Oat (Imperial Oatmeal Stout) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours out an extremely dark color - just shy of black with a mahogany tinge with a relatively thin dark head. Nose is subdued with a hint of toast and coffee.

Wow! This baby has flavor to boot. Huge rich roasted malt flavors, coffee, and toast. Coats your mouth like mad. It's big and creamy and slightly sweet, but not at all sugary or syrupy.

Any oatmeal stout I have is immediately compared to Samuel Smith's. I hate to get `artsy' here, but comparing ST Oat to SS OMS is like comparing Bernini's David to Michelangelo's David. You don't. Each is wonderful in its own right. SS is like the Michelangelo. It's reserved, mellow, pristine, and ideal. ST is like the Bernini. It's alive and moving and bristling with energy. If you like oatmeal stout and haven't tried this, you don't know what you're missing. Seek it out.

Serving type: growler

11-05-2011 14:22:26 | More by deadonhisfeet

nick_asian

Nevada

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-19-2013 06:44:37 | More by nick_asian

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-19-2013 01:21:24 | More by Photekut

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-18-2013 14:51:52 | More by Damian74Shensky

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%

05-17-2013 14:01:43 | More by Slatetank

CloudStrife

New York

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22oz bottle poured into a snifter. DOB 08/16/12.

A: Pours a very thick dark black with a half finger light khaki head. Quick to dissipate it leaves some spots of lacing. Light only shines through about 1/8".

S: Smooth roasted malts and oat notes. A bit of vanilla and sweetness. Alcohol is just a touch noticeable. Chocolate certainly comes through and is quite dominate along with the oat. Dark fruit come out as it warms.

T: Chocolate and oat blend together and balance nicely. Hops are tame at this point and just appear for a flash and touch of aftertaste. Roastiness of the malt provides some richness. Coffee comes to mind as well.

M: Full bodied but not too heavy it is quite pleasant. Low carbonation. Fairly crisp finish. Booze is there but doesn't provide a harsh mouthfeel.

Overall well crafted and has developed nicely in the last 7 months. One of the less flavored of the blackwater series but the still a real good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:23:28 | More by CloudStrife

CanisMajor

Indiana

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-16-2013 21:30:11 | More by CanisMajor

iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-16-2013 20:52:37 | More by iHeartMNBeer

jimctin

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-15-2013 17:59:37 | More by jimctin

jkane101

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-15-2013 00:40:23 | More by jkane101

CDCNAM

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-14-2013 17:30:12 | More by CDCNAM

KevinGordon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-14-2013 15:55:19 | More by KevinGordon

DeepSouthSipper

Mississippi

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%

05-14-2013 01:39:24 | More by DeepSouthSipper

aLenwell

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-14-2013 00:44:52 | More by aLenwell

vrbulldog22

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-13-2013 18:57:29 | More by vrbulldog22

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Review adapted from notes taken 5/10/13

Note: Review 600

Appearance: Pours a rich, dark, dark brown - perhaps black from a distance - some lighter brown and red tones around the edges - nice, light brown head, keeps a nice, wispy cap, and an above-average, creamy ring - leaves some lacing, not much

Smell: Dark, decadent malts and oats - like someone melted a dark chocolate bar into a bowl of oatmeal - dark, burnt, roasty, cooked, caramelized malts - caramel and an above-average amount of sugar (fitting with Southern Tier's reputation), but the sweetness smells somehow subdued with the grainy oat notes

Taste: Dark chocolate, oats, and roasty, burnt malts - very rich, decidedly "imperial" - dark chocolate, baker's chocolate, and some sweetened cocoa - caramel, molasses, and some straight-up sugar - burnt, dry, chocolate notes - some roasty notes and absurdly strong coffee - nicely bitter - oats are very apparent and abundant - adds a nice oatmeal flavor that kind of balances the sweetness, at the least makes it more interesting - some booze in the finish

Mouthfeel: On the light side of heavy, with a lot of creaminess from the oats - smooth, with a touch of syrupy booze in the finish

Overall: Christmas cheer in a bottle... or something

I selected this beer for review 600 because it was my official "Christmas Eve" bomber for three years (until I couldn't find a bottle one year and consequently killed the tradition). I honestly haven't had a bottle in a couple of years, and I am glad to report that it's still great. In fact, I think this is the best stout from Southern Tier. It's oddly under-appreciated, in my opinion. It's big, burly, and sweet, but I don't feel like I have diabetes thanks to the oats. Yum.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 05:18:12 | More by angrybabboon

ToddHolder

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-11-2013 01:26:12 | More by ToddHolder

inkdemention

Nevada

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-10-2013 17:03:31 | More by inkdemention

jgluck

California

4.75/5  rDev +15.6%

05-08-2013 19:44:40 | More by jgluck

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

05-06-2013 18:43:06 | More by ZEB89

TwoForty

Florida

5/5  rDev +21.7%

05-02-2013 01:49:33 | More by TwoForty

Xanthos

New York

4/5  rDev -2.7%

04-30-2013 20:44:24 | More by Xanthos

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -2.7%

04-29-2013 00:56:14 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

TheRicker

New York

4/5  rDev -2.7%

04-29-2013 00:45:20 | More by TheRicker

brian60625

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle for $7.99. Oily Irish coffee and grain with a sloppy splash of booze aroma. Pitch black, no light gets through, brown head, no lacing, no foam residue moments after the pour. Flavor is a strange medley of soy, coffee, umami, oats, alcohol. Palate is thick bodied, pungent taste to nose effect. Overall, this is a big shouldered, big daddy. Clear your schedule for the rest of the night, because this one takes time to polish off.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 05:01:21 | More by brian60625