Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Boonville, California USA

2008 Bottle - This was the first dark beer I ever liked in college when all I knew about was Busch Light. That was 6 years ago so I gave it another go. I still think it is the perfect learning stout. It has beginner chocolate aroma, beginner toasted malt, beginner bitterness and is like a stout lite. If this is what you expect, it is a wonderful beer- if not, I can see why some folks would be disappointed...

12oz. bottle served in a shaker pint. Appeared to be bottle conditioned. Poured an opaque brown/black with a good finger of tight bubbled tan head. Chocolate aroma with a bit of molasses. Very creamy mouthfeel. More chocolate in the flavor along with a slight tang. Some hop bitterness in the finish along with dry chocolate malt. Very drinkable.

On tap, maybe i got the wrong beer? To me, tasted like a milk stout and a poor one at that. Was bland, like a half-decent stout mixed with skim milk...or guinness with non-dairy creamer. Guess I’ll have to revisit someday.

An amazing beer. Thick, rich, smooth, dark chocolate or a mocha flavored. I took a four D-cell battery Mag flashlight and shined it on the backside of this beer and it barely lit it up.

Bottle. Pours black with a dark tan head. Much chocolate and roast in the aroma. Taste is sweet chocolates and fig, nicely balanced by coffee. The sweetness is perfect, its a strong presence but not overboard. Mouthfeel is full.

bottled. dark brown to black pour with a nice coffee like coloured head. oatmeal stouts always seem to surprise people with there smooth yet complex bodies and overwhelming coffee and chocolate tones that come through in this version. this stout is extemley easy to drink and more than well balanced through out.

THOUGHTS: A really nice beer. Almost like a training beer for imperial stouts. The flavor was nice but a little watered down. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a nearly opaque, dark brown that was black in the glass with a small, light brown head that mostly diminished. The aroma was heavy chocolate syrup and lighter mild coffee and light pine hops. The initial flavor was lightly sweet, acidic and bitter, while the finish was moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic and moderately bitter with and average to long duration. The flavor was chocolate with a little coffee, then piney hops and roasted malt with a pretty good balance. The medium to full body was a little creamy, but also a little dry. with soft to fizzy carbonation and a moderately astringent and almost soapy finish.

Thick, rich, and complex? 91 percentile? Really? I am glad I got 2 bottles, because I apparently really need to try this one again. The bottle I had was very watery and unremarkable. Nothing pronounced in the armoa or in the flavor. No oatmeal flavor at all. No chocolate, no coffee, no hops, just bland. I will give it another shot after reading these reviews though...hopefully bottle 2 is better, because I really wanted to like this one!