Earl Coffee Oatmeal Stout - Hill Farmstead Brewery

tigg924

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: minimal head, dark brown in color, clear, moderate carbonation

Smell: coffee dominates

Taste: big coffee and robust roasted malt with some citrus hops at the end

Mouthfeel: moderate carbonation, medium-heavy bodied, sweet with a bitter finish

Overall: Another Hill Farmstead brew..another beer right at the top of its class. Exceptional for a coffee stout. While this is not my favorite style, the coffee is not too bitter but it is highly present. If I were to reach for a coffee stout, this is where I would go to.

Serving type: cask

09-07-2011 15:32:05 | More by tigg924

claspada

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Aromas of dark and milk chocolate; mainly milk chocolate, so inciting. As it warms you get some java/coffee notes as well.

The taste starts of really dry, roasted dark malts. Mouthfeel is really full bodied. Finishes a little slick with some lingering coffee bitterness on the tongue; not over powering at all but pleasant.

Overall this is amazing drinkable and delicious. Highly recommended and will seek out more offerings from this brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2010 00:14:42 | More by claspada

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From notes, served in a HF wine glass.

Clear, very dark brown color with a light, bubbly tan head. Excellent retention and thick lacing. Earthy and roast coffee aroma, with surprising amount of hops and some faint chocolate notes. Flavor is typical of an oatmeal stout, creamy and smooth, with a silky body, and a strong chocolate and malt body throughout. Minimal bitterness, but strong fresh coffee flavor throughout. Much more robust and enjoyable experience than the BA version of Earl.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2011 21:12:42 | More by yourefragile

BeerThursdays

Delaware

4.18/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap at Capone's

A - Dark brown with thick creamy colored head. Holds pretty well and sticks all over the glass.

S - Smells of coffee, sugars, caramel and roasted malts.

T - Sweet oatmeal with coffee flavor and some earthy hops. Finishes with caramel and some bitterness.

M - Smooth and creamy. Medium bodied, which is a surprise for the darkness and size of the head. Sticks around in the mouth for a bit.

D - Very nice beer. Smooth and well balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2011 14:12:04 | More by BeerThursdays

koopa

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one at the Black Back this past Friday. Apparently this particular keg was extremely foamy and Mr. Hill called Rick (owner of the Black Back) to ask him if he was ok with it....Rick hadn't tapped it prior to him calling so he drew from his experience with the last keg and told him it was fine. Upon tapping and pouring for a day or two he realized that Shaun knew what he was talking about. Rick graciously warned me about the condition of the keg before pouring it and I said I'd be fine with it. He then basically poured me 3 large snifter glasses of foam which eventually receded into 3x 1/3 glasses of beer. A bit of pouring one into the other and viola I had a perfect snifter of brew!

Appearance: Pours (or shall I say settles!) deep dark brown black with a dark brown massive crown. Loads of retention and lace.

Smell: Nice coffee notes over dark malt with caramel and brown sugar notes.

Taste: Same as nose....really nice integration of coffee going on here!

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with loads of carbonation.

Drinkability: Very good!

Another solid HF Brew!

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2010 22:28:54 | More by koopa

mdaschaf

Washington

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Farmhouse Tap and Grill. Review from notes.

A: Dark black with one finger brown head. Slow dissipation leaving bits of lacing.

S: A roasted aroma, with some coffee and a little bit of chocolate on the initial whiff. There is also some oatmeal and hints of toffee. Like others noted, I am glad that this is not overwhelmingly coffee smelling.

T: Sweeter than expected, but in a good way. Not has harsh/bitter as some coffee stouts, this is most likely from the oatmeal. Besides the coffee/oatmeal flavors I also get some chocolate and even a little bit of a hop kick.

M/D: Medium bodied with great carbonation. Overall, very nice. I was glad that the coffee wasn't in the forefront. The sweetness from the oatmeal was really nice as was the little bit of hops.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2011 20:58:12 | More by mdaschaf

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On Tap at Capone's in a little dinky snifter.

Earl look black, blackie, its a black ale with a little bit of sugar on top with small spots of lace. up to light, Earl look black. Earl smell roasty and oaty with a deep sweet caramel scent and oats with chocolate rounding it out. Hops are present in the nose, it's a well rounded scent. Earl is one of the richer oat stouts I've had recently. Notes of cocco/chocolate, mounds of oats and even a mild hop bite towards the end. I get a bunch of roasted coffee with some warming, where did that come from? Like I said Earl is well rounded, but he is not fat with soaring alcohol, 7% is fine with me, it drinks like it should be more though, but that's what I like, a lot of taste with not a bunch of alcohol. Feel is a bold medium with adaquate carb. I coulda drank a pint of this if it was not summer and it was not the beginning of my day. I cant quite place this, it hits many styles in one

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2011 01:06:04 | More by onix1agr

rudzud

Massachusetts

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

Picked up a growler of this while on a beerventure with BPK59. This time around Earl achieved its coffee characteristics via a pour over method (pouring the beer over the beans) with the coffee from a wonderful place in western MA whose name escapes me while writing this (which is a shame as I am very familiar with them after having spent years living in western MA).

A - Poured in to my Duvel tulip a super dark brown slightly translucent around the edges with one of the darkest, richest heads I have ever seen. Three fingers of creamy milk chocolatey goodness that leaves light side lacing and very nice retention.

S - Nice rich, roasted coffee aromas with some very, very light vanilla notes. Good roasty sweeter malts, definitely an oatmeal stout.

T - Taste is similar to the nose. Nice bitter roast coffee, light malty sweetness, subtle caramel and faint vanilla (though I think that's just my tongue playing tricks), that gentle oat taste. Yum.

M - Oh yah, definitely an oatmeal stout. Smooth, creamy, almost lightly chewy.

O - Overall this was a solid oatmeal stout. Good, but not my favourite (that still goes hands down to Wormtown's Sweet Tats).

Serving type: growler

01-05-2013 02:11:15 | More by rudzud

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the BlackBack Pub and Flyshop in Waterbury VT on Thursday. The keg was quite foamy so Rick gave me a large sample to try.

A: Pours a dark brown color with minimal light coming through. I cannot comment on the head as it was quite thick from the keg, but it was a nice brown foam head.

S: There is an ample amount of coffee flavor, dark roasted coffee and espresso. There are some hints of chocolate, caramel and vanilla.

T: Just like the scent, blends quite nicely together. Lots of coffee malt on the front end. The middle and back end also contain the coffee and there is some chocolate and vanilla there as well.

M: Very thick and slick mouthfeel. Although a tad thin when compared to other types of breakfast stouts.

D: This is easy to drink, quite tasty. Not sure the ABV of this, but I could certainly enjoy more than one of these in a sitting.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2010 23:37:36 | More by IronCitySteve

MasterSki

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml growler thanks to Chris (spycow). Served in a Heady Topper glass.

A - A finger of tan foam settles to a big-bubbled cap and some wisps, leaving behind minimal lace. Dark brown body.

S - Reminds me of Everett, but with more char and smoke and a mild amount of coffee. Earthy grains, roasted barley, light molasses and brown sugar, some yeasty bread.

T - Taste is again roasted grains, baker's chocolate, some yeasty bread, a bit of molasses, and a mounting roast bitterness.

M - Smooth texture from the oatmeal, lower carbonation, medium-full body. No alcohol presence. Pretty much everything I'd want for this style of beer.

D - It's a nice stout, but not as good as Everett. I think I'd like this if there was more coffee presence.

Serving type: growler

08-21-2011 20:37:33 | More by MasterSki

TroopScoop

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Alewatcher for this one. Enjoyed on a nice cool DLD days eve 2012.

A: brown khaki head, little legs, but very nice red hues. The beer itself is very dark and a great viscosity,

S:very sweet, caramel, coconut, some lactose, and at the very end - a little peaty smoke.

T: honestly, if you didn't tell me it was a bourbon barrel stout - I wouldn't believe it. Id say it was a scotch aged coffee smoked porter and fantastic at that. Its wonderful, just so different than it smells.

M: thin, slick, oily off the tongue - feels like a porter

O: very very good, but doesn't fit the style. Absolutely worth the taste, absolutely worth the price, but expect a world class porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 04:25:26 | More by TroopScoop

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- pours dark brown, almost black with a nice 1 finger head that has moderate retenrion. Some lacing left on the glass after the heads gone. Body is black and cant be seen through. Looks pretty good

S- gigantic coffee bean scent thats more sweet than bitter. Sweet malt is there but behind the coffee.

T- sweet coffee thats nice and not overboard. Becomes subtly bitter in the middle and roasty on the finish. Very nice and balanced stout.

M- feels about medium on the tongue with very little carbonation (probably because of the growler). Feels good.

O- very nice stout. Everything is good and well balanced.

Serving type: growler

08-17-2011 00:14:31 | More by Gushue3

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Earl pours black with a moderate sized creamy tan head on top. The foam fades slowly leaving minimal lacing on the glass.

The aroma isn't as strong as I thought it would be. Notes of chocolate and roasted malt dominate. Coffee is present but not very strong. There's also some oatmeal notes in the aroma.

Each sip of this full bodied beer is creamy and smooth with mild carbonation. The flavor is rich with dark flavors of chocolate, roast malt and oatmeal. Some bitter coffee flavor appears in the middle, but it's not very strong. It finishes mildly bitter with some grassy notes. Once gone the roast malt and chocolate lingers on the palate.

This is a very tasty beer with a great mouthfeel. However, I'm not getting a lot of coffee flavor. It is there, but very subtle. My growler was filled 1 week before being served and was chilled the entire time. I don't think the age of my beer made the coffee fade.

Serving type: growler

01-13-2013 01:46:48 | More by WanderingFool

rtepiak

Poland

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

a stout with an exceptional nose. Pour is about two fingers. Nose of toasted malt and rose water at first. This fades after the first sip and the true chalk burn coffee grounds comes out. This combines with the hops to leave a dead dry tongue. Beer isn't quite soapy but just a tad smoked acidic.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2010 04:35:34 | More by rtepiak

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at Capone's into a sampler glass.

A - Pours jet black with a light one finger head, dissipating to small patches of head, leaving little to no lacing down the glass.

S - Lots of dark flavors in this one. Coffee, milk chocolate, and plenty of dark malt blend well. Some oatmeal and a bit of caramel sweetness creeps in as it begins to come to room temp. Good balance but nothing mind blowing.

T - A bit thin on entry. Quite a bit of dark smokiness up front giving way quickly to a mix of dark roasted coffee and chocolatey sweetness. Oatmeal adds a bit of chewiness and seems to help bring the body back up a bit. Finish is a huge blast of dark roast that lingers for some time. I liked how balanced all the flavors where.

M - Heavy body and flavor with moderate carbonation. The feel is neither thin nor overly creamy, good balance again. Finish is a bit too roasty for my liking.

D - Pretty high. I wish more brewery could brew a well balanced stout like this one. I liked it quite a bit but it was just good not great. I would definitely drink it again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2011 20:23:56 | More by orangesol

ChrisPro

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler thanks to spycow. Happy I got to have this again since my growler of Earl didn't quite make the trip home from VT :(

A - Near black beer with a dark khaki bubbly head that dissipated quickly. Occasional lacing.

S - Solid coffee notes erupt first (would like to know the roaster), along with slight ashiness and a very strong bready note, maybe from the oatmeal. This is making me want breakfast.

T - Nice dry coffee and chocolate and a touch of yeast. Very dry roasty finish that really works for me.

M - Medium bodied, very light carbonation. No alcohol. Nice lingering creaminess on the finish.

O - Fantastic stout and I'm lucky I got to try this again. Complex, yet exceptionally drinkable. Adds great variety to the HF portfolio.

Serving type: growler

08-29-2011 22:53:18 | More by ChrisPro

Arbitrator

California

3.98/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chilled growler into a glass, from a long-ago trade. This is from notes; the growler was consumed fresh.

A: Pours black with edge translucence. Tan head.

S: Smells heavily of coffee, roasted grain, vanilla. The aroma is rounded out by mild wafts of dark chocolate. Earthy hops. It reminded me a little of Velvet Merlin at the time; this was at least a year ago, so maybe the recipe has changed.

T: Roasted coffee beans, roasted malt; they lead the way and set the tone of the beer. The roast is enhanced by the choice of earth hops. It isn't until the finish, which carefully coaxes milk chocolate and vanilla out of the nether, that the beer moves away from the charred flavors into something more balanced.

M: Smooth, silky body; the use of oats is evident, and well-received.

O: I think this is solid, but in this rough area of styles (porter / stout being kind of interchangeable today), I'd give the nod to Twilight of the Idols and Everett in HF's stable.

Serving type: growler

10-25-2012 04:03:04 | More by Arbitrator

naproxen

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this black beauty a few times last Sunday at the Blackback Pub & Flyshop in Waterbury with BeerTruth. This would be my first non-hop-centric brew by Hill Farmstead.

Hmmm, well I might as well start off with the issues with pouring this one. I don't know where the fault lies, the tap system at Blackback or the keg itself (after missing out on this at SIPtemberfest because of serving issues, I am leaning towards the kegging), but this was all thick caramel foam. Each full serving literally took 15 minutes and multiple cups to achieve. There was no infection or off taste here thankfully. By the time the beer settled it was at perfect carbonation, but by the time a glass was finished it was pretty flat.

Well now that the negative is out of the way, it is all positive from here on out. I'm reviewing this one post-foam pre-flat, if that makes sense.

Almost black, almost. The head that remains after waiting patiently for this to settle is thick and creamy, a darker caramel that paints the DFH snifter well.

This just smells so enticing. The coffee notes are rich and roasty, not bitter at all, with some sweet light molasses and caramel to boot.

Mmmm oatmeal, you make my beer so smoooth. A light pillow of coffee and dark chocolate with some brown sugar sprinkled on top coats the mouth. The body on this one is less than you expect when you see it, a lot less in my opinion. It works well with this beer though, increasing the drinkability, but I would not think this beer would age well.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2010 20:15:44 | More by naproxen

portia99

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler received in a trade with psprings. Thanks Paul! Poured into an Allagash stemmed glass. Reviewed from notes - sampled 11/26/2010

A - Pours a color as black as night with a finger of dense foam that fades quickly to a thin cap and leaving behind sparse lacing on the glass.

S - Some coffee, grassy hops and dark roasted malts. Some alcohol present in the aroma. Overall, the aroma is little on the light side - would enjoy more if there was a bit more intensity.

T - Intense coffee flavor with some sweet creaminess, a bit of malty sweetness, some sweet malt, caramel, green and grassy hops.

M - Thin to medium body. Medium carbonation that is creamy and smooth. A bit sweet overall with a lingering roastiness in the aftertaste.

D - Smooth, coffee roastiness - very tasty. Goes down way too easily. This growler disappeared very quickly.

Serving type: growler

12-19-2010 23:26:13 | More by portia99

Skrip

South Carolina

3.89/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750ml growler poured into a Jester King snifter

A~black as night with a nice creamy head

S~straight oatmeal coffee, with roasted malts

T~dark chocolate coffee with a nice bitterness. roasted dark fruits as well

M~not too heavy which i like in a porter but still a really nice consistency. nice carbonation

O-a really good oatmeal coffee porter for sure. i could compare it to a lighter Highland Oatmeal porter without the coffee of course. would definitely like a few bottles to keep IN hand ::see what i did there:: lol

Serving type: growler

01-17-2013 00:54:19 | More by Skrip

Sean9689

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Growler thanks to Chris!

A - Pours black, mocha color head, slight spotty lacing.

S - Slight coffee, roasty malts, toffee, slight cream. A little bit of everything here, which is nice. Wish there was a bit more coffee.

T - Similar to the nose. Slight coffee, roasted beans, malts, some cream. Kind of like a cold cup of coffee.

M - Too thin of a body, slight carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Enjoyable, but the thin body and hints of coffee hurt the overall score of this one. Wishing for more coffee and medium to full body but I guess I can't have everything. Good, not great.

Serving type: growler

08-23-2011 14:29:39 | More by Sean9689

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.6/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz pour at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill.

Quick review: Pours pitch black with HUGE thick tan head that looks like I might need a spoon for! Aroma is packed with freshly brewed coffee and toasted grains doused with fresh cream. Palate is a little thinner than I was expecting, but packed with flavor. No acidity to speak of, but the body seems to be teetering on the edge due to the amount of coffee. I'm not sure how this beer would be in a month. Flavors are great, but I'd personally like more body. The lighter body adds drinkability, however.

Good integration of coffee, but a little light on the body.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2010 04:11:53 | More by SFLpunk

AgentZero

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks again to Chris for providing another Hill Farmstead growler.

A - Dark brown beer with a bit of brownish head that left a little bit of lace on the sides.

S - A decent bit of coffee, lots of roast, smells a bit dry actually. Little bit of cocoa and earthy notes.

T - There's a lot of char in this, almost too much. To me it seems a lot like an Irish Dry Stout, or even an Imperial Irish Dry Stout. Some coffee, molasses, but the char kind of kills this one, I'm not a big fan of the taste truthfully.

M - Lower carbonation, medium bodied.

O - Not a huge fan of this beer, it's solid, but not an upper-class brew like I've come to expect from Hill Farmstead. Too much char for me, just didn't care a ton for the flavor profile as much as I thought I would.

Serving type: growler

08-25-2011 04:39:15 | More by AgentZero