I was visiting a Binny’s in Chicagoland when I asked “the beer man” what was a great stout. He pointed me to Breckenridge Oatmeal. One of my first experiences with a stout was to get an oatmeal stout so I was ready for a very smooth drink. Good choice “beer man”. It poured a dark, rich, almost black, brown color for a good start. The head was a thick two inches that was a dark malty color. It was beautiful as stouts go. First impression is important to me so smelling the rich, smokey, roasted grain aroma alerted me to anticipate more. Roasted chocolate maybe describes this best. The taste was a lot of coffee. Rich espresso with a hint of vanilla cream. As a chocolate lover this is good beer. The mouth feel was on the medium side, not as chewy as I like and slightly carbonated. Not overpowering like stouts can be. I tend to like the overpowering ones. I leaves with a dry, slightly bitter exit. A great beer to have one at a time.
ABV: 4.6%
Grade: B+
John,
Give Lost Coast Eight Ball Stout a try. It’s another smooth oatmeal stout.
John,
I really liked this beer. I thought that Breckinridge Brewery did a pretty damn good job on this one. No way I can rate it as my favorite oatmeal stout, but here in Texas and most of the country, it’s easier to get to than most and comes through with enough character, yet light enough to enjoy more than a few sips of.
If you EVER get a chance to try anything from Snoqualmie Brewery out in Snoqualmie, WA you HAVE to try their Oatmeal Stout. It’s freakin’ amazing! I LOVE that damn beer. Came upon them by accident too when I was living up in Seattle some years back. You find their beers out side of Washington I think, but if you ever get the chance, you got to stop by their tap room where they’ll even fill up kegs for you. About 40 min outside of Seattle.
Ilya