Erie Brewing Drakes Crude Oatmeal Stout

Poured an opaque black color with a large, tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, light smoke, anise, cocoa, and a bit of smoke. Taste of more roast, smoke, burnt malts, some lactic acid, more anise, and an acidic mouthfeel.

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of malts, chocolate, roasting, oats, and chocolate. Poured black in color with a medium-sized brown head that diminished very quickly. Opaque. Flavor is lightly sweet. Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, and oats. Medium body. Chalky texture. Lively carbonation. Chocolate and malt finish. Very over carbonated.

12oz Bottle - at the High Street Pub - Bellefonte, PA. Aroma is a nice salt and oatmeal cookie figure, softened with some balsa wood and light brown sugar. Quiet. Pours a deep brown-black, with a quickly fading chocolate milk foam. Flavor is rich, dense, chewy oatmeal with nice oatmeal character, backed with a nip of salt, sugar, and roast (generic). Fresh and bright. Crisp. Alcohols are a little high and forward for me. Northern Brewer hop glow provides nice balance on the backend. Rounded, clean, forward with oatmeal flavor. A bit of vanilla sugar. Nice.

12oz btl. pours slick black with a nice tan head that looks a little looser than i would have expected. aroma is roasted coffee and wood. light smoke and cream on the front, followed by sweet oat, coffee and cream on the back. very loose, light mouth-feel, and easy finish. my first thought is that as an oatmeal stout this one is not what i like. BUT one of the things i like about erie brewing, is that they try to take people into and everyday exploration of beers that they normally wouldn’t drink. i think its a really nice bridge beer taking people out of their happy "fizzy yellow" box and showing them something different to look at and drink.

bottle from Capone’s -

Pours silky black, with a medium tan head that’s not very tall, but coalesces nicely around the glass. Aroma roasted coffee, molasses and some smoky woodiness. Upfront flavor is smoky! Charred wood and smoke, followed by roasted malts. Unfortunately, for me, the failing point is a lack of hops at the end to cleanse the taste buds. As it is now, that smoky phenolic flavor lingers far far too long. I also don’t get any of the mouth feel of an oatmeal stout either - not sure why they’re marketing it as such. I’d add some bittering hops and maybe some dry hops, save the oatmeal for a different batch and make this a smoked stout / specialty beer.