Town Hall Black H20 Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: Sweet Stout
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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black with thin off white head. smells of coffee. tastes strongly of coffee. quite pleasing actually for someone who doesnt drink coffee. creamy mouthfeel although alittle thin. i will be drinking this alot

Black body, beige/brown head standing throughout consumption. Aroma of light caramel. Not too dark. Smooth palate, slightly biting hop yet clean finish. I will try this again for sure.

The first thing you notice is all of the big beautiful cascading going on from the cask pour. Once that settles down (several minutes later) you see that the beer is a deep inky black, with a good two inches of thick brown foam. Even a couple minutes later, this solid cap of foam remains. Each sip leaves a bit of lacing on the side of the glass, but this slowly slides down to rejoin the rest of the foam. So, good foam briefly, or no lace whatsoever, depending upon when you look at it. Solid, but not bold roasted malt and chocolate in the aroma. The malt dominates this brew, mainly a sweetened roasted coffee flavor, but also some bittersweet chocolate and light vanilla. The hops are there, but not prominent. It seems like the bitterness from the coffee, chocolate, and roasted grain is balancing the sweetness. Exceptionally smooth, medium to full bodied, with a soft but prominent carbonation. So tasty the angel on one shoulder says, “Hey, pace yourself, this is nice and rich.” Then the angel on the other shoulder says, “No, don’t listen to him. Don’t pace yourself at all. Drink up, call the bartender over, and order another one.” Which ever angel you listen to, you won’t go wrong. Savored slowly, with a couple refills (thereby pleasing both angels),

There was a lot to like about this beer. I thought it exhibited the dry-roastiness of an Imperial Stout while maintaining a lightness on the tongue and dryness of an Irish stout and delivering the light sweet finish of a breakfast stout. So, I would say this is a very pleasant blend of all three styles! It pours very dark, although not inky like an imperial stout, with a thick nude pantyhose colored head. Aroma was roasty. Flavor was extremely roasty, with hints of coffee, and some slightly sour sweetness at the finish. Mouthfeel was light yet substantial (and wonderful!), and not at all syrupy the way some heavier stouts can be. I found this to be an extremely drinkable, yet extremely flavorful, stout and enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended.

At brewpub: Near black with a finger of creamy brown head. Nose is moderate roast and light coffee. Very little sweetness. The taste is what sells me on this brew... Solid roast, some burnt malt and smokiness, espresso, and very light chocolate tones. A little bit of bittersweetness along the way. This is the beer that deserves all the hype/acclaim that Guinness gets. Well done Town Hall!

Growler courtesy of CLevar. Pours opaque black with thick tan head that sticks around leaving a lot of lacing. Aroma is Chocolaty with notes of coffee, and oatmeal cookies. Flavor is much the same with a full body and creamy palate

Had on tap at Town Hall in August 2009. Pours a dark black with a very nice brown head and a little bit of lacing. The smell is one of abundant roasted grains combined with bits of coffee and a few nibbles of chocolate. The oats work their way out as well. The taste brings the oats out a little bit more and also includes some mild bittering hops. The mouthfeel is very nice--medium-bodied and quite chewy. Very drinkable considering the style, and something I’d love to have a constant supple of as the leaves fall off the trees. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 10-01-2009

Dark black in color and had a rather tall tan head. Just a perfect roasted malt flavor, one of my favorite stouts.

UPDATED: DEC 9, 2004 Original Rate - June 29, 2004: Nice black color with a tan head.Aroma is a little dim, but hints at chocolate and roasted malts. The taste is good. It’s more like a porter than a stout. It certainly did not seem like a sweet stout. More chocolate, coffee, malt. Very, very thin body, probably the thinnest I’ve ever tasted for a stout. 6-4-8-4-16 Re-rate on cask - December 9th, 2004: The first main difference is the body. H2O on cask is incredibly smooth and creamy with just a gorgeous head. The taste picked up an amazing chocolate covered cherry surprise. Fantastic! 7-5-9-5-17

UPDATED: DEC 4, 2003 Black with brown head that laced the glass. Aroma of oatmeal and coffee. Improved over previous tasting. Great flavor of roasted coffee. Recently tried this on cask. Incredibly smooth and full bodied.