Boulder Beer Obovoid Oak-Aged Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Boulder Beer Company
Style: Stout
Boulder, Colorado USA

Roasted, coffee, chocolate, some oak, and oatmeal are all evident in this stout. I paid about eight bucks for a bomber and was dissapointed in the product. I din’t understand the name, Obovoid, either.

Black molasses with an oatmeal stout-like creamed head that thins fast. Smooth, yet pungent, black patent is keenly noticeable in the aroma. Dry black patent flavor with an appealing charcoal smokiness, but unfortunately lacks complexity. Well-balanced, but dry, probably only increased by the oaking. To me, this is a porter, and a solid one.

22oz. Pour is very black as indicated. The head a quickly dissipating but it starts out as a pillowy dark tan layer and ends as sparse clumps of mocha bubbles. The aroma is very roasty, almost burnt and smokey. The flavor is more porter-ish than stout, but I can see where the oatmeal body comes into play. A different and interesting beer.

Dark beer with red highlights. Thin but lasting beige head that left attractive lacing on my snifter. Ducty chocolate and some green hops in the nose. Lots of chocolate flavors, with sweetened coffee, burnt toast, tea, molassess, and grassy hops in the finish. Nice mouthfeel, but not my favorite stout.

Had this one as a treat from Jazz88, over for dinner, though I also have one in the fridge.... Gosh I’ve had a lot of wood-aged beers lately; not such a rarity as it was a few years back. The impact of this pedestrianisation of wood is not entirely clear to me. This beer does seem more muted than a typical Imperial, perhaps esp. with respect to the chocolate, though there is particularly big roasted flavors. There is also a notable hop presence here, typical of the west of the Mississippi versions. Not fully to my taste, and interestingly we didn’t rush to finish the bottle when our dinner was broken up by the need to tend to our kids--a certain ambivalence about it?

My Bottom Line:
Roasted bitterness and chocolate sweetness merge into coffee bean notes in this slender and drinkable Stout.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the brown-sleeved black.
-The barrel presence is subtle, which is appreciated.
-The finishing bitterness is quite roasty, but also hoppy and peppery.
-I did not find it plump enough for my tastes in the style.

Bottle.

Looks like a stout. Very dry, ash andmineral-filled aroma. From the aroma, I don’t believe that this is an oatmeal stout. The flavor is a little better - the oatmeal becomes more evident, it is slightly sweetened with some vanilla undertones. A slight bitterness comes out in the finish, almost like dark chocolate. Not bad.

(22oz bottle) Purchased at Whole Foods in Seattle for $6.99. Near opaque with a lasting thin beige head. Nose of cold coffee and milk. Very sweet flavour with a gritty tart hop and sour milk finish. Nice.