Oatmeal Stout - Gray's Brewing Company

GoldHorde

Minnesota

2.43/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Label promised "Big, Black, Bold". It definitely was BLACK although I've had blacker. Head was deep and tan - as expected. Sniff was a bit funky, which is not entirely off-style (though expected more in Belgian Ale), but it was enough to cause me to re-check the bottling date. The mouthfeel was towards a porter than a stout - one expects creaminess in a black stout - don't they? The first mouthful made me wonder what all the "black" was - because the taste was lighter than a porter. I was expecting a stout "punch". If it had been categorized as a Porter I would have been less surprised. This is my first taste of a Grays Brewing Company beer so I'll have to test out their IPA or hopefully they make a 2xIPA which are my favored styles. I drink and love heavy black stouts and deep oak bourbon porters with a cigar - this beer would be quickly overshadowed by a cigar.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 05:28:00 | More by GoldHorde

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Gotta love those muttonchops... Anyway, this stuff pours a deep sienna topped by a finger of khaki foam. The nose comprises light roasted malts, toasted funky wheat, and a dusting of mild cocoa powder. The taste doesn't wanna make any waves, so it just copies the smell, despite how boring that makes it come across. There's definitely a blackened pretzel character abiding here. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel that borders on nigh-watery. Overall, a meek little oatmeal stout, one that's not offensive in any way but also doesn't seem to wanna try to be very good.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 01:42:48 | More by TMoney2591

deaconoflove

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured it cold from the fridge and still got a huge head that filled most of the glass. Beer is black, smooth fine frothy head that lingers a long time. Aroma is roasted coffee and baker's chocolate. Taste is great blend of coffee and chocolate and hops all together. A lingering chocolate finish...like chocolate oatmeal with a faint rasberry candy. Nicely balanced and blended and clean. Not too sweet at all.
Smooth and just thick enough. Easy to drink, but also easy to sip and savor.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 12:10:52 | More by deaconoflove

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Given to me by a friend in a create your own 6 pack. Poured from 12 oz bottle into Lakefront Brewery pint glass.

Appearance- Motor oil black with 2.5 fingers of khaki head that dissipates into a silk lining with nice retention.

Smell- Strong chocolate and coffee with a little bittersweet hop smell.

Taste- Semi sweet chocolate with a very well balanced sour hop note. Such a great flavor. I would tell you this was an Imperial Stout
If I didn't know any better.

Mouthfeel- Silky smooth like chocolate milk.

Overall- Was shocked with the quality of this beer. I am from Wisconsin where this is brewed and never had even heard of the brewery. I expected a water down artificially flavored mess but was pleasantly surprised. I would put it right up there as one of my favorite oatmeal stouts just slightly behind Sam Smith oatmeal stout. Mouthfeel is number one on all normal stout that I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 03:30:16 | More by BrownAleMale

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Oatmeal Stout
Gray's Brewing Company
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 5.21 %

LOOK: Pours a clear dark brown, with an off white head, decent retention, and some lacing.

SMELL: Faint aroma of roasted malts, cocoa, dark bread, grains, pretty straight forward, on par for the style.

TASTE: Coffee and milk chocolate upfront with a bit of sweet grain notes from the oatmeal. Roasted, nutty, chocolatey, malty flavor that serves its purpose well here. Generally agreeable and approachable flavor profile.

FEEL: Medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated, but a bit thin and watery. Still, easy to drink for sure.

OVERALL: Not a bad offering from Gray's Brewing out of Wisconsin. This is an average stout that tastes pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 17:30:36 | More by Stinkypuss

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Well it's not big (5.2%?) but it does look pretty black (not very since the pour was a deep amber) Head is minimal just the slightest bit off opaque colored that clears to a slight lace ring.

S - Smells pretty good. Lactic sugar sweetness, mild roasts, and a bit of skunk?

T - Damn where is my bold stout? Barley any chocolate with only a bit of roast and even lactic sweetness is minimal giving very little creamy body. Eh...

M - Light to medium, not bad but not anything I expected.

Overall I am a sucker for oatmeal stouts and this one is only slightly above Guinness class.
Way better examples of the style out there guys!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 23:42:35 | More by DrDemento456

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.2/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appears a dark pitch black color with light frothing tan head forming thick. Head was speckled thin after each sip, aroma has smoked dark chocolate notes with hints of soft oatmeal. Flavor has a creamy base malt layer, with hints of watered down dark chocolate and coffee flavors. No bad tasting beers here this is a nice dark stout, maybe a bit watered down but excellent stuff. Mouthfeel like I said a bit thin but some decen flavor to make up for it. Overall I'm not planning to pick up another bottle or six pack anytime soon, this stuff is pseudocraft beer compared to some other beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 22:57:02 | More by WVbeergeek

peabody

Kentucky

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours out a really dark black slightly opaque. Not much head but some lacing.
Smell is coffee and oatmeal bread.
Taste is kind of sour. Not much going on here. Watery mix of raisin and oatmeal with some coffee overtones.
Mouthfeel is pretty clean and it shouldn't be.
Overall this one lacks some sugar. Too watery for my palate.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 19:21:39 | More by peabody

doucmehu

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from sampler pack bottle into oversize wine glass to start out Super Bowl 46.

A: Chalky mahogany brown, seems a little watery for an Oatmeal Stout.

S: Smells mostly of sweet chocolate and phenol alcohol, not bad. Seems promising.

T: Tastes of bitter chocolate, slightly tart and dry finish, a hint a earthy hops. Decent, but nothing to write home about.

M: Watery and thin, way off for the style. I expect silky smooth, but this misses completely, and the carbonation is too bubbly.

O: Average stout, too watery but drinkable. Lacking in the silky smooth department.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 04:21:59 | More by doucmehu

c1377

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

EYE
inky
NOSE
roasted and toasted, chocolate toffee malt and oats with a hint of raisins
BUBBLE
frothy
MOUTH
more silky than creamy, and not at all chewy
TASTE
roasted coffee malt, oats, and dry raisins

This is the thinnest stout I have ever had. It is more of a black lager with oatmeal than it is a stout. The flavour is straight forward and simple, without a lot of depth.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 05:59:47 | More by c1377

samie85

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-Pours an inky black with a two finger light tan head.

S-Smells of rich chocolate, some roasted malt, a bit of oats and some dark fruit.

T-Roasted malt reminiscent of fresh brewed coffee and mocha with a light, roasted bitterness.

M-Light bodied with moderate carbonation and a prickly feel.

D-This is a pretty easy drinking beer with some complexity, however the feel isn't doing it for me; I like my oatmeal stouts with a little more body.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 04:32:56 | More by samie85

Lauthaha

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(reviewed from a tape recorder on September 2nd, 2010)

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown with a touch of ruby color; mostly opaque. Thick, tan head typical of a stout beer.

Smell: Oatmeal, roasted malts with a gentle caramel flavor.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Sweet with just a small amount of hops. Oatmeal and roasted/toasted malt. Robust flavor which fits the category. Beer is fairly heavy, but pleasant. Very pillowy texture but not a whole lot of carbonation. Leaves just a little to be desired especially in the hops department.

Overall: Decent drinkability. It's a good beer, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 03:58:24 | More by Lauthaha

JamnesCameron

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a DFH pint glass. Pours a deep dark ruby, with a light tan head that does not last.

Aromas of roasted malt, dark coffee, dark cocoa, oats. A touch of anise.

Flavors of silky mocah java, milk chocolate, dark roast coffee, splash of cream.

Mouthfeel is medium, creamy and silky.

Overall a very nice oatmeal stout. Big chewy, dessert in a glass.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 04:31:03 | More by JamnesCameron

womencantsail

California

1.93/5  rDev -47.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

A: The pour is a very dark brown, almost black, with a small tan head.

S: Smells...bad. Like prunes and roast. Slight acidity to the nose with some acrid roast and coffee notes. There is some good sweetness of toffee and caramel, however.

T: What a terrible flavor. Watery and vegetal with an astringency to it and a weak coffee flavor in the background. Not any chocolate to speak of, almost no sweetness is present either.

M: Thin and watery on the tongue with a moderate level of carbonation.

O: Watery and awful in flavor, not a good combination.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 06:33:27 | More by womencantsail

dhannes

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured cold into a standard pint glass, and allowed to warm up to around 50º.

A=Rich dark brown, with light cream colored head of 1/2" for 90 seconds or so.

S=Excellent nose...coffee, semi-sweet chocolate, with hints of cola.

T=Better than other oatmeal stouts--sweet but a tad bitter, mocha with hints of bourbon.

M=Light with little carbonation.

O=The slight excess of bitterness was just enough to keep me from giving this a 5.0 but one I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 01:28:25 | More by dhannes

BiomedHawk

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Foggy brown black. Slight tan head that wittled down to a single layer of bubbles.

S - Chocolate, oatmeal, kind of light on scent.

T - Chocolate, roasted malts, toasted or burnt bread.

M - Bold flavors, lots of carbonation.

D - I like the beer, but probably my least favorite of the stout sampler I got.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 18:33:50 | More by BiomedHawk

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Dark brown-black, translucent, with ruby highlights. Thin tan head.

Smell: Rolled roasted oats a roasted coffee.

Taste: Strong roasted almost burnt oat bread flavor, earthy bitter hop and bitter coffee flavor work decently together.

Mouthfeel: Thin and a bit watery.

Drinkability: It's drinkable, but weak overall. I'd drink as many as were given to me, but would not seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 18:35:41 | More by JackieTH

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is non-opaque black; when I held it to my lamp, the pint became an attractive, deep ruby. Perhaps I poured it too well (maybe), but there was almost no head; only a half finger of tanned foam developed and then dissipated quickly to leave a ring around the edge and a couple wisps of lacing in the middle.

Smell: It has a nice, roasted aroma, and it is giving me flashbacks of Stockyard Stout, though faintly. The smell is dominated by roasted chocolate/cocoa malts, but there is a nice roasted coffee bitterness to make it well balanced. There is a slight hint of oats and maybe some oatmeal, but nothing substantial; perhaps I am imaging that.

Taste: Yummy. Burnt, not roasted, coffee bitterness dominates the flavor, and it is tamed by roasted chocolate/cocoa malts. However, an element of singed edges remains. Deep down, as the pint warms, flavors of cherry and plum emerge, and oats provide a nice bready/cereal quality.

Drinkability: Good stuff. The carbonation is a little weak, but other than that it is a pretty decent beer. Not excellent, but decent.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 07:58:50 | More by TheQuietMan22

kochea7

Wisconsin

2.75/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at the UW Memorial Union Rathskeller.

A-It was a very dark, nearly black color. The head was tan, but went away rather rapidly.
S-Earthy and roasted nose.
T-Roasted almost burnt, little to no sweetness.
M-Very thin and watery, not as thick as the usual OS.
D-It was quite drinkable for a stout.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 21:00:52 | More by kochea7

deadbody

Minnesota

2.2/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a Surly pint glass. Small head, recedes quickly leaving minimal lacing. Slight scent of a stout, but very minor, poor taste, none of the big flavors I would expect. No coffee, no chocolate, just nothing. Thin mouthfeel, very watery. Would not seek out to drink again. Between this and the Porter, I am not impressed with Gray's.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 12:51:06 | More by deadbody

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to benji for sharing this six pack. Poured from a 12ounce bottle into a 5 ounce sampling mug.

A- Pours a nice dark brown thats almost black, had a small layer of head that quickly faded to a ring that left hardly any lacing.

S- Very roasted and burnt with some chocolate and coffee, a little sweetness shows up from the oatmoeal.

T- Roasted malts up front with a little chocolaty sweetness, some bitterness peaks through that wasnt there in the aroma.

M- Not too heavy, not too light, just right for the style, a little too dry for my taste.

D- For the style the drinkability is pretty high, i had no problem drinking 3 of these, as did my friend.

Overall, i wasnt blown away by this beer, but was surprised on easy this brew went down. I would pick this up again for those days where i just want the stout taste without being heavy. good choice to ease people into the style. thanks benji, next one is on me.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 03:24:35 | More by StoutHunter

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.74/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Good lookin beer, dark brown, bordering on black. Little bubbles. Beige head. Good oily aroma, viscous.

Taste, a solid smooth OS. Standard choco coffee flavor rounded off by the oats, lacks bitterness, this is what an OS is supposed to do. Hardly original, but why fix something that ain't broke? Thins out down the bottle, minimal hop presence.

Great price.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 21:16:02 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Tone

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a black color. 1/3 inch head of a pale tan color. Decent retention and slight lacing. Smells of roasted malt, sweet malt, slight pale malt, slight vanilla, and a hint of hope. Fits the style of an Oatmeal Stout. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of roasted malt, sweet malt, slight metallic, yeast, and a hint of hops. Overall, the metallic flavor fades quickly; good body and aroma, but the blend is not quite right.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 21:04:19 | More by Tone

maximum12

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to a friend who brought this back from a trip that took them near Janesville. People are always bringing us beer, stop that, haven't you seen my cellar!

Respectably dressed in black for an oatmeal stout as it slinks into my Terrapin snifter. Smells is nice, the oatmeal & the sweet malts really do a good tango to stir up some sweat.

This oatmeal stout is burnt to a crisp, then flipped over & burnt again. Crisped, singed malts dominate, the dominate again. It's not bad, but it's hard to get past that taste to anything else. Anyone who doesn't like their meat well done isn't going to dig this. Oddly for such aggressive flamethrowing, the mouthfeel is silky smooth, smoothee smooth, just a velvet-wrapped finger stroking the palate.

Pretty good beer. It suffers from one-note-itis, that being coffee left on the maker for too long. Still. The mouthfeel rescues it some & makes for a clashing beer that's crying out for help.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2010 02:41:37 | More by maximum12

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Deep, dark black/brown with the slightest of chestnut highlights. A medium tan head looks impressive at first but is fades away to a meager ring with no lacing to speak of.

S-Dr, Pepper like with notes of light chocolate, coffee, dark cherry and roasted malt. Nice, but all quite light.

T-Surprising amount of bitter, earthy, roasted malt up front with a nice dose of backing dark chocolate and mild sour cherry twang.

M-Medium bodied, smooth and semi-rich but just a tad on the thin side. I wouldn't mind a touch more beefiness. Nice lingering earthy bitterness and a mildly dry finish.

D-An all around nice, easy drinking, every day, have on hand when you want a stout kinda beer. Nothing outrageous here but the flavours work and offers up enough to make it interesting all the way through.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2009 23:28:25 | More by Deuane