Highland Oatmeal Porter

Brewed by Highland Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Nearly opaque rich dark brown color with a thin, lightly-lacing tan head. Aroma of sweet caramel corn and chocolate milk with a touch of roastiness. Starts malty and sweet with a smooth chocolatey mouthfeel leading to a semi-sweet, sticky roasty finish. A very nice porter, thanks goldtwins!

A: The pour is a dark brown with some dark red/ruby highlights and a thin off-white head. S: Smells really charred and ashy. A slight acidity, but there is a nice creamy chocolate/cocoa aroma underneath it. Nice roasted malt and some coffee or maybe coffee grounds. T: Quite bitter with a lot of acidity and plenty of ash and acrid coffee notes. Lots of roasted malt flavor, maybe a little bit of dark fruit notes. I don’t really get much, if any chocolate or oatmeal out of this. M: The body is on the thin side with a medium carbonation. D: The lack of oatmeal character in this beer was quite disappointing. It really lacked the usual smooth and full mouthfeel that oatmeal provides.

Aroma of sweet oats and vanilla, with some musty grains as well. Soft and milky initial mouthfeel, then a bit abrasive in the swallow. Creamy flavors of smoke, stout-like chocolate malts, and some vanilla. Not bad. Thanks to Suttree for sending the bottle.

My Bottom Line:
Caramelized malts develop hazelnuts and light roast before peppery hop resins balance out this comfortable Porter.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy head of foam tops the mahogany-edged dark brown.
-Discreet fruity licorice notes appear here and there.
-The mouthfeel is ample yet never heavy; drinkability is therefore very high.
-The nose is tame, bready. The flavor profile has more depth.
-This may not be an outstanding Porter, but it is perfectly serviceable and agreeable.

Bottle.

Thanks to Suttree for this. Pours dark black (deep burgundy through direct light) with one-finger tan head. Aroma of roasty malt, chocoff, cabernet. Tastes malty, with a smooth, complex mouthfeel giving way to big chocoff, some hops, and a fruity merlot-ish finish. Admirable balance and complexity. As it warms, more chocolate syrup comes out, and some milk stouty elements. Reminds me a little of Lancaster Milk Stout. Nice beer.

Bottled thanks to Sumdog. Poured a clear, medium iced tea/amber with a tall cap of beige head. Nose was of toasty biscuits, semi-sweet chocolate, and soapy floral hoppage.. medium roast and rather weak. Flavor was primarily of the same roasty chocolate with coffee and leafy bitters surrounding the tongue. Cola-like mouthfeel with a lighter body didn’t flow as well as I’d like... and the roasted chocolate finish kinda fizzes out. OK overall, but no shining star in the porter world.

2008-10-14. Black body with brown around the edges, decent tan head. (4+) Dusty malt n the aroma, light sweet and roasty malt hints at licorice, very mild herbal touches. (7+) Similar flavour, dry cocoa kissed dusty malt, light herbaceous touches. (7+) Average to thin bodied palate is quite thin for a porter and probably the only significant flaw for me. Pleasant. Bottle shared by Jon Walker

Bottle from WFM Raleigh. Pours reddish black with a malty, spicy, spoiled milk aroma. Smooth creamy oatmeal taste with a caramel sweetness lingering in the finish. Fine beer!

Bottle from ross. Pours a dark brown with a tan head. Smells of coffee, oatmeal and some earthy hops. Tastes of some chocolate and coffee but very watery and boring.

Acquired via trade. My favorite of the Highland brews (so far). Pours a very dark brown with a medium and pretty tan head. Little lacing. Aroma of coffee, chocolate and nuts. Medium bodied with a nice roasty blend of chocolate and espresso (which would be a mocha I guess). Finish is a little nutty and a little hoppy. Pretty good.