Cowbell Imperial Oatmeal Milk Stout - Voodoo Brewing Company

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Had on tap at the barrel room release. Pour is jet black with a tight creamy light tan head. The nose is roast, milk chocolate and vanilla. Rich malt aromas. Taste is also rich, light roast with rich milk chocolate and vanilla. Body is a touch thin in the finish with gentle carbonation. Extremely drinkable but not overly complex.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2013 13:41:15 | More by cpetrone84

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

On nitro-tap at Capone’s,a great nitro beer as its best features are brought out. Creamy mouthfeel, big thick head on a black body. A great stout smoothy. A Good roasting, good milk chocolate,rich, fun, vanilla, milk.A good balance of sweet and bitter elements.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2013 03:34:35 | More by northyorksammy

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

tap

Pours jet black with a thin tan head.

Notable cocoa and coffee notes with some oat malt in the nose.

Flavor is of coffee, caramel, chocolate, and vanilla with some lactose sweetness.

Full body, creamy texture, with a minimal carbonation.

An excellent chocolate stout with great body and flavor balance, goes down way smoother than it should for the strength, a must-try for stout fans.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 14:23:56 | More by Cylinsier

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.39/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer is served a pitch black color with a cascading of brown bubbles billowing up through the brew. A thick head is left sitting atop the beer, fading slowly over time to give a good level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is dark and sweet. The dark notes are of a chocolate, roasted malt and coffee aromas with the sweet being mainly of a milk/lactose aroma. With these smells there are other lighter notes of an earthy nature as well as some light hints of toffee and caramel. Overall the mix of the aromas gives delicious roasty and sweet smell to the beer.

Taste – The taste begins with a strong coffee and chocolate flavor. These are sweeter and creamier up front with notes of caramel and oatmeal. A milk/lactose flavor comes to the tongue while the caramel fades creating a mocha cappuccino like flavor on the tongue. As the taste advances to the end it dries out slightly with more coffee coming to the tongue bittering it a bit. While slightly less sweet, the beer is vary balanced and smooth at the end, leaving an enjoyable dark and creamy taste on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the brew is creamy and thick with it coating the mouth in a lighter but smooth bath of carbonation. The feel is a fantastic, chewy, and soothing delight with all the wonderful dark and sweet flavors accentuated by the silky feel of the brew.

Overall- A tasty brew with a good feel and the right balance between roast and sweet. A rather easy drinking and tasty imperial.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2013 01:58:50 | More by Darkmagus82

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap, prob third or fourth time I've had this but first shot at reviewing it. Pours black with a massive head.EVENTUALLY settles down leaving abundant lacing behind. Unfortunately the smell is not terribly aggressive; not much, really. Light malt, coffee, hops smell, emphasis on light...which completely belies the awesome taste. Simple flavors, creamy but bitter with coffee/light chocolate. It does resemble milk, but it amazing. It's super smooth and delightful crisp and slightly chewy. Very enjoyable. Overall this is great, highly recommended. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 22:14:18 | More by rodlavers

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This must have been one of the first pours out of the keg, there was a lot of sediment in the glass and the color was a milky brown instead of a deep black color. The head was creamy looking almost like it was surved from a Nitro Tap. The lacing and retention on this were fantastic. The smell of the beer gives off some roasted notes as well as a subtle sweetness. The taste of the beer is on the sweeter side with a bitter roasted finish. The mouthfeel is heavy, creamy and rich. It's also very smooth. Overall I should have gotten another glass later in the day when it was pouring at its full potential, unfortunately I didn't. This beer is worth having though and one day I hope to have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2012 14:14:43 | More by Knapp85

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Black and benign. Still khaki foam. 3.5

Woody for a milk stout. The lactose is there, but the sweetness/tanginess is subdued. Caramel, dusty cocoa, roasted malts, and milk chocolate. A tad earthy. 4.0

Coffee shines through on this chocolatey milk stout. Alcohol way in-check for the strength. Whole lotta malts with a bite of steak char. 4.0

Smooth with a bitter middle. Clean finish and a spiked carbonation works charmingly. 4.5

Delish. Worth the visit. 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2012 04:55:02 | More by thecheapies

Veillantif

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It seriously takes about five minutes for the bartender to pour this into a tulip glass (Doobie's, 22nd and Lombard near Fitler Square)

A: Typical stout color, but the chocolate-colored head on top is the real attention-grabber.

S: Right behind the roasted malt there's this hint of—is that vanilla?

T: Yes, it is. Not so in-your-face; just enough to complement the bitterness. Fantastic.

M: I don't mean to overdo the confectionary analogies, but that head is like ice cream. I want to get lost in it and never come out.

D: Quite possibly the best stout I have ever had. With every glass—and I've had many—it goes from beautiful to better.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 22:21:59 | More by Veillantif

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Aroma: Bready, like a grainy cereal. Bold worty raw malt, some chocolate and lactose.

Appearance: Black, opaque. Takes forever to settle (5-8 minutes). Tall light brown head seems solid, will not settle. Some lacing once the liquid level starts to drop.

Flavor: Mild lactose and milk chocolate. Mildly roasty coffee and burnt chocolate. Some mild pine hops. The aftertaste is of burnt chocolate and pine.

Mouthfeel: Full body. Slick and oily. Low carbonation.

Overall: Bold savory brew. A lot more roastiness than the typical milk stout, but it works great.

Notes: Consumed on 5/6/2012 at House of 1000 Beers.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2012 23:34:44 | More by soulfly1492

mltobin

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on-tap at Varga Bar in Philly.

Appearance is near black with a short beige head to it. Its` nose contains cream, chocolate and light roasted malts. The taste is vanilla, milk, malts, some more of the chocolate. Mouthfeel is medium, a very smooth texture, finishes with a sweet taste. All in all, a very nice milk stout, my first beer from Voodoo...we`re off to a good start !

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2012 01:26:13 | More by mltobin

cooch69

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a tap almost black into a goblet glass. No head whatsoever other than some very thin patchy film.

Nose of burnt chocolate and black malts, 80 % cocoa and some black starbucks bold.

Beer is surprisingly thin on the palate. Slightly sticky and pretty bold in the flavor profile but only medium bodied. Very rich and almost a bit like a super burnt piece of toast. A bit of hops in the finish, but only enough to balance it out.
This beer is the best I've had yet from Voodoo.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2011 05:33:35 | More by cooch69

timobkg

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The beer looked like very dark coffee, with a light brown head that faded quickly.

The aroma drifting off the glass was of sweet chocolate.

The taste is sweet chocolate mixed with milky creaminess: chocolate milk with a kick. It's as if you added a shot of vodka to really good chocolate milk, but with none of that harsh alcohol bite. The alcohol is present, but it's subdued, mellow, and smooth.

The mouthfeel is smooth, rich, and creamy.

This beer is boozified chocolate milk, it's incredibly easy to drink, and I want another glass.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2011 14:20:41 | More by timobkg

DavoleBomb

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had this on-tap at Fathead's. Note: This was not on nitro and for that I'm incredibly happy. Came in a snifter.

3.5 A: Black in color and came without a head.

4.5 S: Rich mocha and lots of lactose. Oats, vanilla, and hints of roasted barley and coffee. This is in your face powerful.

5.0 T: Wow, again a Voodoo stout does not disappoint. The taste is simple amazing. Tons of chocolate that mixes well with the ample lactose. Again, lots of vanilla. Roasted barley and coffee notes give the overall impression of a rich cappucino (well, it would if the coffee component was stronger). Not nearly as complex as BBVD, but equally in your face and tasty.

5.0 M: Heavier medium body. Lactose makes this rich and super creamy. Good moderate carbonation. Incredibly smooth. This in no way needs nitro.

5.0 D: So good I had another glass. The best milk stout I've ever had. I feel sorry for those that had this on nitro, because they really missed out on something special. Incredibly tasty and so drinkable that a few too many might not be enough.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2011 17:30:01 | More by DavoleBomb

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4.55/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Voodoo Cowbell has a black body and only a thin line of brown head. Retention and lacing are lacking.

The aroma is great. Coffee with cream, smooth and sweet.

Cowbell Leads off with some sweetness, a hint of chocolate, and then a strong dose of coffee. Before the coffee flavor can become bitter or too powerful, a lactic-cream flavor comes through, mixing with the coffee flavor to form a flavor like coffee with cream added. Actually, I think it tastes more like coffee with Irish Cream. There is a high amount of sweetness, but the coffee and a bit of warmth cut through to stop it from becoming cloying. Slight fruit notes linger in the background, but you really have to look for them. The finish has some more malt flavors thrown in. So what we have here is a mocha with Irish cream. Although I'm not a huge fan of Irish Cream, I really liked this one.

The mouthfeel is good also, thick and creamy with carbonation a little bit on the low side. Very smooth. I've seen that a lot of places are pouring this beer on nitro-tap. I had mine on a normal CO2 setup, and I think that is the best way to pour this beer.

I always try things from Voodoo if they are new or I find them on-tap, so I was naturally interested in trying this one, and I'm glad I did. Even if you aren't a voodoo fan, however, this is a beer you should try. This might be the best milk stout I have ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2011 16:29:08 | More by Hojaminbag

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Voodoo Cowbell Imperial Oatmeal Milk Stout

Served ontap in a snifter, appears a midnight black with a small off white head and little lacing. In the aroma, vanilla, chocolate and some roasted malt. This follows right into the taste, with a nice lactic sweetness, chocolate malt, some vanilla. Light alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is super smooth but carbonation is alittle thin. Overall I thought this was a very good offering but its no Big Black Voodoo Daddy.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2011 02:03:58 | More by Stinkypuss

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had a goblet at Liberty St. Tavern. Man, this is one big chocolatey beer - but not too much or too thick. The body is smooth, almost velvety, and rich. There are oats, bread crust, milk chocolate, malt candy. Despite the sweetness and mouthfeel, this beer was a pleasure to drink. One of the best dessert beers I've come across in some time.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2011 04:01:37 | More by tempest

thequeen711

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

YUM, anything with stout in the title can't be bad!
This biter, dark chocolate pour with a touch of cream and roasted coffee beans is wonderful! Nice head retention, almost too frothy. Aroma is a mild coffee. Mouthfeel chewy, creamy, smooth and tasty...I can't drink too much of this or it will fill me up, but I must say, there was froth until the last sip!! I never had a brew that left foam until the final sip!

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2010 01:41:47 | More by thequeen711

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nitro-Tap at Capone's in a pint glass.

A- Cowbell is a semi thick black stout with no hints of brown towards the edges. A sturdy thick tannish/light brown head stays on top for a forever, leaving coating brown lace.

S- Nothing much but some roasted malt when cold, cowbell needs some warming. With some time the nose does not explode but some more malts come out with chocolate, small coffee, roast and of course oats.

T- This comes off like chocolate milk with some roast. The chocolate is light but tasty and the nitro tap makes this so creamy which makes for a chocolate milk taste and feel. Also some oat, minimal coffee roast, cream, vanilla.

M- See above. A very creamy stout with a solid medium feel. Went down easy as hell, smooth, no bitterness at all. No alcohol detected at all. The sweetness is at a level where it does not stick around for long.

D- I really liked this, Voodoo has been pumping out some excellent stouts lately. The taste is great, the feel is even better. This was not a chore at all and the sweetness is not overboard. Not very complex but well balanced. If your a fan of stout's, get this.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2009 04:26:39 | More by onix1agr

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Voodoo- Cowbell

On tap at the Hulmeville Inn.

A- Dark black, thick, with a small tight lacing head.
S- Dusty bitter dark chocolate with a light touch of cream and roasted coffee beans.
T- Thick chocolate malt. Bitter dark chocolate/ hot chocolate with a good lightly sweet cream and burnt coffee bean flavor.
M- Thick dry powdery hot chocolate. Semi sweet creamy body with a bitter cocoa and slight acrid coffee bean finish.

Overall- This is practically hot chocolate in beer form.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2009 23:00:40 | More by NJpadreFan

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Nitro pour into a tulip shaped pint glass. The brew streams brown but comes to rest in the glass black. A rich silk topping 1.5 fingers strong of khaki coloring holds like only nitro can deliver. Some faint ruby clarity is noted around the edges when held to the light.

Notes of rich milk chocolate emit through the nose. It is somewhat roasty with a bit of charcoal quality. Some fresh grainy oat aspect emerges as it warms up. While not a bold smelling brew, everything coming out of the glass is nice.

The taste is milk chocolate, semi-sweet with some roasty quality like coffee. A bit of fresh oats are thrown in there as well providing a faint sweetness that is almost vanilla-like. A very well rounded offering here that hints the perfect balance of grainy sweetness to bitter roast.

This is a medium bodied brew with a rich, silky smooth and luscious texture to it. The feel is just sheer exaggerated smoothness that makes for a crushable offering. The alcohol is masked very well in this which only makes it more dangerous in how easy drinking it is.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-08-2013 18:35:44 | More by stakem

NABS

Ohio

4.73/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I read these reviews and just get totally lost. I don't know all the intricacies of beer, so this is no more than an "Average Joe" review.

I was lucky (smart) enough to head to Meadville for the grand opening of Voodoo Brewing Co's brewpub. This was the 3rd beer I had and by far was the highlight, not only of the day, but of all stouts I've had probably since Evil Twin's Soft Dookie.

This beer poured as dark as you can imagine a stout with a big, foamy head. Over good conversation and people watching, the head dissipated, but lasted quite a while.

The only aroma I got, that I could place, was sweet chocolate, but apparently I just don't know/can't pick lots of aromas as I read others' reviews.

Taste; what can I say. I was so glad I had this last because there could be no better finisher. Taste backed up the aroma. Sweet, creamy chocolate. I saw a gif recently that had cocoa beans flowing in a river of molten chocolate over a bed of chocolate chunk. That's the only equivalent I can think of, just chocolate madness... in a fantastic way.

I don't get the whole mouthfeel part, but this beer was perfect. Creamy chocolate goodness that was more than sippable. Definitely easy to drink in between talking/watching.

Like I said, best stout I've had in a while. I can't wait to get back and get some more Cowbell!

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-04-2012 00:47:36 | More by NABS

adamette

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes. Poured from Nitro-tap at the brand new Voodoo Brewing Company's brewpub in Meadville, PA June 30th, 2012, their grand opening night. I do not recall the price. The price did not matter that night.

A Absolutely no light can make it through the snifter full of greatness that is Cowbell. A nice 3 inch head took its time dissipating. I cannot imagine an improvement to the look. 5.0

S Great dark roast malt but a nice milky/cream sweetness is also noted in the smell. This smell certainly makes me want to drink it! 4.5

T Great balance between the dark roast malt, the sweet creamy milk taste and a kick of alcohol but really it is well eclipsed by the great tasting creamy dark roast malt. As I enjoyed this well crafted Milk stout I struggled to think of a better made version of this style. I could not. 5.0

M Smooth as silk while maintaining that great dark roast and creamy milk characteristic. Nearly perfect. 4.5

D/O Drinkability is just great. Overall this is a world class Milk Stout.

Notes: So happy to support Matt and everyone at Voodoo Brewing Company on the occasion of their Grand Opening in Meadville! Now, can you open a second brew pub in the Cleveland area?

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-03-2012 03:26:57 | More by adamette

jeremy13586

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Reviewed from notes.

Poured in to pint glass from a nitro tap. Took a very long time to pour, but it was worth every minute.

Jet black with a velvety smooth tan head. The head lasted until the end of the beer and it left some pretty kickass lacing.

Very roasty. Chocolate, coffee, and some toffee.

Smooth milk chocolate and roasted malt hit front. The chocolate and taste of lactose subside a bit and lets the roasted malt and coffee flavors really shine, though it is very sweet throughout. Nice bitter finish.

Full bodied and chewy. Very creamy. Slightly astringent finish.

This was one super awesome stout. Not at all what I was expecting, but it blew my expectations out of the water.

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-04-2012 18:57:36 | More by jeremy13586

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap said this was 9% so unless it's the new ABV it might be a mistake on there part. Served at the House of 1,000 for 6 dollar (16oz pint)

A - They warned me it would take 10 minutes to pour and it did. I really got to wander who gauged the nitro since the first pour was almost a full glass of foam. After 5 fills I got 12oz of beer and 4oz of mocha colored foam. Beer appeared to be very dark black in color.

S - Very good smell I am getting some rich dark malts mostly chocolate and roast in nature, some lactic sweetness, and very little hops.

T - Kind of disappointed I do get some great balanced flavors but nothing as described in other reviews as "Malted milk ball beer" The roast about halfway almost got to the point of cloying which had me hoping it was a touch sweeter. Finish and body was pretty excellent drinking almost like water for 8.5%.

M - Medium bodied and creamy.

Overall I guess I will not be seeking this one out again. Don't get me wrong it's not bad just not as sweet as one would expect for a "milk stout" just because of it's limited availability, nitro only option (no bottles), and the low sweetness.

But who gives a f about my review right? Cheers on producing this high octane Milk stout!

Love the Big Black Voodoo Daddy!

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-03-2012 00:57:29 | More by DrDemento456

oline73

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this on nitro tap at Capone's. Served in a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours an opaque black with a two finger tan, smooth nitro head and great retention.

Smell: Sweet chocolate with mild roast and some dark fruit notes. Not overly complex, but very nice.

Taste: Chalked full of chocolate. This is a very smooth beer. The roast is there, but not very bitter. The roast is mostly in the finish with some mild vanilla notes as well.

Mouthfeel: The body is thick with smooth carbonation and a finish that is slick and then mildly dry.

Overall: I think this one is a bit easier to drink than Choklat. Still a chocolate bomb and I'll definitely have another in the future given the chance.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-25-2012 01:16:10 | More by oline73