Overcast Espresso Stout - Oakshire Brewing

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.71/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

22 oz bottle into a Samuel Smith pint glass.

A: Pours an ultra-dark brown color. The head is a two finger mocha shade featuring a nice texture and perhaps even nicer retention. Looks good in a glass, that's for sure (especially the Samuel Smith pint glass, which almost seems tailor made for stouts).

S: Wowee, this one is very forward in its mocha, chocolate, and roasted barley qualities. Oats are faintly notable, as well. I'm pretty impressed, actually.

T/M: Dry, dry, dry. This opens dry/bitter, finishes dry/bitter, with seemingly no room for sweetness anywhere. There's a slight ping of chocolate to start before coffee, roasted barley, and oatmeal all take over. I notice a dimension of piny hops on the back end, too that never overpower everything else. I reckon it's a bit more airy-feeling than I like; I'd kill for a silkier texture, or maybe it's just lower carbonation I'd kill for. The latter quality is the only thing that bugs me here - it allows it to come off as being too dry and even a bit rough at times.

O: One has to love how drinkable this is. The lack of creamy softness is easy to overlook for this reason. I wouldn't trade for it; but I would buy it again if I ever caught it in a store.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 22:00:38 | More by ThisWangsChung

KajII

North Carolina

3.86/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

[Suggested Glassware: Nonic pint]

The pour was a thick jet black with a huge (3-4 finger) tan foamy head that lasted throughout, reducing to a large cap with excellent sheets of foamy lacing.

The aroma was of a roasted cereal malt and a strong leathery yeast with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, dark roast coffee, vanilla and a hint of oats.

The taste was lightly sweet, a tad bitter and very malty with a healthy dose of dark chocolate and molasses from the start, progressing with a strong bitter dark roasted coffee taste and a silky oat feel towards the end. The flavor lasted a good long while following the swallow, with a bold espresso taste fading very slowly from the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was exceptionally full in body with a dry, oily texture and a medium carbonation.

Overall this was one solid tasting Stout with a great balance of flavors, which ultimately created a smooth and tasty brew with a superb drinkability…

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 18:23:51 | More by KajII

Vancoubeer

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have tried this in the past and I hate coffee but my palette has changed. It pours our black and thin but very dark. The foam was a dark brown color and it disappeared almost instantly. Held up to light nothing gets through. The smell, perhaps this is too cold, is coffee. That is it. Not much else going on here. Not that strong. I wonder how old this bottle is. The flavor is delicious. The coffee is more subtle. This has to have aged for just a bit but long enough for some of the flavors to taper down. Basically you get the coffee, burnt ashy malts, smokiness and a hint of chocolate. For the mouthfeel I was a bit let down. This is thin for an oatmeal stout. It is a low alcoholic stout so I would imagine it to be a bit thin, on the medium side of beer mouthfeel but with that low carbonation the flavors linger and and I like that. Overall this is a good beer. I wonder what its like fresh? This bottle has to be a bit older but I like it and since I live near Oregon, I can get this really cheap. Its worth the price. I'll get it again if I want a dark low end beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 06:47:32 | More by Vancoubeer

dbossman

Nebraska

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Black with a two-inch head that has a light cocoa hue; lacing is good

S: Definite espresso, roasted coffee beans, roasted malts; some chocolate, milky flavors; a touch bitter and sour

T: Flavors really come together better than I expected; lots of roasted coffee beans; bitterness is balanced with sweet chocolates

F: Incredibly creamy; thick, viscous, awesome

O: This is a delicious creamy espresso-forward beer

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 02:09:41 | More by dbossman

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.2/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from the Grocery Outlet in Tanasbourne.

Pouring black with dark brown highlights, this beer is capped with a dense, brown head that's creamy and leaves some nice lacing. The nose is mostly a freshly pulled espresso, roasty, creamy, mildly chocolatey, and faintly hoppy (earthy). It smells nice but simple. The base stout appears to be obscured by the coffee.

The palate opens with a nice espresso flavor. Fresh, clean, mildly fruity and moderately roasty, it is expressed in a way I like. The base stout, however, isn't up to the challenge. Mildly roasty, not chocolatey enough and rather thin, the base stout really is disappointing. Drying, roasty, faintly watery and with a nice lingering coffee flavor on the finish, this beer is medium-light in body. Carbonated a little too highly for my liking, the carbonic acid clashes with the excellently expressed coffee acidity. The hoppy bitterness on the finish is a nice touch. Decent stuff, it could use just a touch of sweetness and body to go with the rather excellent coffee flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 03:28:20 | More by DefenCorps

BeerTwigs

New York

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served from a bottle into an imperial pint glass. This beer is really dark - a dark brown to almost black. It has a nice tanish brown head which leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is dominated by coffee and chocolate hints. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with light carbonation. This beer has a lot of flavor with sweet malts and dark coffee. Overall this beer has a lot of flavor and is pretty drinkable. I would recommend trying this beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 00:57:17 | More by BeerTwigs

UCLABrewN84

California

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to DrAwkward82 for sharing this one at Wowcoolman’s tasting.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, dirt/earth, and some super roasty espresso and coffee aromas. Taste is much the same along with a cocoa flavor. There is a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp but medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that smells better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 01:04:16 | More by UCLABrewN84

jethrodium

California

3.55/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Pours a dark brown with a small tan head that has deecent retention and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is lots of coffee, a light nutty note, and a bit of dark chocolate. The initial taste is sweet with lots of coffee, some nuttiness, and dark chocolate. The finish is bitter with coffee. Light body. Medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 21:33:39 | More by jethrodium

homebrew311

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours obsidian and opaque into my CBS snifter, deep brown head form and retains about a cm nicely. Heavy lacing is left behind. Incredibly dark for a non imperial stout. The nose starts with bold roasted coffee paired with a dry roasted barley quality. Notes of dark chocolate come in as well as a tinge of hops to round things out. Taste lacks malty sweetness and stays on the dry roasted malty side of things. Very dry on the finish and not a whole lot of depth to the flavor. Mouthfeel is moderately carbonation with somewhat light body. Lots of espresso here as well as roasted malts, but there is not enough sweetness to balance out these flavors. The results is somewhat ashy and overly dry.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 06:16:14 | More by homebrew311

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4.78/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from the bottle into a mason jar mug at the Cornbread Cafe in Eugene

A- Poured a very dark brown (looks black, you can see some brown hues on the edge of the glass though), big frothy and dark mocha head that left lots of chunky and droppy lace

S- Huge chocolate covered espresso bean aroma. Big, bold, dark roasted coffee aroma and nice chocolate sweetness. Amazing aroma, very aromatic

T- Big chocolate covered espresso bean flavor. The coffee flavor is strong, bold, and dark (just how I like my coffee). Some really nice sweet chocolate notes in addition to the big roasty coffee notes. Mineral presence in the taste and some sweet caramel notes. Pretty assertive coffee bitterness too.

M- Medium body, prickly carbonation, finishes semi-dry, a little lighter stout mouthfeel

O- What an amazing coffee forward stout. Definitely lloking forward to having this readily available to me here.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 04:12:40 | More by Hoptometrist

jlindros

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to someone from my brew club, but don't remember who it was, sorry.

Pours a dark creamy small head covering, super dark black colored beer.

Nose fresh espresso and roasted coffee, bit of dark chocolate and bakers, hint of roast, light creamy milk chocolate, caramel.

Taste chalky chocolate powder, chocolate milk, roast, lots of milk stout flavors, caramel and bakers chocolate, then decent espresso and fresh brewed coffee, light bitterness. Finish is creamy and light dry, decent bitterness, more lingering espresso and bakers chocolate.

Mouth is creamy and med to fuller bodied, decent but lighter carb.

Overall nice, creamy chocolate, drinkable, nice roast and coffee without the astringent over roasted briny taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 13:20:18 | More by jlindros

scratch69

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance- Black with a half a fingers worth a quickly disappearing, tan head. Small amount of thin runny lace.

Smell- Dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt.

Taste- Burnt coffee with notes of chocolate, caramel, and a bit of hop bitterness

Mouthfeel- On the lighter end of medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Dry finish.

Overall- Decent and pretty easy to drink, but I've had better coffee stouts. I won't be searching for this one anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 23:17:00 | More by scratch69

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours almost pitch black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with nice retention, that reduces to a nice dense cap that lingers. Some nice spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, roasted malt, vanilla, cream, biscuit, and light herbal hops. Nice and well balanced stout aromas with good strength. Taste of chocolate, coffee, dark roasted malt, biscuit, caramel, molasses, vanilla, cream, and light herbal. Light coffee bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, coffee, vanilla, roasted malt, biscuit, and herbal hops on the finish for a short bit. Great balance of flavors, with a nice amount of robustness. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. Alcohol presence is pretty much invisible as expected for 5.8%. Overall this is a damn nice coffee stout. A lot of well balanced flavors; with a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. I really have no complaints. Really well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 01:36:00 | More by superspak

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Half Acre tulip.

A- pours a nice pitch black with a 2" cola colored head. Big collar of lacing rings the glass.

S- nice mix of roasted malts and coffee with a hint of vanilla.

T- big roasted malts followed by coffee and finishes with some pine hoppiness.

M- medium body and carbonation. Nice creamy and slick feel for a regular stout.

O- nice stout with good amount of coffee and just enough hop bitterness to balance this beer out nicely.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 01:40:10 | More by kawilliams81

N3rdM3t4l

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber into standard pint.

A: Opaque black/deep brown. No light at all coming through. Super gentle pour got no head at all. There is a thin cap of tiny brown bubbles and a decent ring around the glass. Had i been more aggressive the head would have been nice.

S: Coffee and chocolate. Smells like a good mocha. Smells great, very sweet and rich smelling beer. Hint of caramel.

T: Coffee up front, creamy chocolate, then a wash of bitter that makes the chocolate taste more bittersweet and the coffee taste darker. Hops is unnoticeable the bitter seems to come more from the coffee. Tastes good, but I am a fan of espresso stouts.

M: Rich and smooth from the oatmeal. Almost like melted ice cream texture. A good medium-heavy body with a touch of chew, like a stout should. This beer rocks the mouthfeel.

O: Good coffee stout, good oatmeal stout, GOOD STOUT. I have had better but I would certainly buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 06:26:26 | More by N3rdM3t4l

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a deep brown/black with almost a finger of creamy light tan head.

Smell. Dark coffee, roasty grains, some chocolate milk. Smells great.

Taste. Dark roasted coffee, roasty malts, caramel and a bit of molasses.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, light crabonation.

Overall. Plenty of coffee, drinks pretty easy. Great with brunch.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 16:29:18 | More by Rutager

dirtylou

Washington

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

nitro-tap @ noble fir

appearance: imperial pint - perfect nitro-tap appearance - solid ebony body, 1/2" thick brown nitro cream

smell: fair amount of dark roast, notes of espresso and cream, a touch of leafy hops

taste: subdued flavors, but everything was well balanced - burnt espresso, medium roast, bakers chocolate, cream, some leafy hops

mouthfeel: rich and creamy body - likely a result of the nitro-tap serving, but nonetheless, lovely.

overall: this one went down easy

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-26-2012 19:54:41 | More by dirtylou

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up a couple of nights ago at Brewforia in Meridian... Paid about $6... Shared tonight with Inflatablechair... Sam and I both thought that it was done very well.

Pours an expected black with a brown head... good lacing and retention.

Nose is almost all about the coffee.... cold brewed obviously with just enough sweetness to really make things jell.

The flavor is pretty damn good... tons of espresso.. hints of lite caramel and some round maltiness that moves all the different components together ... surprising flavor for a lower ABV brew...

Medium body and is sorta creamy and the small bubble carbonation is just near perfect.. This brew got much better with warmth... don't drink straight out of the fridge and allow it to blossom.

4/4/4.5/4.5/4.5

Loving what Oakshire is doing and very happy that Boise has access.... please keep us in your loop. :-)

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 07:40:11 | More by JohnGalt1

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Opaque black with ruby highlights, mocha colored forms with small bubbles and sticks around for a good little while, a little lace is left behind.

S: Dominated by espresso coffee, roasted character, some astringent earthiness, some milk chocolate and bittersweet dark chocolate, hint of chicory.

T: Coffee dominates with chocolate arriving on the aftertaste, hints of spices, chicory, light oaty fruitiness, ghostly charcoal. Blends well, but its a bit watery.

MF: Lighter medium mouthfeel, pretty wet and a bt creamy, finishes with some dryness which is nice.

O: Coffee dominates, with roast, chocolate, and hints of dark fruitiness behind. Very little hop character, and while I liked this beer as a showcase for espresso, there are also better coffee beers out there IMO. Still an easy drinker, and recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 16:04:51 | More by Scotchboy

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.43/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice black color with firm beige head that sits about 1.33" in a very still manner while I watch the 1st half of the Marquette-Notre Dame game. DJO is ballin'. Aroma isn't really espresso, its more like old diner coffee. Now, this bottle is definitely not 'fresh' it is almost a year old. Some coffee beers hold up, some do not.

Flavorwise, the coffee is a little better than the aroma, nothing spectacular though. I needed a coffee beer with a 10AM tip this morning, so I grabbed this since I never meant to wait this long to try it in the first place. Nothing spectacular, its a dark, yet mild roast flavor, doesn't trigger visions of the lighter espresso flavor I'm used to. Hit those free throws Vander Blue. Chocolate malt, but not really an added chocolate flavor going on. Mildly bitter, body is average, like the carbonation.

A decent option at a decent price, it was good enough to make me pick up another bottle next time im in WA/OR and next time, I'll drink it fresh and see what happens.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 18:46:43 | More by Beerandraiderfan

vande

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a - a nice solid black pour, with a subtle, but dirty layer of foam resting quitely atop

s - coffee right away..nice roasted malts, hidden chocolate note...

t - as it warms up, so increases the flavor that's for sure.... lot of coffee on top of this beer.. bits of grain..

m - smooth, soft and somewhat velvety

o - pretty good cappucinno stout...

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 01:22:04 | More by vande

flagmantho

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: utterly black with no light allowed through. Head poured a thin finger of creamy tan foam. Decent lacing is left on the glass.

Smell: nice malt aroma with a very smooth, roasty character. The coffee comes through in a big way, but isn't overpowering. I like it.

Taste: huge roasted malt character with quite a bit of coffee in the mix. The coffee is a little bit bitter but overall not bad. Vegetal hops round out the end -- not too surprising in an American stout. Not too shabby.

Mouthfeel: body is on the light side but has a decent carbonation. It's too thin to call creamy, but it has a light silkiness which is nice.

Overall: this is a pretty good and quite drinkable coffee beer. I'd definitely have this guy again.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 05:47:00 | More by flagmantho

elgiacomo

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle, unknown date. Served at cellar temperature.

Pours dark brown to black with a small brown head.

Aroma features nice espresso and coffee notes, roasted malts, a bit of chocolate, some dark fruits. Good, but not great strength.

Flavor is espresso & coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, some vanilla and caramel, fairly sweet, minimal hops, on the finish there is a touch of lactic tartness and some astringency. Very little alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with good carbonation. A little creamy, a little sticky at times.

A nice coffee stout, but I’ll admit I’ve been spoiled lately by copious amounts of Wake-n-Bake and Founders Breakfast Stout. This one is a bit different than those however, using a Sweet Stout as a base, making this a bit unique, as those Sweet Stout characteristics definitely come through.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 00:35:57 | More by elgiacomo

brentk56

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a pitch black color; the modest tan head leaves a few dots of lace behind

Smell: Chocolate and roasty coffee tones dominate, with a hint of oatmeal underneath

Taste: The chocolate and oatmeal flavors arrive first, adding a bit of minty hops adding some bitterness by mid-palate; after the swallow, the roasty coffee elements add a nice balancing touch

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; lacks the creaminess one would expect in this style

Overall: The flavor profile of this beer is nicely constructed; a more creamy mouthfeel would be the icing on the cake

Thanks, chumba526, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 19:37:03 | More by brentk56

notchucknorris

California

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a black color with a very very thin mocha colored head.

S: A pretty good amount of things in this. Roasted malt, chocolate, espresso, a bit of earth and some faint hints of red berries.

T: Roasted malt and day old coffee upfront. Some hints of dark chocolate, licorice and a hint of smoke and charred malt on the finish. I'm digging the flavors but not the mouthfeel. It's way too thin for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 03:13:06 | More by notchucknorris