Earl Coffee Oatmeal Stout - Hill Farmstead Brewery

cfrances33

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Blackback Pub in Waterbury. Served in a Hill Farmstead stem.

Pour: Really dark black, but not quite midnight. Two fingers of khaki foamy head form, and really leaves a thick coating on the glass.

Smell: Earl is like sticking you face into a bag of whole coffee beans. Very roasty, and even bitter on the nose. Some dark chocolate. A light cream and some oatmeal come through.

Taste: Bitter black, dark roasted coffee up front, followed by a mocha dark chocolate. A sweet bready oatmeal flavor balances the bitterness of the coffee. This is very in your face with coffee. Some light vanilla gives ways to more bitter roasted coffee beans on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Really nice a creamy, and would be supremely drinkable if not for the bitterness. Medium bodied.

Overall: This is a coffee lovers stout. Absolutely blows away Breakfast Stout in terms of in your face roasted coffee. Delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2013 15:11:03 | More by cfrances33

Axic10

Pennsylvania

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

On-tap at Capone's during their Hill Farmstead event.

Appearance: Deep dark black with a thin layer of khaki head.

Smell: Dark chocolate, roasted coffee and a nice smoke aroma.

Taste: Dark chocolate, roasted and smoked malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied and smooth.

Drinkability: A very nice take on the stout as I almost saw it as a hybrid stout/rauchbier with the smokiness in this one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2011 05:16:10 | More by Axic10

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

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

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

750ml to HFS sniffer glass

A: Dark dark brown with fluffy but small white to mocha head that fades to a thin lacing of mocha coloring, it is completely opaque but not the darkest stout I've seen still quite good.

S:lots of coffee and oats the smell is there but not pungent or even that strong. There is not much else there I can't smell the malt or hops at all.

T: upfront there is a solid coffee taste but it is not overpowering and well balanced with a nice sweet malt presence. The oats start to come in after the ential taste that blends with the taste of hops that balance out everything with there slight bitterness through the finish which also features the coffee flavor and the oat flavor.

M:it has a hop bite to it for a stout. It is also quite oily it is neither thick nor thin, but does have some chewiness to it though not toffee status

O: This is a pretty good coffee oatmeal stout not my favorite of the variety as WNB is definitely better imo but nonetheless this is a really good beer that I quite enjoyed as with pretty much all hill farmstead if you can get your hands on it do so.

Serving type: growler

01-25-2013 02:41:21 | More by Pinknuggets

ElGallo

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Threepenny Taproom in Montpelier. This was my dessert (after dinner, a Houblon Chouffe, and a Hill Farmstead Edward)

Very dark brown, nearly black in color with a dark beige head that is thick and hangs around for a while. Alas, the loud and annoying middle-aged woman sitting next to me at the bar also stuck around until I was almost done. Puts a damper on the mellowness typically associated with sipping a fine beer in a fine establishment, but I digress...

Smells of roast coffee, with some molasses and chocolate notes.

Taste is heavy with coffee and chocolate, but with very little bitterness. This is one of the smoothest coffee stouts I have ever had. Very nice.

Kind of a medium mouthfeel that is smooth, malty, and almost buttery.

Overall, another hit from Hill Farmstead. I know there is a barrel-aged version of this somewhere - would love to try that too.

Thanks again to the Threpenny staff for a great meal, a couple of stellar beers, and some good beer chat. Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2011 20:11:53 | More by ElGallo

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

angelogarcia3

New York

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This black as midnight stout beer has a strong coffee aroma. A slight tannish head indicates the beers stoutness. Though it is a stout the mouthfeel is not overwhelming thick. It's thick but drinkable. The coffee flavor is more chocolatey than burnt or bitter. Though hints of burnt coffee peak through from time to time. It went very well with my portbello white bean burger at the Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington VT.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2011 02:20:17 | More by angelogarcia3

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

GatheringBrews

Vermont

4.58/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Huge fan of this beer. Had on tap and in growlers.

Deep brown/black color with a medium sized, tan head with nice lacing. Aroma is nicely roasted malts, coffee, caramel, and light chocolate. Medium body with highly complex, mature flavors of roasted malts, coffee, cocoa and the perfect touch of hops.

Pleasantly reminiscent of Mikkeller Beer Geek or the Olbutikken Porter, this is a staple beer in my fridge the last few months.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2011 01:54:32 | More by GatheringBrews

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

Aberration

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at blackback pub.

Black pour, gives way to dark ruby and brown notes at the top of the glass.

Smells sweet and of oatmeal, a good sign considering what it is. Strong coffee scent mingled with the sweetness smells enticing.

Tastes fantastic, bittersweet oatmeal, very thick on the palate. Strong roasted coffee notes. Lingering aftertaste. Delicious.

This bests FBS as my favorite coffee oatmeal stout. A great offering from hill farmstead! Wish it was available closer to me though...

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2011 19:33:34 | More by Aberration

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