Oat (Imperial Oatmeal Stout) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

maddogruss

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got of bottle of this from the Cloverleaf Tavern.

A: Pours a dark brown body with a small, dark tan head with pretty minimal retention adn very limited lacing.

S: Smelled of a bittersweet, chocolate, roasted note with some alcoholic undertones noted.

T: A pretty, nice, robust, roasted taste but the alcohol is not very well hidden as it also makes itself evident in the taste. The aftertaste is some more alcohol and roasted notes and a kind of hoppy, earthy bitterness also makes itself evident, which is most likely the oats.

M: A very smooth and a pretty thick mouthfeel. A nice mouthfeel for an Imperial Stout.

D: A decent drinkability for this style of beer, but recommended for the cooler months. You will feel the higher than normal ABV after a little bit, so it can be quite warming. However, if approached accordingly, you should be able to handle this one and be fine.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 20:47:43 | More by maddogruss

udubdawg

Kansas

3.28/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

22 oz bomber

pours very nearly black, not as viscous as I'd thought (hoped?). Head is thick and cocoa-colored, firm, and lasts quite well for the strength. Lacing is intermittent but the overall effect on the glass is quite nice. Great start.

...which continues in the nose. Quite roasty but it still takes a backseat to the chocolate. Coffee is well underneath those two along with heavily carmelized sugars. Intoxicating...

...speaking of which, I think there's a little alcohol in here. It is nicely hidden by the strength of the aroma though never invisible, but to be honest this beer is too damn hot. I have no problem with alcohol but this is detracting from my enjoyment of the beer. Plenty of espresso, chocolate, molasses, bitter roastiness to the point of being charred. I think some of the bitterness is hops, but a bunch is from the malt. Even a little fruit is noted before my palate, throat, and stomach start to feel really warm.

The body is really nice. It just isn't up to par with what I've come to expect with huge stouts, and oatmeal stouts. Smooth, but not silky enough. etc, etc. Call it unfair, whatever - the bar has raised, and this falls a bit short.

A little tough to finish. If this beer keeps its flavor and aroma profiles but the alcohol heat backs off with some age, it will be a real winner. Guess I'll wait a bit to crack another.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 23:18:37 | More by udubdawg

midaszero

Washington

3.28/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to seaoflament for the bottle

ABV was labeled as 11%

A - Opaque black with two fingers of dark tan head and some pretty good lacing

S - Boozy up front for sure. Roasted malt, chocolate and some

T - Chocolate with some weird sugar sweetness

M - Thick body with medium carbonation. Almost like syrup

D - Pretty easy to drink and enjoyable for the high ABV. But I not what I would expect out of an imperial oatmeal stout

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2009 23:15:17 | More by midaszero

KeefD

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark brown pour, but becomes black in the tulip glass, absolutely no head or lacing. Yeah,it's dark, but there's not much else going for it. Aroma of alcohol, charred barley, light smokiness, and coffee, but it's so light, it might as well not be there. Flavor is smokey, hints of dark chocolate, coffee, burnt caramel, nice bitterness, astringent flavors, and alcohol. Big alcohol warming on the tongue and in the throat. This brew is medium bodied and just can't hold up the the high ABV. I'm somewhat disappointed in this beer. Alcohol is out of control. I was expecting a lot more, especially coming out of this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 04:44:05 | More by KeefD

nick76

Florida

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The aroma is very strong with coffee, oats, molasses, chocolate, and hops. The appearance is almost black with a large head. The taste is like the aroma with a burnt coffee oat finish. The palate is smooth. Overall this is an interesting beer but not that great.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 02:52:51 | More by nick76

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -19%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Bottle says it was brewed in Fall '08. Sweet, its got some age on it...

A- Pours black with a half finger brown colored head that quickly dissipates. No lacing. Very disappointing.

S- Very strong smelling...hints of chocolate and coffee, but mostly roasted malts and alcohol. Getting some dark fruits as well. Interesting aromas for what is being called an oatmeal stout.

T- I nearly choked on the oatmeal after a sip of this. Dear GOD is it strong, and the alcohol isn't helping matters in the slightest. It tastes like a much more alcoholic version of a standard oatmeal stout...very strong. Not really picking up much stout characteristics.

M- really heavy and thick...almost syrupy in quality. Hard to stomach, actually

D- I was not a fan of this. Way too much of an alcohol flavor, and not enough of the good qualities you get from stouts. I'm aware its a double and not a RIS..but still. Very disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 23:53:08 | More by bigfnjoe

Grafter

Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this into a tulip from a 22 oz bottle. The appearance is a very black very thin tan head. The aromas are strong chocolate, cherry and alcohol. Taste wise I am not super impressed this is a creamy chocolate back, but the alcohol seems to dominate the flavor for me. This is a sipper I split the 22oz bottle 4 ways and definitely had plenty. I think that a little more time in the bottle might take away a little of the alcohol flavor and mature out th chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2008 05:04:04 | More by Grafter

LittleDon

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A 10 oz. pour in a tulip at the Blue Monk, Buffalo, NY 5/26/11.

Dark, opaque, with a tan well retained head and no lace. Aroma of latte and chocolate. Flavor has elements of dried fruit, with lots of molasses sweetness in the middle and finish. A hint of alcohol comes out middle to end. Carbonation is a on the medium high side. Medium body.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2011 08:23:10 | More by LittleDon

maximum12

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Hmmm. Picked this up recently, & the back of the bottle reads "brewed fall 2008". So either they brewed it & aged it, or this bottle has been kicking around my favorite shop's coolers & shelves for a long time. Well, too late to turn back now!

Black as a moonless night reflecting off of newly plowed northern plains dirt. Smell is appealing, dry, powderized chocolate & rich, sweet malts.

Can I make a marketing suggestion, quickly? The horse on the label, & the "oats" I then see in my mind, might not be what you're looking for in a reaction from beer-drinkers. Anyways, Oat is smooth, as one might expect from a doubled-up oatmeal recipe. Bitter, light chocolate comes quickly to the fore, tailed by the balancing sweetness of the malts. Hops, even after all this time, are still enough of a force to make themselves known on the downhill slope. And this ain't no sipper, this is a dark beer meant to be chugged through a tailpipe. The smoothness sees to it.

Pretty good beer, & mostly recommended for the insane clown posse of its smoooth moves. And get rid of that damn horse!

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 03:01:44 | More by maximum12

MaxSpang

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

APPEARANCE

Very little head to be found on this beer. It poured a slightly brownish DARK black, almost jet black.

AROMA

Tons of bittersweet chocolate with a little bit of the alcohol in the nose. It smelled somewhat grainy. There was a good amount of raisin and dark fruits in the nose, as well as some licorice.

MOUTHFEEL

Very thick, but very smooth! It was a velvety, almost silky type of mouthfeel that coats your mouth. No carbonation was to be found in this beer.

TASTE

A lot of alcohol in the taste, as well as a good amount of licorice, coffee, and a lot of maltiness. There was just a hint of the raisin flavor, but it was not nearly as pronounced as it was in the nose.

Overall, a good oatmeal stout from one of my favorite series of beers from Southern Tier.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 20:30:49 | More by MaxSpang

kylehayworth

Indiana

3.4/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Just got this in a few days ago...had to try it.

A: More of a robust brown with tinges of black. The head was light mocha in color as it slowly faded.

S: Nice sweetness, vanilla, roasted notes, as well oats. The back end has a slight hint of boozy'ness to it.

T: The flavor is sweet with chocolate, and roasted malts. The finish is a little spicy/boozy. As it warms up, it takes on some darker fruits, and had somewhat of a medicinal quality to it.

M/D: The mouthfeel is nice and smooth, mild carbination, works well. I liked the beer at first, but once I was sipping it, it just had a medicinal/tingling aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 14:18:47 | More by kylehayworth

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.4/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle. Pours an almost black color with no head whatsoever. No lacing. Not much of a smell to this one. Aroma is a earthy with some malts, grain, and chocolate aromas. Taste is boozey with some chocolate, cherries and grain flavors. Earthy. Does have some of that typical Southern Tier sweetness to it. Certainly can taste the abv. Virtually no carbonation. I have to say that this is not one of the best Blackwater Series beers. Overall, its decent but Southern Tier makes some better Imperial Stouts than this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 03:53:34 | More by PicoPapa

n2185

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours black with a finger of khaki head that fades to a thin ring with no lacing.

S: Roasted malts with lots of sweet chocolate aromas along with hints of cream and vanilla.

T: Roasted malts here as well with creamy vanilla and chocolate. The finish has some char and bitter notes with a slight alcohol presence.

M: Thick body with lowish carbonation, this beer is sticky sweet rather than being creamy.

O: A decent stout overall, though like most Southern Tier beers, is too sweet and comes in too large of a serving that is difficult to finish alone. It's also fairly simple and lacking in complexity.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 04:30:52 | More by n2185

largadeer

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Black with ruby highlights, slight opacity. The head falls after a few minutes, residing to a small ring.

Smell: Roasted malt, milk chocolate, subtle alcohol. Not a ton of depth here, but it's a nice bold aroma.

Taste/mouthfeel: Chocolate, cream, molasses; definitely on the sweet side, though burnt bitterness is ample as well. Rich, creamy and full-bodied - they must have used a ton of oats in this stuff. Carbonation is low, further contributing to the silky texture. The finish does little to hide the high alcohol, leaving a boozy astringency on the back of the throat.

Notes: Nice stuff, but perhaps a bit too strong for its own good - the noticeable alcohol adds a harsh edge to a style that I prefer to be smooth and mellow.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2008 04:55:07 | More by largadeer

gfreed

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had this in Baltimore at the Baltimore Taphouse in Canton. Pint glass; very dark color and short tan head. The aroma was quite sweet with alcohol, with notes of chocolate and some coffee. Unfortunately, I found that the alcohol overshadowed most of the taste. There was some toastiness, some smokiness, a bit of dark fruit like prunes and dried apricots, some tobacco; there was a nice bitter punch at the back end, but mostly it was booze. Body was a bit watery, too. Worth a try, but not a great sample.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2008 23:26:14 | More by gfreed

TCgoalie

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Forgot about this review in my beer book. These notes are from 11/10/10.

Pours black with a 2 finger mocha head. Great spider web lacing.

Some strange smells in this one; tar, ashtray, coffee, and chocolate.

This is a taste full. Caramel, burnt peanuts, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, plum, and biscuit in the taste. Quite interesting and not what I expected. There is a subtle hop bite in the end. The flavors don't quite work for me.

There is a chewy, full mouthfeel in this but it is a bit too syrupy.

This is not very drinkable but it is fairly interesting and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 04:45:51 | More by TCgoalie

mdfb79

New York

3.45/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into a pint glass. From 2009 and my bottle says 11.0% ABV.

a - Pours a dark brown with moderate carbonation evident and about an inch and a half of tan head.

s - Smells of chocolate, roasted malts, caramel, and oatmeal. More chocolate than oatmeal to me, and I didn't smell any alcohol as some have.

t - Some oatmeal and nice malts. Also some dark fruits? Definitely getting some alcohol in the taste.

m - Full body and low carbonation. Some alcohol warmth.

d - Pretty good smell but I thought the alcohol was a bit too much in the taste. I felt as though it dominated some of the other flavors, and it definitely felt the 11% ABV it says it is. Would like to try again perhaps after some cellaring.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 00:06:25 | More by mdfb79

mulder1010

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz Bomber poured into a Great Divide Globe glass My bottle is listing at 11% ABV

A-- Poured a dark cola color, settling to black with tints of red in the glass. Short lived mocha colored head grew in the final bit of the pour. Was maybe half a finger in height and settled to light brown film. Some head retention but also very short lived.

S-- More like a carmel/ chocolate milk. Also reminds me of oatmeal with brown sugar and milk. A touch of booze in the nose.

T-- Thick sweet and rich molasses, chocolate, and a bit of a spice kick to this. As it warms up get some dark fruits in this. Feel like I am drinking over brown sugared oatmeal with a touch of brandy added to this.

M-- The spice from the hops help this out. Otherwise would be very one dimensional. Sweet and more sweet. Get a big brandy like feel also. Low carbonation, thick, chewy, and heavy body.

D-- Very much a slow drinker and only one is needed. Good smell but very sweet and too many touches of booze in this. Really needs something to offset all the sweetness and the hops only distract me for short periods in this before the alcoholic brandy taste kicks in. Low drinkability due to the sweetness and the ABV being noticeable very quickly. Honestly I should have let this sit in the cellar for a while longer.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 16:31:56 | More by mulder1010

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

Pours nearly black with a light mocha head without too much retention. Nose brings forward some chocolate, light espresso, and roasted malt and oats. The taste is a bit harsh with some booze as well as a lot of roasted character. Feel is heavy and a bit boozy. As is often the case with this series, the beer shows promise but gets to be a bit much with more than a few ounces.

Serving type: on-tap

10-26-2010 10:53:46 | More by Thorpe429

DavidEddie

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle poured as if I were draining oil from one of my cars. Very black. Minimal tan head falls quickly to some moderate lacing. Aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, and a hint of black liquorish. Strong aggressive flavors of roasted malt, dark chocolate, burnt toast, brown sugar and booze. Some light pine mixed in there as well. Finishes sweet. High ABV is definitely noticeable, but not harsh. Mouth feel is thick and sticky. Low carbonation. Overall drinkability is fair. A bit too sweet and syrupy for me, but still found it very enjoyable. Worth a try. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2007 02:42:42 | More by DavidEddie

mattcrill

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Clean powdery cocoa notes. Low esters and low spicy hop aroma. Almost boring on the nose.

Appearance: Jet black pour with a thick creamy tan head. Minimal effervescence noted.

Flavor: Layers of rich coffee notes. Roasted malts, cocoa powder, background carmel sweetness to balance it all. A definite resiny hop bitterness to balance all the roasted and sweeter malt notes. Finish is clean and dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation, slightly oily and slick.

Overall impression: A big, roasty, American stout. Not one of my favorite ST beers but a good one to sample. Worth a try once.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2008 19:58:28 | More by mattcrill

bsp77

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from bomber into Snifter.

Appearance: Looks pitch black but some dark brown at the edges. Very thin tan head at first, then looks flat.

Smell: Alcohol, milk chocolate, molasses, sweet roasted malt. The smell is too boozy.

Taste: Chocolate roasted malts, cream, molasses and oats. Decent level of bitterness that builds with each sip. The alcohol becomes noticeable in the aftertaste.

Feel: Very thick and chewy, with a nice smooth and warming body. However, it is pretty much flat and slightly chalky.

Drinkability: Actually pretty easy to drink despite the 11%. However, it is a little simple for an Imperial Stout and definitely too boozy. Actually, every ST Imperial beer I have had is too boozy. I don't think it is worth paying for them anymore.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 14:28:45 | More by bsp77

generallee

New York

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Presentation: It was poured from tap into a small (10 or 12oz) nonic pint glass and served right at the brewery in there own bar The Empty Pint.

Appearance: The body has a very dark black color which I can't even see through. On top of this opaque body sits a small tan head which fades quickly leaving just a ring of lace. Glass lacing is minimal and very slick.

Smell: The aroma is over the top sweet and roasty. It's heavy on roasted barely, burnt caramel and dark toast. I also pick up light notes of toffee and hard butterscotch candy.

Taste/Palate: The flavor sweet sweet sweet!!! It has a full bodied hit of sticky sweet roasted malt that delivers notes of burnt caramel, burnt toast and burnt raisins. Molasses and chocolate also hit the sweet tooth and then everything hooks up with the boozy alcohol and rides slowly off into the finish. The palate is smooth creamy and sticky all at the same time and the carbonation offers little help in lifting this feeling.

Notes: For me this one was a bit hard to finish. It has a lot going on but it's all cloyingly sweet and there is little to no balance at all.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2011 00:17:25 | More by generallee

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured out substantially black in color, a little bit dark brown. Beige head, about 1/3" deep. Looks more like what I would expect from a coffee beer.

Aroma was fairly muted, the alcohol was noticeable. Oatmeal didn't cover up the roastiness of this one.

Roastiness and alcohol dominates the taste buds. I thought this was going to be a more smooth drinking experience, with the whole oat motif, but the problem here is the beer is just too big. A lot of bitterness as well. I don't think the notion of making something imperial and oat works. Dark chocolate, dark fruit underneath the booziness and bitterness. I love some Southern Tier, this one doesn't fall into that category.

There isn't much there, there. Flavors aren't the high point. Too non descript, not enough of what I want with oatmeal, a smooth chocolatey experience. Coating, but what makes up the coating is nothing special. The espresso notes should have shown up more in Jahva, not here.

Should be about half this strength.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 18:11:02 | More by Beerandraiderfan

tayner

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured black with a medium brown head which quickly dissipated to a thin layer.

smelled like alcohol up front with some aroma hops and raw malt flavors.

Tasted hot. The 11% was not well masked like some other high ABV selections. There was some roasted malt flavors with a citrus hop finish, but the alcohol dominated the flavor and feel all the way through for me.

Mouthfeel was okay, nothing special though, but wasnt too thin.

As for drinkability, for me it was just too hot from the alcohol to really enjoy. It is a sipper beer that warmed all the way down. I think maybe a year in the cellar would mellow this out some and allow the flavor of the beer to dominate the alcohol.. or so i hope. I was slightly disspointed in this one after all of the very high reviews but i want the flavor to dominate, not the alcohol burn when i drink beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2008 20:51:27 | More by tayner