That's What I'm Talkin' 'Bout Rolled Oat Stout - Pearl Street Brewery

KeefD

Minnesota

1.55/5  rDev -43.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I am reviewing the Rolled Oat Stout, but the bottle says nothing about it being organic. It's says "That's What I'm Talkin 'Bout Rolled Oat Stout." Different beer? Pours a thick dark brown color with a small chocolate milk colored head upon a hard pour, but fell quickly leaving no lacing. There almost no aroma in this beer. It smells plastic-like, slightly metallic. Nothing in the way of roasted malt or anything remotely stout like. Worst aroma of a beer I've come across. Taste is very light coffee, metallic again, slightly astringent, just overall not good. No sweetness to be found for a sweet stout. This is watered down beyond belief, which is surprising considering how thick it looked upon the pour. Mouthfeel is light and watery. No redeeming qualities in this beer. I'm having trouble finishing it. This might be a darinpour in the next few seconds.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 04:00:10 | More by KeefD

Blakaeris

Iowa

1.63/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Pours very dark, velvety brown with a creamy tan head.

Aroma is charred dark grain with a residual oatmeal sweetness.

Taste is extremely muddy and off putting. There is an initial smokey charred dark grain bitterness. However, it immediately turns into a flat cola-like flavor. Shockingly bad; especially when compared to the nose.

Mouthfeel is light and thin.

What the hell? looks good. Smells good. Tastes unbelievably terrible. I can't believe it.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 23:54:10 | More by Blakaeris

BasementBer

Manitoba (Canada)

1.85/5  rDev -32.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

This stout leaves almost everything to be desired.

Really awful is almost everyway.
The pour and the aroma was standard, allowing you to expect something from the flavor and moutfeel.
Nice frothy head with a nut brown color.
Where this beer goes astray is in the tartness that comes through from beginning to end.
Almost wondering if they soured their oats before mashing in.

Sorry Pearl Street.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 17:29:23 | More by BasementBer

bashiba

Iowa

1.98/5  rDev -28%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured a dark brown with some light mahogany highlights. Very thin light head.

The smell is nice with a sweet cereal quality blending in with some nice black and smoked notes.

The flavor is very substandard, flat with a one dimensional light black smoked flavor, lacking all of the promise that the nose held.

The mouthfeel is very thin and watery for a stout, way to thin for a stout.

Poor poor stout, after Pearl Street Beers I hope to never suffer through another, they need to go back to the drawing board.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 23:45:38 | More by bashiba

jera1350

Minnesota

2/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

On-tap at Del's Bar.

Served to the very top of a pint glass with zero head. Solid black, but thin looking.

Smells roasty with some coffee malt notes.

The taste is so watered down. The main flavor component is of musty old grains. Really hard to drink this.

This has to be the furthest thing from an oatmeal stout. So watery and thin, I think they forgot to put the oats in.

I dare call this a beer that falls into either the oatmeal or stout categories. I had about three sips and set the rest down. I recommend staying away from this beer unless you try it at the brewery. The other beers at the brewery seem to be good, so maybe it's the bar to blame?

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2012 01:14:24 | More by jera1350

brewbucker

Wisconsin

2.1/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This one pours black with a faint wispy head that fades to nothing. A pretty lifeless looking pour. Aroma is bitter cocoa, light coffee and nutty. The first sip was quite a sour and funky malt flavor. Day old coffee. I did detect some faint hops as well. Overall it is not very good.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 04:57:46 | More by brewbucker

roadhouse

Florida

2.1/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12 oz. bottle into a pint glass

Pours black in color with a bit of red highlighting along the edges of the glass. A one inch tan head forms on top which leaves

Aroma is full of diacetyl, it basically smells like butterscotch candy. I don't get anything else but that.

Taste is basically like a mocha iced coffee in which all the ice has melted. Very watered down taste and that butter taste, while not as bad as the aroma, does not help things.

Mouthfeel is thin and watery, though it does have a decent smoothness to it, but it just doesn't save it.

Really quite an offensive beer, I would not drink it again. The only way I can get it down is to hold my breath while I drink. That butter is my most hated characteristic in beers and there is way too much of it here. I will probably just chug it down so I don't have to drain pour it. Avoid this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2009 03:10:35 | More by roadhouse

Soneast

Wisconsin

2.17/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a black to dark brown color, growing a 1/4" watery, brown colored head that disappears quickly.

Aroma has some malt characteristics, slightly chocolatey and a touch of roastiness. Strangely enough, I pick up something that really reminds me of a freshly opened jar of green olives. Bleh.

The flavor has some typical oatmeal stout flavors, slightly chocolatey and roasty, but there is an acrid sort of pickled vegetable flavor that pretty much ruins everything.

Wow, this was almost drain pour for me. I did manage to choke it down, but the whole Olivey character is pretty nasty. I can honestly say I've never had a beer that smells and tastes like olives. Nor do I ever want to experience that again. >.<

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 21:20:12 | More by Soneast

garymuchow

Minnesota

2.33/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

I'm always in conflict about reviewing old or flawed beers. Of course I didn't know it when I bought it and there is no way to identify the age on this one without markings on the bottle.
Too bad as the initial presentation is respectable. Dark roast with strong coffee overtones. Just a hint of oxidation, but not enough to distract.
Smallish head is really only mark on this. Black as night. Tan thin head, but persistent.
Flavor just doesn't have it and I'm not sure it ever did. Some staleness, but the good flavors are lacking. It doesn't resemble the aroma in any form. Too bad. There is an annoying sourness/tartness that just doesn't fly here.
Body is very thin too and lacks the softness expected for style.
Really hard to finish this glass.
I'm going with this review since others have not found this beer up to snuff either.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 23:04:53 | More by garymuchow

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.35/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This poured out with a deep black color with a brown fizzy head on top. No retention or lacing at all here. The smell of the beer is roasted, maybe a little bit of a smokiness in there too. The taste of the beer is roasted also but really not good right out of the fridge. I gave it time to warm up and it got a little better but still not that impressive. Very one dimensional brew. The mouthfeel is thin and not really thick like an Oatmeal Stout should be. Overall it's not that great sadly. I would still look into other brews from this brewery but not this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 01:45:04 | More by Knapp85

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.43/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed from notes.

Poured out the typical black color with a tan foamy two finger head that lasts for only about two minutes and doesn't really leave behind much by the way of lacing. The body was very watery and thin for a stout, making me wonder just how much oats were actually used in this beer.

Smells of faint bitter chocolate and some coffee, but tastes very extract-forward and strangely sour in the finish. Not a big fan of this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 23:20:48 | More by WastingFreetime

ekmoody

Wisconsin

2.58/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I had this one on special a little while ago, and I can see why they were trying to get rid of it.

It looked fine when it came out to me. A nice deep dark beer with a light tan head.

Smell was not so bad either. Some chocolate, roasted malts, a hint of coffee.

Taste was not bad, but not great either. Chocolate was a lot less prominent than I was expecting, I think the flavor in general was lacking.

Perhaps that is because the beer is so watery! This is by far the wateriest stout I've had. Even if the flavor was better, the mouthfeel would turn me away from this one.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2010 16:08:15 | More by ekmoody

ZAP

Minnesota

2.63/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

A-Dark Sienna colored...small whisp of scarlet highlighted tan head on top.

S-I am digging this. Smells like some Imperial Stouts do. Richly malty...dark chocolate...cream...some dark fruitiness (plums)..

T-WTF??? My goodness this is much worse than the nose led me to believe...the watery body is tough to ignore even as I am focusing on the taste....it has some cold, watered down coffee notes...maybe a little dark chocolate...not a strong point.

M-This is horrible for the style...no smoothness...no creamy texture...no body...just watered down...

D-What a rollercoaster this one was....the aroma is very enticing but then the beer is way below average once you drink it...not recommended...

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 06:07:18 | More by ZAP

Big_Twofifty

Wisconsin

2.68/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2.75

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Pours black with a 1” foamy head the color of a cocoa powder brown which dissipated quickly, leaving a ring of tiny bubbles.

Smell: Lightly roasted, reminiscent of a dark roast coffee. I also can faintly pick up the smell of oats/grain.

Taste: The taste leaves the palate wanting for the smell, as the dark coffee is missing and more of sweet nutty notes come through followed by a mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Light (almost to the extent of being watery) and smooth with medium carbonation. The carbonation lingers, leaving a effervescence feel on the palate. This beer has a slightly bitter finish.

Overall: The nostalgia of La Crosse and good times at the Pearl Street Brewery make up for what this beer was lacking. However, with that factored out, this oatmeal stout’s appearance and smell cannot make up for the taste and watery mouthfeel. I may pick up this one again in the future, but for now there are many more beers to review and my Pearl Street Brewery reminiscing is complete.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 02:03:31 | More by Big_Twofifty

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Black bodied beer. Dark brown creamy head. No lace. Big dose of cherry chocolate on the nose. Roasted malts and cocoa too. First word that comes to mind when tasting this beer is astringent. (Too much black patent maybe?) There's some chocolate flavors and also some burnt malt char like flavors. Tobacco juice. And a residual chalky feel on the aftertaste. Medium bodied and a little lifeless in the mouthfeel department. This one's really not that good.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 03:38:25 | More by Bighuge

icefisherman

Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poored for stubby bottle black and thick looking. Smells like a standard stout. Taste kinda dark chockolaty kinda almost an odd fruity. Feel is a little thiner than I was hoping for. Could see drinking this again but nothing worth going out of my way for.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 04:40:02 | More by icefisherman

Wisconsin

Wisconsin

2.85/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 ounce bottle into a pint glass

A - After letting this beer warm up for some time, I steadily poured it into a pint glass. A thick, dark black body rolled out of the bottle and into the glass. A frothy dark tan head about a finger thick settled nicely on the top of the beer before fading to a bubbly ring around the glass with spotty portions of bubbles in between.

S - Lots of dark roasted notes that give me the inclination that this beer is going to be somewhat bitter, but I will reserve my judgement until the time comes. As of right now though, the roasted smell, which is very coffee like, has me thinking this is Pearl's version of a coffee stout. Sweet and creamy aspects that one would expect in the style are either faint or non-existent. The roasted malt smell keeps this beer somewhat respectable in this category.

T - Taste is missing just what my nose was. There is plenty of roasted malts here that are pretty solid and ride the fine line of bitterness pretty well. However, there is nothing else to note beyond that. Slight, and by slight, I mean hardly existent, toffee and cream notes are present but are much too weak in this beer.

M - Medium to full bodied beer with a good amount of carbonation. This beer has plenty of roasted malts entering the mouth. Carbonation arrives and seems to carry the roasted malt flavor throughout the beer. Faint toffee and cream notes are present at the very end, but are hardly noticeable and what you are left with a slightly bitter and dry finish.

D - It's hard to give this beer a respectable score in the drinkability portion with how backwards this stout seems to be. A stout with a severe lacking of creamy sweetness or chocolate flavors like this one makes it unlikely that I would buy more. Aside from a nice looking beer, this one doesn't do much for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 03:46:13 | More by Wisconsin

sweethome

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pour is very dark brown - to style. Tan head - gone quickly.

Nose is simple roast malt - not much more. Nothing off - just roast.

Simple taste, a bit a watery. Roast malt, an astringency, a hint of vanilla, simple and unrefined. Not much of a mouthfeel here.

Nothing overly flawed, but nothing that distinguishes.

A lower level stout in my book.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2009 03:11:38 | More by sweethome

dirtylou

Washington

3/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz single, purchased at riley's a while back. sat in the fridge for an abnormally long time due to the low reviews

appearance: poured into a Guinness pint, very dark mahogany body with a light chocolate cap and light retention...certainly nothing wrong here

smell: roasted oats, dry chocolate, a little butter detected

taste: the worst of the 3 pearl street singles - very watered down. light roasted oats, minimal chocolate - not sure what happened to this one

moutheel: light, watery

drinkability: ok

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2009 01:04:21 | More by dirtylou

Skidz

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours out dark chocolate brown and sits black in the glass with a small light brown head fading quickly to a light skimming around the edges.

Dark toasty malts on the nose, slightly burnt charachter and bits of coffee. Candy-like caramel and butterscoth all around the edges.

Dry roasted malts with an instant-coffee-like flavor permeating every corner. Mild bitterness with vague hints of caramel.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Overall an average stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 01:46:26 | More by Skidz

cokes

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The basically black body reveals glints of dark brown when held to a light. The tan head doesn't get far off the ground, but retains a while as a skim and laces well.
Dilute coffee nose, sweetened with milk chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut. Bits of papery astringency are noted, especially as it warms.
Toasty and roasty once into the mouth, Grainy with minor inflections of coffee and bitter cocoa. Everything seems a bit ashen and washed out. Oats add traces of smooth graininess. None of the other, sweeter, aromas show up in the taste. It fades with a indifferent wintergreen-herb hop bitterness.
Much lighter in body than it needs to be. The template might be there, but it needs fleshing out.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 06:07:08 | More by cokes

zeff80

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out an opaque, jet black color with a small, foamy, cappuccino-like head that was brown with hints of ruby. It left little to no lace.

S - It smelled of oats, coffee and sweet chocolate.

T - Tasted of some good java with a strong, sweet chocolate flavor. There was a little bitterness but not as much as I expect in an oatmeal stout.

M - It was crisp and smooth. A light bodied ale.

D - This is a pretty good brew. It doesn't taste like most oatmeal stouts but it was still good.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 14:46:26 | More by zeff80

slyke

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours opaque black with an inch of dark tan head that laces pretty well.

The smell is faint, but mainly roasted malt with a hint of chocolate.

The taste has the roasted malt flavor with a biscuit tone and a hint of chocolate again.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly coating.

Drinkability is pretty good and as you may want from this style of beer, it can be pretty filling. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 16:07:57 | More by slyke

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +30.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle brought back from WI recently. Poured into a pint glass. Pours a deep pitch black. Thin beige head on top. The nose is really rich and bursting with sweet chocolate notes, syrup, a little booze. Really nice aroma. The mouth is moderately full. Carbonation is decent. It's not as thin as others have noted. The edges could be smoothed out a bit, as there is a bit of a bite of carb at the back end. This is a roasted malt-forward beer for sure. A bit of char in the mouth, some smoke, and mild semi-sweet cocoa. This was a decent drink, and one I would revisit.

I was surprised to see such low ratings from all the recent reviews, which makes me wonder if there's a bit of "follow-the-crowd" mentality. Is this the best Oatmeal Stout out there? By no means. But nor do I think it deserves the low ratings across the board. Good beer. Try it for yourself.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 01:38:49 | More by Onenote81

theHoff77

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev +33.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Went to visit my sister in La Crosse and this was on the featured happy hour. Don't understand the hate, because I thought this was surprisingly good. Felt obliged to write a review to defend it, but I'm going off memory. Appearance was black, and there was slight dark tan head on it. No lacing. Smell reminded me of dark chocolate. I actually really liked the taste of this, it had more of a roasted quality to it. Dark chocolate, coffee, and the oat flavor comes through. Mouthfeel was a medium body, and not as light as everyone is saying. Thing I didn't care for too much was it had a graininess about it. Overall I thought it was alright. Maybe they changed up the process or ingredients on this, because I thought the quality and body of this didn't match up to what people were saying. One thing that might have changed is an increased amount of oats, because I could feel small bits of something.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 17:28:29 | More by theHoff77