Brothers Local Roast
Brothers Craft Brewing makes an oatmeal stout called Local Remedy. In order to brew their Local Roast, the company takes that stout and, as the Brothers’ website states, “add in a heap of coffee” from Richmond, VA Ironclad Coffee Roasters. Now, I don’t know if the brewery is brewing this oatmeal stout with the coffee or simply adding it in (as a liquid) during the process or after. What I can say is that this 5.3% ABV stout feels much to thin for the style which leads me to believe this is a possible blend of the original stout and that previously mentioned “heap of coffee.”
And it’s not just the body of Local Roast that feels a bit off. The flavors are rather muddled and don’t really come together that cleanly. There’s a solid roastiness through the aroma to the taste, but it still gets lost amongst strong grain notes and a good bit of earthiness. There’s a robustness that’s lacking here. That said, the coffee does impart a solid bitterness and a welcome nuttiness to the affair, but not sure that’s enough to make up for missing what I personally want in an oatmeal stout.
Local Roast isn’t a bad beer. It just doesn’t have what I personally expect from an oatmeal stout (with or without coffee). The body is too watery for the style and, while I enjoy the fairly raw and earthy character, it’s just not that flavorful of a beer. It certainly left me wanting something more.