Buckerfields Swans Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Swans Hotel - Buckerfield Brewery
Style: Sweet Stout
Victoria, Canada

Deep dark brown, short-lived brown head, no lace. Pruney, liqueury aroma, dark chocolate. Bitter chocolate and coffee, with a fruit-acid tartness in the finish. Moderate bitter finish. Smooth medium-bodied mouthfeel. Nice.

Glass, 5 ounces, draught, at the pub, savoured on April 29, 2009; eye: black, clear, no effervescence, tiny ring of tan head, light lacing; nose: light roasted malt, lactic, chocolate milk, slight hops; mouth: light roasted malt, lactic, chocolate milk, slight hops, finale in roasted malt with good presence of chocolate milk, medium body, light astringency, light acridness, lightly bitter, average carbonation, creamy texture, a bit thin; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Verre, 5 onces, en fût, bue sur place, savourée le 29 avril 2009; œil : noire avec des reflets bourgogne, claire, pas d’effervescence, très petit anneau de mousse fauve, légère dentelle; nez : léger malt torréfié, lactique, lait au chocolat, très léger houblon; bouche : léger malt torréfié, lactique, lait au chocolat, très léger houblon, finale en malt torréfié avec bonne présence de lait au chocolat, corps moyen, légère astringence, légère âcreté, légèrement amère, carbonatation moyenne, texture crémeuse, un peu mince; en résumé : correct

Dark licorice aroma & sweet malt. Pours a dark amber/black with a creamy head. Tastes of licorice and alcohol, a light roastiness and some molasses. Thin and low in carbonation, otherwise not a bad beer - the licorice is nice, and it could be much creamier, but not too shabby.

(Draught) Pours near headless mostly opaque red body. Non-carbonated. Nose of chocolate, roasted malt and nicely balanced hops. Great tasting yet a tad watery at the finish.

Slightly transparent black coloured beer. Chocolate aroma. Flavour also shows huge amounts of chocolate, some coffee, fruit, and a faint roastiness on the finish. Little bitterness. Well-crafted.

Bottle: Pours a dark brown with a tan frothy head. Very nice oatmeal and chocolate aroma. Flavour is a nice mix of smokey sweet malt, toffee, and bitter chocolate. Finish is a bit thin and clean. Re-rated 08/01/06

On a small pub crawl while onshore for a few hrs from my cruise ship, I hit up Swan’s. As a general statement for all of their beers that i tried, the good news is that they were served at the right temperature. The bad news is that none of them was too good, IMHO. Nice oatmeal stout, good roasty flavor, it’s a bit thin, but the best of Buckerfield’s beers.

Bottle shared with tupalev. My bottle. Deep ruby-brown with a small off-white head. Roasty aroma with notes of toasted oatmeal, cocoa, and a bit of sourness. Medium bodied. Flavour is roasty, pleasant, but not as complex or full as I like from my stouts. Best before date was the week we drank it, so maybe it was a bit past it’s prime?