Southern Tier Oat

American Double/Imperial Stout

Rating: A-

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Opaque, dark chocolate (near black) in color with a thin, khaki head that leaves a caviar-bubbled ring around the perimeter of the glass. Pleasant coffee/roasted malt aroma. The taste is sweet and malty, chocolaty, bready, smoky (almost to the point of burnt) and fruity (maybe Raisinettes?). The syrupy, full body gives way to a slightly bitter finish which warms the palate and balances the beer nicely. I liked this oatmeal stout more than a few of the local breweries’ oaty offerings (particularly Brown’s Oatmeal Stout) which used to be my standbys for cold weather drinking. As to be noted with a number of the Southern Tier Imperial Series, a 650ml bomber is best enjoyed split with a buddy. After the dainty four-oz. tasting, I slammed the rest of it and wondered why 11pm felt like 1am.