Southern Tier Oat

Finally got my hands on the "Oat!" The last reviewer--who happens to represent Mason, OH right around the corner from me--is correct: The pitch black Oat will produce no head, but do not fear because it is delicious. Scary it hides a 11% ABV! Ouch, this is not a beginner’s beer. This beer might knock a horse on its ass. I still like the Jah-va bit more, but fantastic offering Southern Tier.

Pours dark black with almost no head to speak of (might have been a bad bottle as I heard almost no sign of CO2 when I opened the bottle). Has the aroma of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, which needless to say is a good thing. A lot of chocolate in the flavor followed by the oat, the alcohol is barely noticeable. Nice thick body, sticky palate with hardly any carbonation. Very good beer.

Bottle. Pours a solid black with a creamy, tan head. Lots of chocolate, roasted malts, and oats. Wonderful smell with a taste to match. Full body with a rich, smooth mouthfeel. I could definitely drink this with breakfast. If I could only find a way to make my coffee pot brew one cup of beer at a time.

Loving this. Jet black, little tan head. Smells just roasty...coffee, chocolate, oats, all that. SUPER creamy. Really a sensational beer, right up there with the rest of the series.

Bottle from Archer Liquors. Pours really black with a thin dark tan head. It smells wonderful. Chocolate and treacle? Full bodied and mildly carbonated. Flavor is chocolate, light treacle, maybe a little dark fruit, and it finishes smoothly bitter in a burnt malt sense. It is super fantastic. Great mouthfeel.

This one pours a pitch black color crowned by a small, tan head that fades to a thin film with no lace. The aroma is full on chocolate, vanilla, and oatmeal that adds smoothness. The flavor follows with more milk chocolate, vanilla, and hints of dark fruit. The oatmeal really smooths things out and just a touch of hop bitterness on the back end. Full bodied and silky mouthfeel with good carbonation that leads to a chocolate finish. This is dangerous as it does not feel like 11% at all. Another great stout from Southern Tier.

Excessively black with a nicely proportioned one finger tan head. Aroma is roasted malt predominantly with quite the sweet character so characteristic of the oatmeal stout. Chocolate and dark sugar prevail, with the ever slightest hint of dark fruit coming out as well. Flavor is quite sweet- the typical Southern Tier Imperial Stout. Oatmeal, coffee and cocoa nib front quite hard with a delectable roasted malt backbone coming through shortly after. A licorice fennel quality comes through subtly as does copious brown sugar. Perhaps a bit cloying. Palate is uber thick and rich though not as rich as some. An excellently put together brew, though as she warms and as the expirience continues, the overly sweet nature becomes more in your face, resulting in a trudge of a quaff.

Pours completely black with a one finger, light tan, frothy head. Aroma has lots of roasted malt, chocolate, brown sugar, cream, and that smoother, not quite as aggressive quality that is such a great trait of oatmeal stouts. Flavor is similar to the aroma, but more pronounced; lots of oat, chocolate, and a creamy quality at the start. This gives way to a definite roasty bitterness at the finish that lingers beautifully on the tongue. Notes of black licorice and anise add complexity to the bitterness. This is not quite in the top echelon of imperial stouts, but is extremely well crafted and damn tasty. After drinking a few gulps, however, the cloying nature of this beer comes out, and it becomes tough to drink. Be warned: very sweet, so be ready for it, and this is why the numbers are lower.