Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout - Anderson Valley Brewing Company

BlackBearForge

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark nearly impenetrable blackish brown with a deep amber red glow around the edges when back lit by a strong light. A big foamy chocolate brown head forms leaving loads of creamy lacing.

Dark roasty malts, chocolate and coffee fill the aroma in copious amounts.

The flavor is full of dark roasted grain bitterness and dark roasted malt sweetness, full of coffee and chocolate notes blended and smoothed out by the addition of oatmeal. Warming as always brings out more complexity and mellowness.

Mouthfeel is medium, somewhat chewy and has excellent smoothness body boosted by the oatmeal. Carbonation is medium and lends an added creaminess to the body as well.

An excellent everyday stout though I'd have to do a line up to say it was my favorite. Definitely in the running!

Serving type: can

07-17-2012 22:44:41 | More by BlackBearForge

HopHead84

California

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

7/1/2012

Can poured into a snifter.

A: Very dark brown bordering on black with two inches of light brown foam. Good retention. Lots of lacing.

S: Lightly roasted grains with oatmeal and a coffee and cream combination. A little caramel blends with earthy and nutty notes. There's some chocolate and restrained dark fruits.

T: Milk chocolate blends with coffee, cream, oats, and lightly roasted dark grains. There's a low bitterness throughout with nutty notes and an increased level of coffee and chocolate near the finish.

M: Medium body with upper medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is silky and smooth.

Overall: A nice Oatmeal Stout.

Serving type: can

07-01-2012 18:53:53 | More by HopHead84

lwillitz

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22-oz bottle into Samuel Smith "Tulip" pint glass

A - beautifully cascading bubbles as it pours, 3 fingers of foamy dark tan head atop a beautiful stout black body with red/orange highlights; superior head retention and beautiful lacing

S - rich roast malts, coffee, lactic notes, sweet molasses, smoky; complex and inviting

T - bittersweet roast malts, earthy hops in the background, smoke, notes of coffee, roast malt flavor lingers for a bittersweet finish; delightfully complex

M - oily medium body, low/medium carbonation, silky smooth; thinner than it looks, but not bad

O - Everything is pretty close to perfect except the mouthfeel, which could stand to be a touch heavier. The only real downside here is the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 23:31:07 | More by lwillitz

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: very dark, with a thick messy coffee head. Looks like a stout ought to.
Smell: exceptional. Coffee and roasty smoke, some molasses. Very nice.
Taste: again, very nice. A quaffer. Complex and yet mellow. All the flavors of the nose.
Overall: I still prefer the bug brews but this is a fine example of an oatmeal st.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 21:13:11 | More by cindyjeffsmith

NODAK

Tennessee

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma here is a nice, silky sweet one with roasted malts, chocolate and a hint of sugar. Not bad!

Pours night black in my pint glass...with a decent, dark brown head.

The taste really is quite tame and smooth. Certainly have the roasted malt notes here, nowhere near burnt however. Chocolate notes there as well...a bit chewy, perhaps owing to the oatmeal. No real bitterness at all is perceptible...only real aftertaste that appears is a little roast, but it's fairly clean all in all.

What it comes down to is that this is a pretty delicious, albeit tame, stout. I really did enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 01:30:57 | More by NODAK

TheSixthRing

California

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a near black with a cola brown edging. Thick, creamy cocoa powder head with great retention, leaving behind a lace that's thick and sticky.

Smell - Notes of chocolate and roasted cocoa beans.

Taste - Follows the nose. Cocoa chocolate and a subtle coffee roast. A faint smokey undertone. hops are present, but hard to quantify. Finishes with said smoke and a milk chocolate quality.

Mouthfeel - Medium body. Somewhat creamy. Carbonation is moderate.

Overall - A fairly light stout, but it has it's positives. Decent smokey character. Not a personal top 10 stout, but one I wouldn't mind drinking a few more times.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 04:28:06 | More by TheSixthRing

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my Yards love stout glass. Pours opague black with a tremendous two fingered light brown heading. Lacing is left all over the place after every sip.

Good aroma's of coffee , chocolate , smoke , and just an all around roastiness of malt.

Nice rich mocha flavoring. Brown sugar, earthy hops with a milky chocolate finish.

Full bodied for a lower ABV, good carbonation and a bit on the thicker side of balance.

This is solid from begining to end, not a complex beer just done right. Very good.

Serving type: can

06-20-2012 20:32:33 | More by TheFightfan1

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A-black with a thick tan head

S-slightly roasted malts, creamy with a hint of oatmeal. This has an extremely tasty scent! 

T-comes in with a great taste of burnt malts similar to a chocolate covered espresso bean. It's a such a creamy and smooth taste. This is awesome! Great roasted after-taste. 

M-creamy medium carbonation with a good crisp finish

O-this is an amazing oatmeal stout. It's so creamy and it's so completely drinkable. The flavors are just awesome too. 

Serving type: can

06-18-2012 17:30:49 | More by AdamBear

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Black brown with 2 fingers tan head and minimal lacing.

S: Mild scent over all, hints of coffee, deeply toasted wheat and bitter sweet coco.

T: Initial flavour of toasted malts followed with some astringent coffee and just a hint of dark cherries.

M: Rather light and watery for an oatmeal stout, very low carbonation.

O: Because of the mild scent, straight forward flavour and thin mouthfeel this stout is not as memorable as other oatmeal stouts I've had. It's easy to drink and nice to have as an aperitif, I just would find it lost if paired with a hardy stew or grilled meats.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 01:41:22 | More by FondueVoodoo

TheDinger

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler to a pint glass. A decent, dark brown looking OS with a nice mocca head 1+ finger and a little staying power. Smell was a nice blend of chocolate, dark malts, figs and distant grains. A very nice surprise and plesant. Taste was not as pronounced and had more of the sweet, chocolate hit on the front. Again the oatmeal was burried and I wanted that to come through. Some hops on the end, but subtle. Feel was thin and a bit weak. Not a thick stout feel, but more of a brown. Decent carbonation. Overall- A nice take on the style and pretty good. Very sessionable stout which was a bonus. A little off on the oatmeal/malt taste but a solid effort. A definite must try and I will look for another-

Serving type: growler

06-07-2012 00:11:05 | More by TheDinger

Arno

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

appearance: Dark brown/black with a mocca colored foam head. Foam was gone pretty quick though.

smell: Sour malts and hops mainly. A bit of Coffee / Dark chocolat, but faint.

taste: Better then the smell suggests. Good balance of sweetness, bitter and a bit of sour. Quite easy going for a stout. Creamy, yet fresh. Coffee, dark chocolate, figs an sort of a bitter licorice. All well balanced. Nothing really sticks out. Has a surprisingly light finish.

Moutfeel: Quite thin for a stout. Medium carbonation (for a stout). Doesn't have that sirupy feel like most stouts do.

overall: This is a very tastefull and nicely balanced stout. Actually one of the best i've had from a bottle. It's not as strongly defined like a Guiness, but more subtle in flavors and not as thick. Good combo of sweetness and bitters. Not as sweet and overpowering as a Fuller's. Quite a fresh and easy going stout. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 22:08:16 | More by Arno

socon67

New York

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours black with a high frothy brown foam. Slight lacing, and no visible carbonation.

S - Robust smell of chocolate malt, toffee, and roasted coffee.

T - Kind of a downer. The smell does not translate to the taste. The flavor of coca powder and fresh oats is there, but just felt real distant. I was expecting it to be slightly more pronounced to match the scent.

M - Good light drinking stout. Had a similar vobe like Guiness. Thin but not watery.

O - Just didn't find this as a top tier stout. Maybe the canned version loses a little bit.

Serving type: can

06-05-2012 15:11:28 | More by socon67

keithmurray

Louisiana

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz can poured into a mug

appearance - dark mahogany with khaki head

smell - this is faint but I do pick up oats, dark chocolate

taste - coming in better than the smell, I am getting dark chocolate, oats, raisin bran, a bit of roasted coffee in here as well

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, good balance to this

overall - this is an easy drinking stout, I feel like the body is just right, neither too thin or too thick, not too sweet either, I would revisit this. It's also nice that this is available in a can

price point - $2.50/single 12 oz can

Serving type: can

06-02-2012 20:52:33 | More by keithmurray

acevenom

Louisiana

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This can was provided by EgadBananas. Poured into a pint glass. Pours dark brown with a tall, creamy tan head that dissipates slowly. The head retains well and leaves some lacing on the side of the glass. The aroma is roasty sweet from the malt and there are smells of coffee and chocolate as well. I can detect some oats as well. The taste follows the nose. There are flavors of dark roasted barley malt, mild bitter coffee, bitter chocolate, and some mild hops. The flavors are creamy and mildly sweet. The body is medium with a creamy mouthfeel. It is smooth and the carbonation is moderate. The drinkability is very high. Overall, this is an excellent beer. It is a very drinkable oatmeal stout that I wish was available in my area.

Serving type: can

05-31-2012 21:52:17 | More by acevenom

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. Good looking dark, dark pour with a nice 2 finger head that dissipates quickly. Lots of sweetness on the nose. Aside from the typical roasty notes of a stout, there are sweet chocolate-like notes as well.

Nicely-balanced flavor with equal doses of sweet malty tones, bitter hops and roastiness, and smooth creaminess. The mouthfeel is firm and silky without being creamy. In the front of the palate there are some toast and dark fruit flavors. At mid-palate, you get some bitterness from the hops that do not overwhelm, just sort of blend in with the malt and give some coffee-like bitterness. The finish is dry and lingers shortly.

Overall, this is a wonderful beer. In today's era of extreme, over-the-top beers, classics like this tend to get overlooked. It's very reminiscent of Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. It only lacks a bit of the creaminess.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 01:39:50 | More by deadonhisfeet

avalon07

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a black color and a thick consistency. There was a two inch creamy, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A good aroma (different than I was expecting) of coffee, dark fruit, malt, and something sweet.

T: Tasted of malt, raisins, a little bit of hops, coffee, and some toffee in the finish. Didn't really get any oatmeal notes, but that really didn't matter as the flavor was strong on its own.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a silky smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A solidly made, surprisingly subtle oatmeal stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 12:06:25 | More by avalon07

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

It is Memorial Day 2012 and The CANQuest (TM) is in high gear and thanks to my local trader, tone77, for dropping this off for me.

From the CAN: "Bahl Hornin' Since 1987"; "The Legendary Boonville Brewery"; "Solar Powered Brewery".

The Crack & Glug caused me to wonder if I were about to indulge in a chocolate milkshake! Foam began jumping out of the lip of the CAN and I had to pour it quickly into a glass. I had a lot of deep-tan/light-brown head initially, but it finally settled into a thick finger. Color was a deep, dark-brown with limited light penetration except at the edges. Nose smelled of coffee, dark chocolate and charcoal/wood smoke. Mouthfeel was on the thin side for a stout and it had a taste like fudge - dark, rich, smoky. Finish was equally fudgy and I probably would not want more than one, being that I am self-avowed hophead.

Serving type: can

05-28-2012 17:23:27 | More by woodychandler

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Summit's Wayside Tavern Snellville on May 17th, 2012. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) Pours a solid black with a light surface cover and a light tan lacing. Not much else to observe, it truly is solid black, so little activity can be seen on the inside. Solid appearance overall. 4

(Smell) Aromas of oatmeal, chocolate, lactose and cream make up the most of the nose. It is very potent, sweet and appealing. No hop presence but a fantastic smelling beer overall. There's very little I would change about the smell aside from bringing in some bitter qualities or toning down the sweetness, which is such a minor point that it truly needs little interference. 4.5

(Taste) Very sweet oatmeal malt front plus a bitter chocolate tone that continues to a chalky bitter finish. For oatmeal stouts, it's one of the best I've ever had based on a distinct sweet and bitter phase that are both pleasing in an oatmeal stout. The flavor is great and the beer highly drinkable. 5

(Mouthfeel) Texture begins a little fizzy and continues an airy transition to the finish, leaving a significant tingle on the tongue. I think the carbonation may be a bit overdone here, and a creamier mouthfeel would compliment it well. Alcohol presence is low. Body is medium. A bit too active for a good pairing with the flavors, certainly not indicative of an oatmeal stout. 2.5

(Overall) Fantastic beer flavor offset a bit by an overdone carbonation level which really is a bit too fizzy to do it much good. Flavors are excellent for an oatmeal stout and there's tons of flavor to savor, so regardless of the minor tweaks needed, I'd recommend this to anybody, and am looking forward to other beers by Anderson Valley in the immediate future. 4

Anderson Valley Brewing Company's
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
4.4/5.00

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2012 00:21:17 | More by Jadjunk

mschind

California

4.53/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle, no date.

A- Huge creamy mocha colored head that lasts and lasts. Very dark reddish brown, slightly translucent. Good lacing on the way down.

S- Roasted malt, cinnamon, faint hops in the background.

T- MIld malt sweetness up front with some mocha elements giving way to a slightly dry finish.

M- Silky smooth and rich. Full bodied but not heavy.

O- Once I let it warm up a bit above 60 degrees, the flavor really came through. Tried it with some Belgian dark chocolate from Trader Joes which is a good match. It has the richness and body of an imperial stout without the alcohol kick. I'll definitely have this again especially at 7.99 a six here in N CA.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 22:36:45 | More by mschind

nevery

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a pint glass. 3/4" head.

Is something wrong here? I expected a world-class brew, but I feel like it's average for a micro, to be honest.

A: Black, medium-low lace, and mocha head settles to thin.

S: More hoppy than it tastes, chocolate and malt prevalent. Lot's of barley/malt-smell

T: Mild hoppiness, lots of caramel, chocolate, and malt. I taste barley, strange enough. A lot more ABV present than a 5.7% should present of this 'caliber.'

M: Mid-thick, finishes wet. Not bad at all.

O: I held onto this for a week, expecting it to be phenomenal, however I'm not SUPER impressed, to be honest. Others love it, so maybe it's just not my thing, although I was positive it was based on the label and reviews. I wanted thick and sweet and chocolatey and hoppy. What I taste is malt-ey and caramel.

To each his own, lol.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 07:58:15 | More by nevery

TheHoppiest

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz can into a mug. Pours a dark, dark brown with a thick mocha head that reduces to a foamy, bubbly lid with moderate lacing on the sides.

Coffee, cream and oaty malt combine for a rich aroma. Hints of dark chocolate nibs and hazelnut are also present.

Creamy oat malt makes this a supremely drinkable brew. Coffee and chocolate notes combine for a rounder flavor, with low bitterness to finish.

This has a soft mouthfeel, with hints of black coffee bitter to dry the tongue.

A very easy drinking stout, this tastes very good regardless if the beer is a cooler temp or a warmer one.

Serving type: can

05-20-2012 20:38:49 | More by TheHoppiest

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A pint at Humpy's in Kailua-Kona.

This beer appears a very dark, almost black, cola-edged amber hue, with one finger of thinly foamy ecru head, which leaves some randomly skewed webbed lace around the glass as it bleeds away.

It smells of roasted caramel malt, anise, raisin, and earthy, leafy hops. The taste is lightly toasted caramel malt, some lactic sourness, an earthy sweetness, some further black licorice, and mild leafy, weedy hops.

The bubbles are very sedate, the body a sturdy medium weight, and almost silky smooth. It finishes off-dry, with the grainy, chocolate-lite malt, and lingering sour milk astringency.

Huh. Much more of a traditional porter, and a pretty good one at that.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2012 05:14:10 | More by biboergosum

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a nice inky black color, with a chocolate milk colored head of about 2.5 fingers. Nice bits of webby lace and pretty good retention.

S- There's a light creamy chocolate note, with some roasted malts, oats.

T- First, there's a nice creamy chocolate note, sweet roasted malts, slight dark fruits, nutty sweetness and a hint of molasses.

M- Wonderful use of the oats. It's got a very velvety, creamy mouthfeel. Very smooth and drinkable. Medium in body, but it's still substantial.

O- Definitely one of the more solid oatmeal stouts out there. I'd keep this around if available to me.

Serving type: can

05-08-2012 23:25:28 | More by EgadBananas

tdm168

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a can into a pint glass at Sawmill Tap Room on 4/28/12.

A - dark black; giant brown, dense, thick head; great retention

S - rich roasted malts, faint coffee

T - coffee, roasted malts, faintly bitter, a bit creamy

M - medium to full bodied, smooth, little if any carbonation

This is a great beer. It has good body, good flavor, and great drinkability. It's definitely worth checking out.

Serving type: can

05-05-2012 21:48:03 | More by tdm168

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this at a local restaurant with some mexican good. My mouth was running hot, and I felt like this beer would do a good job of cooling it off.

I also picked up this specific beer in my pursuit of the 100 beers of fame. It is not on there right now, but I am hedging that it will show up on the list before I finish my goal of the top 100. I would hate to get close to 100, and then I can't get a late seasonal to finally finish.

This is a good, light oatmeal stout. I liked the smell of the coffee and malt coming of the top. The head retained pretty well, enough to leave some decent lacing.

The flavor is really good. I liked coffee flavor; the roast comes through really well.

I don't have a lot of experience with this brewery. They make a pretty good IPA, and I have had the Mendocino line that they brew. I recommend the Anderson Valley stuff, not so much the Mendocino line.

Serving type: can

05-04-2012 23:38:46 | More by ummswimmin