Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout - Rogue Ales

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

650ml bottle poured into 20oz nonic.

A - Pours with a gargantuan head of thick, dark-tan foam. Pitch black in the glass, and also when held up to the light. The head soon settles down to a creamy cap that leaves a web of sticky lacing.

S - Roasted malt and coffee bean, with strong cocoa tones and molasses. A nice balance of roasty and sweet going on here, with some chocolaty notes and brown sugar coming through noticeably. There's a mild woody character as well. Could use a bit more oomph here, as it comes across a tad timid.

T - Opens up with roasted malt, cocoa, and brown sugar upfront, and finishes with molasses, dry herbal hops, and more charred maltiness to balance the sweeter opening. The aftertaste is plunged into mild espresso astringency with herbal hops and roasted malt. It's got bite, but it's not too abrasive. In fact, this could use a little more flavor even. Overall, this is smooth, balanced, and well crafted, but could have ratcheted up the flavor a bit.

M - Not quite as mouth-filling as I was expecting. For a brew at 6.50% ABV this has definitely got some real size to it, there's no denying that, and it's probably in large part to the oats used in the brewing process. Carbonation is low, and the body is creamy, viscous, and smooth, with some stickiness to it.

D - A solid stout from a solid brewery. I know Rogue is a bit of an afterthought for many American BAs, but they're basically the only American craft brewery that ships a wide catalogue of beer up to Western Canada, and I'm thankful for that. While this doesn't pack the punch that a lot of bigger, imperial stouts do, it's still a dark, smooth, and drinkable beer, even on a hot summer afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 22:09:34 | More by Converge

mactrail

California

3.28/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Beautiful dark appearance in the glass with an impeccable beige head to match. Bone dry on the palate but a nice sudsy mouthfeel with great carbonation.

The first flavor is bitterness. Dark chocolate and not a hint of sweetness. Overpowering burnt malt taste. Dark, charred flavors, barely a hint of caramel or even burnt sugar.

It is kind of like a nitro pour, with the big creamy foam. It's just so bitter and strongly, severely flavored. From the 22 oz bottle, which cost $7 in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 06:02:55 | More by mactrail

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

tap

Pours jet black, quarter inch tannish white head with very fine particles of carbonation dissipates slowly, almost not at all. The carbonation leaves rings up the body of the glass as well, below the surface of the beer, like a nitro pour would, although I don't believe this was a nitro pour.

Smells of roasted coffee, cocoa and toasty malts. Simple, but good balance.

Tastes of oat malts, toasty bready notes, bitter but not acidic coffee, some bitter hop, and a hint of brown sugar.

The body is medium and exceedingly, almost ridiculously creamy and smooth. The word "silky" comes to mind. The carbonation is velvety.

This is a really good stout, I'm starting to wonder if I had a nitro-pour now because of texture. I didn't see the tap myself so I don't know. But this is everything I'd want from an Irish style stout, with the added bonus of oatmeal malts and great flavor to boot, something that sometimes falters in lower ABV stouts. I would have this again. And again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 23:31:52 | More by Cylinsier

TheSixthRing

California

4.88/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - Pours jet black, with light penetrating only the thinnest edges. Head is a light cocoa powder color, 2 fingers thick and excellent retention. Resulting lace is thick and sticky.

Smell - Darkly roasted malts. Chocolate and mocha. Faint notes of oat. I could live off this smell.

Taste - Perfectly roasted malt. Unsweetened chocolate and coffee, with notes of caramel and oat. A faint touch of smoke lurks below. Hops are bitter citrus, and compliment the malt complexities without flaw. Superb balance. Dark but refreshing. Finishes slightly bitter.

Mouthfeel - Full body. Beautiful, silky smooth and creamy.

Overall - This is only like, my favorite beer ever. when I'm drinking a Shakespeare, I don't have a care in the world. Sensual qualities. Sexy smooth.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 03:11:22 | More by TheSixthRing

TheCondor

Missouri

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

I have heard so much about this beer, I knew I had to try it out. Going in, I expected it to compete with Samuel Smith’s, which is a tall order by itself. But it says right on the bottle “world champion stout,” so the guys at Rogue are obviously not afraid of their beers being pitted against the best. Poured from the bottle into an oversized wine glass, a little was drank at refrigerator temperature but mostly allowed to warm for a bit before consuming. I was also eating Ghiradelli chocolate while drinking this.

Appearance – Poured as black as used motor oil and almost as thick, with a big pillowy three finger head that was just nothing short of dominating. Respectable lacing, nothing too wild. Just as an example, my wife (who doesn’t drink craft) was in the room, and I took the bottle cap and set it right on top of the head, which of course it stayed there. I then exclaimed to her that “that’s what a beers head is supposed to do!”

Smell – Chocolate, coffee, caramel, big malts. I could pick up the nose much better when it was at fridge temperature than I could after it warmed. The head of the brew really produced some fantastic aromas, so I would recommend trying the nose while you still have a head.

Taste – Excellent, nothing short of awesome. Coffee and a hint of caramel up front, followed by an intense malty backbone and the chocolate character. So well balanced as to be seamless in transition.

Mouthfeel – Same as the taste, excellence defined. A nice, bittering aftertaste, smooth and relaxed at the finish. Real nice and thick, but goes down so easily as to be frightening. Silky.

Overall – This is an outstanding beer. Superb in every category, easily sessionable at 6.1% ABV, smooth, silky, tastes great, everything about it is quality. While I have had Rogue beers before, this is my first review of one, and I hope to convey this beers outstanding qualities as best I can. I don’t know if I can make the call between this and Samuel Smith’s, the only reason I may call it for Samuel is strictly price. Where I am Smith’s is $4 a pint, Rogue is $8. Otherwise, those two beers are neck and neck. Highly recommended, expecially with some Ghiradelli or Godiva chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 01:16:21 | More by TheCondor

WesM63

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Deschutes Tulip

A: Beautiful deep dark brown, almost black. Rocky mocha 2finger head with excellent lacing and head retention.

S: Chocolate, coffee and lots of malts.

T: Tiny bit of hops up front the all sweet roasted malts baby. Tiny coffee bitter finish.

M: Thick and creamy. Full body and moderate carbonation.

O: Rogue does it again. This is a perfect example of the style and always a treat. To bad its hard for me to find :/

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 02:57:41 | More by WesM63

Durge

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Happy to find this at Pies & Pints in Middlebury, CT this stout shows a solid black color with a big, never-die chocolatey colored head with lots of luscious lacing. The aroma is a very subtle chocolate-grain, but hard to place. The flavor brings charcoal-dark chocolate and grass hops. Charcoal-malt emerges as the dominant theme but it’s very nicely blended into a highly drinkable, yet tasty brew. This is creamy smooth and velvetty in feel, really wonderful and inviting. Body is solidly medium with a bit of a dry/resinous feel. Very nice and a stout I would easily have any time!

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2012 03:22:23 | More by Durge

BrownNut

Florida

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

A - Black as midnight. Shining a bright flashlight into this does nothing. The light doesn't penetrate a full millimeter into that murk. Lovely textured tan head that lingers. Lots of lacing.

S - Mildly sweet caramelly earthy malt

T - Less sweet than some I've had, with a mature bit of char character that turns into a dry dark chocolaty bitter on the back of the tongue in the afterswallow and exhale and lingering aftertaste. Just a touch of tartness.

M - Just as satisfyingly thick and luscious as you want it to be. It's been a while since I had a nice thick beer and this hits the spot. So nice to pull on.

O - Mild like you'd expect, but with just enough subtle character to rescue it from being bland and put it into the nicely done category. I'd call it a mature oatmeal stout, like what they tried to do with the Arch Deluxe. It's hard for this style to score highly due to its innately mild and subdued character but this is pretty well done. I put this up there with Samuel Smith's.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 23:23:28 | More by BrownNut

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

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

Pours black with tan one-fingered head in snifter. Tons of thick, sticky lacing. Head lingers for some time too.

Smell is heavy with chocolate and dark toasted malt. There is also a hoppy character to it as well.

Taste is heavily dark chocolate and roasted malt. Little bit of coffee and caramel. Lots of bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation. Medium bodied beer.

Overall this was good. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 00:28:53 | More by TrappistJohnMD

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

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

Pour is black, with a nice off-white head.

Smell is dry, with what smells like a dark chocolate bitterness and some coffee but hops also come to mind.

Taste is slightly sweet, with a nice roasted malt presence. Chocolate, but with a dark fruit flavor reminiscent of a Belgian Quad or BBQ.

Finishes chewy and slightly bitter, but still very balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 00:02:15 | More by VncentLIFE

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

Bomber from the Wegman's in Syracuse

Appearance - Black colour with a huge size fizzy and frothy brown head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, chocolate, coffee, smoke

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, chocolate, and a roasted/burnt flavour. There is also some light touches of dark fruit and a smokiness. It ends with a grainy chocolate aftertaste with some light bitterness.

Overall - Crazy drinkable and delicious. The beer has a fantastic balance and the appearance in the glass is near perfect. Another solid brew from Rogue that deserves its high reviews.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 17:06:52 | More by spinrsx

jtierney89

New Jersey

2.3/5  rDev -45%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This bottle has close to a years worth of age on it if not a years age. Pours a deep deep brown, basically black, but from what I can tell from the pour is relatively clear. Decent brown head which recedes pretty quickly. Dark fruit especially figs on the nose along with anisette and faint touches of chocolate. Gonna give it a moment to breathe. With a little time the malt comes across really nicely on the nose as chocolate chip cookie dough. Some other not so pleasant scents still arise however.

Chewy mouthfeel with a deep roasted character. A little watery on the finish with subdued bitterness. Classic rogue crispness. Flavors include chocolate, licorice, anisette, coffee, alcohol and touches of nail polish. More so all over the place then layered. Clean finish though. Hap hazard flavors and a flimsy body unable to pull them all together. Not sure if it's the age or just the pac man yeast that has ruined beer. At least it's different than most of rogues other offerings i've had.

Drinkable but I dont see what all the hypes about.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 03:44:08 | More by jtierney89

BrianGaynor

4.6/5  rDev +10%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: pours thick, black as night with a light brown finger and a half head.

Smell: roasted malts and coffee! Not a very strong smell, though.

Taste: strong coffee and roasted malts. Very good taste. Alcohol taste lingers at the end.

Mouthfeel: thick in the mouth with a lot of carbonation

Overall: the more I drink the lower the score gets, unfortunately. The carbonation is off-putting to me. Still a great beer, though. I wouldn't hesitate to get it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 02:22:54 | More by BrianGaynor

DM1293

California

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

Saw someone mention this in the forums and was curious. I had looked over Rogue's stuff, but wasn't willing to try it...this one said "Oatmeal Stout" and the last one I had was fairly good, so I gave this one a shot.

I love the full-bodied taste and the sweetness that undercuts the bitterness. Its not enough to cut it entirely, and it does sit on the palate and bite afterward. But really, this is strong, rich and smooth. The chocolate-y coffee notes are there, and thus make this beer definitely a new favorite of mine.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 00:59:21 | More by DM1293

CuriousMonk

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -33%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 750ml bottle into a snifter glass. Pours opaque black with a thin beige head. The nose lacked rich, creamy chocolate and oatmeal that I expected. Picked up more coffee and some green herb notes instead. The taste is of more chocolate, going into a burnt cocoa or even liquorice or charcoal. The palate medium bodied, there is a creamy texture in the middle section and a dry (unfortunately slightly astringent) finish. Expected more out of this one bc of its high rating. Not going to be on the bandwagon on this one. Sorry.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 22:47:51 | More by CuriousMonk

wac9

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

wonderful beer i think im out of my beer slump great taste nice on the tongue a beer worth drinking a beer worth looking for nothing else to say you neither like it or you dont drink and enjoy nothing more to say it black always good a mighty fine beer thats doesnt disappoint

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 03:05:41 | More by wac9

TechTriumph

Virginia

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

No freshness date; Poured in a snifter.

A - One inch of creamy, bubbly, khaki colored head with decent retention; Solid black in color; Just a bit of lacing left behind

S - Notes of oatmeal, licorice, brown sugar, dark chocolate, and just a bit of roastiness

T - Oatmeal and licorice flavors hit first; Afterwards, the licorice disappears, and more toasty, roasty, and mild chocolate flavors step forward with the oatmeal; Some bitterness and earthy hops come through from mid-taste to the finish as well

M - Just below moderate carbonation; Full bodied; Creamy and smooth mouthfeel; Leaves the mouth pretty dry in the finish

O - Overall, this was a decent stout, but not one that really stood out for me. The sum of all the aromas and flavors just didn't seem to come together quite right for my palate. That said, the look and mouthfeel of this beer were great, and I'm hoping the next Rogue beer I try will bring some redemption.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 20:27:22 | More by TechTriumph

paulozanello

Brazil

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pitch Black dense color with a small mocha head. Average retention and lacing.

Aroma is of dark malts, coffee, dark chocolate.

Taste is an explosion of roastiness with dark malts, oats, roast grains, coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Ends with a huge bitter note from the roasted character and hops.

Body is huge and thick with and astringent bitter mouthfeel. Carbonation is medium to high. Abv is well hidden.

Extreme stout with lots of body, malt and roastiness. Almost no residual sweetness perceivable.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 17:58:43 | More by paulozanello

Murrhey

Montana

4.63/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Reviewed live.

A- Thin mocha head but nice retention and ringed lacing. Black in color. It's a frightening looking beer.

S- Chocolate, toffee, some grains I can only assume are oatmeal. It's complex and lovely. This is a perfect smell for me.

T- Smooth and creamy with a bittering aftertaste. The roast malts and graininess of the flavor really come out mid-taste. Quite well done.

M- Medium bodied and very smooth and dry. This is how stouts should feel.

O- I may have found a new favorite beer. All the aspects work in harmony. You devilish Rogue Ales.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 04:26:30 | More by Murrhey

chinchill

South Carolina

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

Appearance: Dark brown/black pour, with a modest light brown head that all too quickly reduced to a thin and spotty cover.

Smell: Medium + dark roasted malts overlaid with some spicy hops. Some oats, coffee and chocolate too.

Taste: It seems that the brewer replaced some grains (oats and/or dark malts) with hops; this is clearly an AMERICAN stout. It has a moderately bitter finish, with a relatively bitter and near-burnt aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body with mild carbonation. Has an unusual (for style) light crispness.

Overall: A decent oatmeal stout, but disappointing for a stout made by Rogue. Certainly served too cold and deserving of a re-tasting. I know you feel my pain. ;)

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2012 17:12:09 | More by chinchill

Swim424

Florida

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bomber into Houbrau mug

A-black with a chocolate colored head. very little if no light coming through.

S-fairly chocolatey. A little oatmeal.

T-oatmeal upfront finishing with chocolate. A bit hoppy but mostly just chocolate. Not getting much, if any coffee.

MF- fairly thick. not that carbonated leaving a slight oatmeal aftertaste.

O-really good. Much better than I was expecting when I bought it. I highly reccomend this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 03:35:05 | More by Swim424

Siriusfisherman

Montana

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Dark, just like it should be, and a lovely cappuccino colored head. There was some nice lacing, but it disappeared after a while, but there was always a ring clinging to the glass. Just a delicious looking stout.

Smell: Right up front a lovely blend of roast barley, hop, and chocolate bitterness, followed by bready smoothness and a little tinge of yeast. More great stuff.

Taste: Just fantastic, the bitterness of this beer is done so well, and the oats give that classic smoothness and the roast barley helps you tame that chocolate character. Yet again, more great stuff.

Mouthfeel: This is the only place I have a bone to pick with these guys, the carbonation is a little to forward in my opinion. However, this is easily cured by giving the beer a couple swirls in the glass and allowing it to warm to room temperature. Also, as stated previously, the oats work wonders in the smoothness of this fine stout.

Overall: Maybe my favorite oatmeal stout, just a fantastic beer to have with a desert, or even as a desert by itself. The wide availability of this beer makes it even better, an absolute must have in the stout category. If you haven't had this, grab it the next time you go to the store.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 02:01:56 | More by Siriusfisherman

gatorguy

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Deep brown color, nearly black. has a light brown head, two fingers worth.

S - Coffee, chocolate, earthy oats

T - Well balanced stout here, all the flavors mesh great. Starts off with some coffee flavor, transitions to chocolate, then to the earthy oats. Hop bitterness is mild and compliments the brew well.

M - What you would expect for a stout, somewhat heavy but has good carbonation.

O - Excellent oatmeal stout, one that I will seek out more often.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 01:02:45 | More by gatorguy

shand

Florida

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

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug.

Funny how Rogue gets hated on all the time on BA, yet brews like this get very good reviews. One thing's for sure, this beers is a looker. It's a deep brown color with a large mocha head that leaves nice lace down the mug. The aroma is pretty stout-y, with plenty of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and a bit of grainy oat. The taste mostly follows this, with a nice amount of roasted malts dominating the show, with some roasty coffee and grainy oat on the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I'd like, which seems to be par for the course for Rogue's stouts. The drinkability is quite good though. Overall, it's a solid stout that I think would be well-suited for six-packs. Let it hit warm up a bit, it really helps bring out it's flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 05:34:16 | More by shand

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with a large, lasting dark head.
Nose shows roasted malt, oatmeal, chocolate and soft coffee. Very appetising.
Same story with the flavours, roasted malt, faint chocolate and oats. Finishes with a roasty bitterness.
Nice soft carbonation.
Very easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 07:30:17 | More by CrazyDavros