Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Appearance - It is more brown than black until it's there in great volume. Kinda worried me as it looked sludgey and stuff. Smell - Smells sweet, candy-ish, with some toffee or roasted bits on top. Taste - I prefer this one colder than most dark beers. Something has opened up with astringent notes here at the end, sorta the opposite of the smoothness I expect. But cold it's a good beer and cheaper than a sixer of barney flatts.The oatmeal cereal note is there, and we got some slight coffee. Mostly it's sweetness and malty roasted stuff with very little hop bitterness until it warms up. Could use some dark plum or fruit notes I think to balance the sweetness. Toasty alcoholic aftertaste, but not in a bad way. Astringent grainy notes in the finish, both of the sip and the bottle as it warmed. Mouthfeel - Silky, voluptuous, but oily and viscous, not in a pleasant way. Heavy, but not too heavy. Still, of this beer this is the best aspect. Drinkability - Not sure how many of these I could pack down. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fiend for dark beer, porter or stout or schwartzbeer. I'd recommend Anderson Valley Barney Flatts Oatmeal Stout. Tastier to me, just as silky.