by TheManiacalOne

exparte

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

BIg chocolate aroma mixed with floral hops. Pours pure black with a thick, rocky brown head. Loses some points because the head dissipates a little too quickly for a stout. Tastes of bitter hops with chocolate and roasted malts. A bit thin on the palate but the carbonation is pleasant. Lingering chocolate and bitter finish. This is a pretty damn good stout but it leaves a bit of room for improvement.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 07:12:38 | More by exparte

MasterSki

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

No idea how old this bottle is, but I've had it for at least a year. Served in a Surly pint glass.

A - Pours with a finger of tan foam that dissipates to a blotchy haze and thick ring. Not much in the way of lacing, with just a few fingers. Dark brown body with some hints of red to it at the fringes.

S - Cocoa beans, a touch of soy, roasted barley, bitter espresso, and a touch of meaty smokiness in there as well.

T - Taste has a little more caramel with the cocoa and smokiness, and thankfully the soy element has dropped out completely. Still, it tastes a little bit dull - perhaps this bottle is too old. Damn Rogue for not dating anything. There's a bit of an acrid burnt coffee finish as well.

M - Fairly high carbonation going on here. Body is definitively medium and significantly chewy and viscous. The finish is really dry, which is somewhat atypical. This is one of the nicest elements of this brew.

D - Drinkable, but not particularly interesting or exciting. The alcohol is well hidden, and other than the slight over-carbonation it has a nice texture.

Skimmed through some other reviews - apparently this is quite hoppy when it is fresh, but goes downhill fairly quick. However, since there's no bottle dating it's hard to know what one is going to get. I'll re-review if I see it on-tap.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 07:21:08 | More by MasterSki

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz. bottle served in my Sam Smith tulip nonic. Pours the color and clarity of cola with a dense, rocky, mocha-colored head that sizzles and pops and slowly recedes. Head eventually settles into a solid, quarter inch cap with a few spots and swaths of lacing revealed during the tasting. Nose suggests cocoa; however, it seems a bit chalky, as well as a slightly metallic quality. There's also a trace of lactose in the mix. Taste follows nose; however, there's also a roasted character and a slightly burnt/ashy flavor that lingers between quaffs. Mouthfeel is medium-light, with a lively effervescence and a semi-dry finish. A solid example of the style, but nothing to write home about here.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 00:30:54 | More by Jwale73

billshmeinke

California

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic.

Inky pitch black body with a massive beige head that cascades down to three fingers worth. Retention and lacing are both excellent.

Roasty chocolate notes in the nose. Some biscuity malt. Roast is the main fragrance, chocolate and biscuit are much more in the background.

Taste follows smell. Big roasted/smokey notes up front. Some dark chocolate and biscuity malt. The finish is super smokey, and gets a bit ashy and acrid towards the end of the brew.

Falls a little short of what I expect from an oatmeal stout. There was none of that creamy smoothness or extra body. Dry, medium bodied, well carbonated, fairly huge carbonic bite on the finish.

Fairly good, but not nearly the best oatmeal stout I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 17:23:42 | More by billshmeinke

match1112

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

starting off the new year with a rogue breakfast, having this and the hazelnut. after hearing lots of good things about this one, i feel let down a bit. poured a dark brown with a half finger of mocha colored head that leaves very little lacing as the drink disappears. smell and taste are both the same with faint hints of roasted coffee, chocolate and the oats seem to be the last thing you experience. maybe it's just me, but i like the oats to play a more prominent roll. has a medium body with ok carbonation and a bad bitter finish. wish it was thick and chewy so i could enjoy the oats. this is just an ok oatmeal stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 17:06:39 | More by match1112

PorterLambic

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I gotta watch my pour. I got huge head on this in a standard pint glass. Well, better luck next time.
Pours so deeply dark brown it might as well be called black. Dark tan head leaves good lace but drops a bit quick for my tastes, lasting maybe 2 minutes until remaining just a thickish island and ring.
Smell is toasted malt, wet newspaper, smoke, bittersweet chocolate with light coffee and hop notes. Decent balance.
Taste is toasty malt, wet newspaper, smoke, bittersweet chocolate and coffee. Balance is better. Gets ashy in the aftertaste and and some alcohol presence. None of the the sweetness expected from an oatmeal, either.
Medium bodied, light effervescence, slightly watery aspect. Drying to a slight extent. Needs more body and some sweetness. This isn't a good a beer as I had hoped, especially with the high rating it got. Oh well, one man's poison.... A good beer, but not great, imo. In fact, nearly every beer lower than this (#56 today) on the "Beers of Fame" list I prefer over this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 02:58:35 | More by PorterLambic

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Dark dark, perfectly clear brown. Some nice lacing on the side of the glass. Head is small and the color of coffee with a touch of cream. Drops to a tiny cap with decent retention.

Smell: Roasted barley. Layers of chocolate, hitting some nice dark cocoa and sweet milk chocolate. Dry oatmeal. Typical Rogue yeast in the back. Slightly earthy and grassy. Loads of chocolate. Some day old coffee. Vague mineral finish.

Taste: More roasted barley and chocolate. Slight bitter cocoa edge. Slightly overcooked malt sweetness. Some caramel backing. Biscuit. Rogue Paceman yeast is present, dropping some earthy and grassy flavors that seem to be a trademark. Hints of old coffee and sweet chocolate. Nice roasted profile.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a nice smooth creaminess. Lightish carbonation. Very clean.

Overall: Hey, I don't hate this.

Probably the best offering from Rogue. A nice take on the style, but there's that problem of the house yeast. Nice depth. It could be a lot worse.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 18:33:48 | More by Goblinmunkey7

kojevergas

California

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

650ml brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a New Belgium stem-goblet in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Acquired at a nearby bottle shop. Expectations are high given the recommendation and high rating by a friend, murrhey. I love a good Oatmeal Stout. 69 IBU.

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Paired with pretzels.

A: Pours a silky attractive rich dark tan colour head of luscious excellent cream, great rolling frothy thickness, and staggering 8 minute retention. Body colour is a solid dark black. Nontransparent and opaque. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Decent albeit thin lacing as the head slowly recedes. Spot on for the style. I can't wait to try it.

Sm: Light roasted barley, rolling oats, dark malts, chocolate malt, and caramel. A surprisingly light aroma; I wouldn't call it subtle. Complex but understated. Light floral hopping. Hints of peat. Not as bold or evocative as I'd like, but appealing for the style. The oats certainly come through.

T/Mf: Creamy in the late second act. Chocolate malt and dark malts form the supportive body alongside understated caramel. Oats give it a consistent character throughout and lend it that trademark smooth porter-like mouthfeel. Lightly earthy (purportedly from the oats). Unfortunately, the roasted barley character is nowhere near as pronounced as I'd like. It could also use more cream. Balanced and enjoyable, but lacking complexity or sufficient subtlety. I quite like it, but it's a bit wanting. Smooth and wet. Good carbonation and thickness. Good palate presence. It certainly doesn't lack body. Any hopping is minimal in strength and floral in character. Bitterness is low, as is perceived bitterness. The balance is a highlight here.

Dr: A balanced, drinkable oatmeal stout from Rogue. I'd love to try this on nitro. It's not a perfect example of the style, but it's certainly a notable one. It won't disappoint fans of the style, but I doubt it will really impress either. I quite enjoy it and will easily finish this bottle, but I hoped for more. It's one of the better Rogue beers I've had in recent memory. Hides its ABV well.

B

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 05:54:05 | More by kojevergas

John1985

Tennessee

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Opaque, black appearance. Faint aroma. Coffee malt taste with pleasant bitter aftertaste. Reasonably full bodied with a creamy texture. Pretty good stout, very smooth and mellow.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2001 22:04:50 | More by John1985

Realale

Missouri

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

Basically black in color, but with some brownnish-red highlights. Thick coffee foam settles slowly to an espresso crema-like cap.

Nose is all cascade, and a lot of it. One has to work to get any of the malt and coffee notes that one knows are there. These are easier to pick out as the beer warms.

Palate is out of balance for this taster - too much hop flavor. Not too much bitterness, but it tastes almost like a hop tea rather than a beer. There is some nice malt, coffee and bitter notes, but they are simply overwhelmed by the cascade flavor. Definitely a quality brew, but not to my taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2002 07:35:33 | More by Realale

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Appearance: Pours out pitch black with a modest coffee-colored head that... Hm. Well, the head snuck away while I was watching "Sixth Sense". There wasn't any lacing.

Smell: Aroma is mainly chocolate, roasted malts, and smoke.

Taste: Extreme roasted malt flavors (burnt) that follow with black licorice and chocolate. The bitterness tends to lean towards being astringent, squashing the other flavors. Oh, and this one definitely finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, with a sharp cabonation, and just a touch watery.

Drinkability: Not my favorite of the Rogue Gallery.

One thing's for sure, this beer is sure making my employer angry! I've been drinking it all day! I'm addicted!!!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2006 03:55:36 | More by ChainGangGuy

Erdinger2003

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours out a big light brown head that's thick and pillowy leaving a good lacing. The color is nice and black, like a stout should look.

The smell is aromatic with a light coffee smell. It's also spicy with a slight molasses smell. Dark fruit is also present, something like blackberry or currants.

The taste has roasted malts along with a bitter coffee taste without a lot of sweet hops to counteract the bitterness.

It is medium bodied. Has little aftertaste, but the aftertaste is coffee and roasted malts. It's dry and has a little carbonation.

Overall it's not very complex and a little one-sided and easy to drink beer. I will try another before I kick this one to the curb.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2006 22:30:56 | More by Erdinger2003

bluemoonswoon

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into pint glass, no freshness date.

A: Pours a motor oil black with hints of deep ruby, has a brown bubbly head, not much lacing but very nice retention. Lots and lots of craters and quite bubbly, maybe its the new cap?

S: Big coffee and big chocolate with hints of ripe fruit, plums and molassas, very inviting.

T/MF: Sort of disapointed with this one, maybe it was because I picked it up at world market and who knows how long that thing had been sitting around getting light struck (even though I picked it out from the back of the display, but who knows what goes on there). Anyways this beer has a sort of dry taste when I was expecting something a bit creamier but maybe I'm holding it up against Rasputin when I shouldn't be, but still...taste is a bit flat with faint chocolate and coffee with a mild tobacco finish. How could the smell be so inviting but the taste be so flat?

D: I would for sure try this one again and not buy it from World Market but a real liqour store which might allow for a fresher review.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2007 18:47:19 | More by bluemoonswoon

ommegoose

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle. Pint glass.

Thick and black coming out of the bottle. No light escapes. One of the darkest brown heads I've seen on a beer. Pretty strong amount of lacing. Retention is medium.

Nice smell that just screams "stout" as soon as the bottle's open. Milky and sweeter than the beer actually tastes. Roasty malt and hint of chocolate. Nicely done.

Lots of burnt malt. Bold flavors. Some chocolately flavor, but more espresso-like. I really would have liked more sweetness. Pretty well hopped, but I sense this has sat on the shelf for a while. Still bitter, but lacking hop flavors. Finishes dry and with some leafy hop bitterness. Some suggestions of oxidation too. Since Rogue does not bother to date their beers, I can't know for sure how old it is.

Surprisingly thin and acidic. Medium at best. The acidity costs this some points. Could stand to be creamier, less carbonated.

Eh, I was hoping for more here, especially from something with such high reviews. I liked the Chocolate Stout quite a bit more, and I think the added sweetness did it for me. I've heard the two are almost the same beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 05:24:20 | More by ommegoose

Jmoore50

Nevada

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I just picked this up for the first time the other day and actually have been looking forward to this brew. I love Stouts and I love Rogue.

The bottle is just the normal Rogue graphic with the character dressed up like...Shakespeare? Nothing really special or extraordinary.

The pour was really the most exciting part of this brew. It came out farely thick but really dark. Something that also struck me was the three and a half finger head that matured after the pour. The head is really dark with a brown shade.

Okay, so here is the deal. This 'soapy' flavor and mouthfeel that everyone has been describing it as is not good. I do not like it with Belgium ales and I do not enjoy it when it comes with my stout. The taste really does not strike me as anything special. I do not want to be too negative but I was kind of disapointed.

The drinkability is good. I would only want to drink one of these because of the taste, but as far as how many I could drink, probably a few. See, with my stouts I like overwhelming flavor. This has a burnt barley and soapy froth flavor that does not taste too good.

Overall I would not buy this brew again. It does not take away from what Rogue does, it just proves how hard a good stout is to make.

j

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 04:15:13 | More by Jmoore50

tlazaroff

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Drank from pint glass.

A: Poured with a one and a half finger tan head with big bubbles that stuck around for a while. This beer is almost jet black, but I think I can make out some brown/dark red around the edges of the glass.

S: Big on roasted malts with hints of chocolate and oats with a strong bitter hop presence to back it up.

T: Flavor has a roasted coffee like quality with good bitterness. The aftertaste brings a little chocolate.

M: Beer has a medium carbonation level but is smooth at the same time, and thick.

D: Just because of the heaviness of the beer, I'd say it has a moderate drinkability. One 22oz bottle will do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 23:58:44 | More by tlazaroff

PeprSprYoFace

California

3.6/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This is actually my first time having Shakespeare stout. I usually don't drink rogue stuff. Not a huge fan but got this one because it's in the top 100.

Pours an awesome deep black with a super sticky tan head and awesome lacing. Looks good.

Aroma is not as strong as I hoped but not bad. Roasty and a bit of coffee type aroma. Not much.

Taste is good. Nice roasty character but I feel it's missing something. Like more caramel malt or more oatmeal.

The mouthfeel is not what I expect from a good oatmeal stout. Needs to be more frothy. Needs more body. I need to chew and oatmeal stout.

Overall I probably won't buy this one again. Much better always avaliable stouts out there. Try it but it's not one I'll be keeping around. Doesn't live up to the top 100 IMO

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 04:02:39 | More by PeprSprYoFace

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