Mar 4, 2014

Mendocino Brewing Oatmeal Stout

I’m sure that I’ve mentioned it once or twice on the site, but the first stout that truly turned me into a massive fan of the style was Mendocino’s Black Hawk Stout back in the mid-to-late 1990s. There weren’t too many options in the micro-brewed world then and it was one that really through my tastebuds for a loop. It’s not been many moons since then and many stouts as well, but I still come back to it every now and again — mostly for nostalgia purposes.

It’s also because of that particular beer that I get excited any time I see a bottle of the dark stuff from Mendocino that I haven’t encountered before — as is the case with their relatively new seasonal Oatmeal Stout. I spied this one a couple of weeks back and cracked it open on a pretty chilly weekend in hops of sitting back and enjoying a velvety smooth and roasty brew. Well, I got the roasty part of what I wanted and a little of the smoothness, but for an oatmeal stout, this one is a bit on the thin side.

Appearance

The brew certainly pours nicely, filling the glass with a dark cola brown liquid and a decent sized head of mocha foam that left behind decent lacing as it dropped.

Mendocino Brewing Oatmeal Stout

Aroma

Light roast coffee, oats, cocoa and a touch of earth fill the nose smoothly.

Taste

This oatmeal stout, for the most part, nails the flavors quite well. A nice bit of roastiness and lingering coffee bitterness are the predominant flavors as hints of grain and cocoa persist. The brew is a bit watery — much lighter on the palate than I was hoping for when purchasing it. It finishes slightly drying.

Overall

Mendocino’s Oatmeal Stout isn’t a bad beer. It’s just not as silky smooth or as full as most other beers of this style that I’ve had. The flavors are just about spot on, but the lack of fullness makes it a beer that I probably won’t purchase again — I’ll gladly spend my money on their Black Hawk Stout instead.

Rating: 3/5

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