Dominion Oak Barrel Stout - Old Dominion Brewing Company

Nugganooch

California

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice little hookup from mdfb79 - Cheers for the trade!
Bottle dated 02/08/11 and poured into a Goblet.
Tasted on 05/09/11.

A: Pours a deep lustrous black pearl color that lightens to a reddish-brown when thinned and lightstruck. Small peanut butter tan colored cap fizzled out rather quickly. Cascading lace.

S: Smells of earthy oak woods and strong vanilla that give off a bourbon like aroma as they intertwine. Roasty malts akin to burnt sugars and slight alcohol present.

T: Lots of oak and vanilla that mimic a smooth bourbon if you will. Nice earthy woods bitterness. Burnt roasty malts. And a sort of tart berry finish that dries it out a bit. Not offensively sour but noticeable. Not sure if that is intentional? Slightly warming.

M: Creamy smooth texture that gets a little astringent on the swallow.

D: A nice slow sipper that comes off incredibly light in body actually. Great by the fire type of beer. Improves as it sits too.
Heavy oak and vanilla going on if bourbon is not your thing you may want to avoid.

A pretty nice stout overall but a little heavy on the Vanilla which masks the rich malts utilized here. Nice bitterness though. I brewed a Vanilla Bourbon Porter using a tincture in the dry hop that tasted quite similar.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 21:26:31 | More by Nugganooch

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.69/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The brew pours a deep brown color, nearly pitch black with a billowy one finger cream colored head. The head fades moderately quickly to end up leaving a medium level of lace

Smell- The aroma is biggest of dark roasted malt that is augmented by some aromas of vanilla. Some light chocolate smells as well as a presence of oak mingle along with these with some very light sweet aromas of caramel and a little bit of oak as well.

Taste – The taste begins with flavors of roasted malt and some sweet caramel and vanilla flavors. The sweetness remains throughout the taste with some flavors of chocolate coming more toward the middle. At this same time the oak flavors come to the tongue, becoming more potent as the flavor advances to the end. A little bit of bitter coffee comes to the flavor more toward the end, cutting the sweetness slightly and ending to leave a sweet dark and oaky flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the slightly lighter side for a stout of 6.1 % abv with a carbonation level that is rather average. A thicker body and slightly lesser carbonation may have suited the flavors a bit better, by making for a creamier taste overall.

Overall- A pretty nice drinking stout. Good roasted malt flavors with a nice sweet chocolate and vanilla and some oakiness.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 02:05:22 | More by Darkmagus82

kojevergas

California

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up earlier tonight at illicit retail in Los Angeles. 6% ABV according to my bottle's label. I dig the simple yet classy label art. "Oak aged stout fermented with vanilla beans." Just what I'm in the mood for. Per the description, they used oak chips - not an oak barrel. Bottled 01/03/13. 355 ml brown glass bottle with branded standard silver pressure cap served into a Mitchells of Lancaster flared stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high; it sounds very tasty and the ratings are sky-high currently. I also feel like it's been around long enough that it's hype resistant. I'd never heard of the brewery until I saw this bottle today.

Served chilled, and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured initially with standard vigor, but as I poured it became evident no head was pouring so I increased vigor substantially.

A: Pours a half finger khaki colour head. Slight cream. Decent thickness. Okay (~1-2 minute) retention. Body colour is a solid black; not a dark or a jet black. Opaque (both nontransparent and nontranslucent). No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Not an impressive appearance for the style, but par for the course.

Sm: Lovely oak - with evocative toasted character. Good vanilla character too - from the vanilla beans not the oak. Dark malt. Maybe some chocolate malt. I'd like more of the oak and less of the vanilla. There's not a lot of subtlety to the aroma, but it comes off balanced even if it is simple. Mild in strength and quite appealing for what it is - an oak/vanilla stout with no bells and whistles.

T/Mf: Nice toasty oak character greets you right on the climax and stays throughout. Too sticky and sugary. It's got a nice rounded vanilla character, but like many vanilla stouts it does border on overly sweet. I'm glad the bottle size is only 12 fl oz; I hate downing a bomber of a vanilla stout - the sweetness is always too much. Simple for an oak barrel stout. Dark malts and chocolate malts comprise the foundation. I don't get much caramel. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. Well balanced. I quite fancy it. Not the most subtle, and far from the most complex, but it's nice to have an approachable no-frills oaky stout from time to time. Smooth and wet. Pretty good carbonation. Good thickness. Good body. Nice presence on the palate.

Dr: Very drinkable; it's a lovely little oaky stout. I'd definitely get this again; do they sell it by the sixer in Delware? I'd buy one regularly. A lovely beer for the style and one nobody seems to be talking about. I'd recommend it to friends. I could probably happily down four of these in the same night; it's quite good.

B

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 01:16:45 | More by kojevergas

rangerred

Tennessee

3.45/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours pitch black with a thick billowy two finger tan head. Outstanding head retention and lacing.

Aroma of vanilla and dark roasted malt. Some hints of cocoa and just a very, very faint touch of peat. I don't get any oak at all. A little bit underwhelming.

This same disappointment carries over into the taste. Vanilla and a touch of coffee up front along with a little caramel and peat. No real oak at all in the taste either which is disappointing considering the name of the beer. Very full mouthfeel and a sticky finish.

Overall, I was expecting quite a bit more out of this. It taste very much like a run of the mill American stout. Really no oak or smoke whatsoever.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 01:47:13 | More by rangerred

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-20-2013 17:45:15 | More by touchmeimsac

SpAiReArGsEonNE

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-20-2013 02:25:02 | More by SpAiReArGsEonNE

KSfrost

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-19-2013 21:47:35 | More by KSfrost

jakeox

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-18-2013 23:42:13 | More by jakeox

fearfactory

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-18-2013 22:40:55 | More by fearfactory

mattsucks

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

05-18-2013 14:22:44 | More by mattsucks

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-15-2013 16:52:23 | More by twenty5

The_Revisionist

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-13-2013 09:49:55 | More by The_Revisionist

atone315

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-12-2013 00:10:45 | More by atone315

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-11-2013 20:29:18 | More by mportnoy

pandow

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-11-2013 02:32:23 | More by pandow

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-09-2013 19:43:05 | More by Bill235

AnotherImperial

Arizona

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-08-2013 22:03:03 | More by AnotherImperial

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

3.79/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass, colour is a rich dark brown/black. Initially a nice frothy tan head, recedes leaving some minor whispy lacing. 3.5

S- lots of sweet smoky vanilla notes. Roasty caramel maltiness, floral vanilla notes, milk chocolate with sweet caramel undertones. Some oaky smokiness in the back. No detectable bitterness, very sweet and vanilla forward. 4.24

T- very sweet, chocolate, dry silky vanilla pod, dry maltiness. Some zesty citrus, with cherry and lemon, lots of vanilla and some chocolate. Decent complexity and full flavour with some interesting background flavours. Finishes dry and full, chocolate malt and dry oak. 3.75

M- slight carbonation, rather light, with a malty profile. More of a session stout. Some slight bitterness on the tongue and finish, overly vanilla feel. 3.75.

So my take on this is that the vanilla and sweetness has somewhat run away with the show. It is a pretty tasty vanilla stout, but that seems to dominate and obscure further complexity. Some interesting stuff going on behind that, but I feel the potential is left somewhat unfulfilled, an interesting experience nonetheless. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 20:08:01 | More by mick303

alex_hart

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-05-2013 05:40:12 | More by alex_hart

MLKincer

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -17.7%

05-05-2013 01:57:46 | More by MLKincer

csurowiec

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

04-29-2013 20:13:48 | More by csurowiec

TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

04-29-2013 03:53:23 | More by TonyTalon

rmorris17

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

04-25-2013 00:23:53 | More by rmorris17

amstokesdb9

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.3%

04-22-2013 03:22:33 | More by amstokesdb9

Lukass

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

04-22-2013 02:27:24 | More by Lukass