Stoutmaker.beer

Today I have New Holland’s The Poet. An Oatmeal Stout. 5.8% abv. No other relevant info on the 12oz can.

It been a while since I’ve had an Oatmeal stout, or at least one good enough to remember, but if I do remember right, and it might just be personal experience, an Oatmeal stout should NOT use Roasted barley, or at least very much of it. Instead, it should be Black malt, or chocolate malt.. But nowadays, who the hell knows what brewers do to beers. We shall see.

I crack open the can and do get a bit of carbonation and a hit of roast to the nose even before I start to pour the very thick looking blackness. Not entirely like motor oil, but it looks like its headed that way.

The head is a darker tan,, which means to me that they did in fact NOT use roasted barley as the main roast. This is a good sign. (the head is actually much darker than it appears in this pic)
Frothy head with a few larger bubbles, but sadly, nothing for any kind of cascading action that I was expecting from the hiss of the opening.

Definity a black beer. No light poking through anywhere. Appears to clear, but no carbonation bubbles to be seen, and that darker tan head is still sticking around.

The first aroma I get is that chocolate. A hershey dark chocolate. Then wet graininess takes over. But there is a hint of oatmeal. Roast is there. Nothing like coffee though. More akin to chocolate malt.
There is even a bit of earthy hop. Not much, but it is there. Nothing for any yeast esters. I’m liking everything so far.

Tasting now. The biggest flavor, is.. Grainy malt and raisins. But right after that is a good dose of roast. Now there is a slight coffee, but the major roast notes are chocolate and that good ol burnt black malt.

Even through all of that though, the same earthy hop is there. Along the lines of a Goldings or Fuggles, I’d say.
Again nothing for yeast. I was expecting something from the yeast here in the taste, but nothing really. More like an Americanized Oatmeal stout.

Bahahaha! I just looked at the can again. And it says right on it.. American oatmeal stout! Now that its warming up. (I did have this one a bit cold) I am starting to get a bit of oatmeal in the taste as well.

From the pour it really looked like the body was going to be quite substantial, and it is on the heavier side. But not quite what I would call a full body.
And I’m not getting that oily feel you usually get with oatmeal beers. I think thats a good thing?
Carbonation is up there but not overly carbonated for this style.

There really is a good smash of acrid black malt here. And for me, that is a big plus. But is fits in quite well with all of the other big flavors and aromas that this “American” Oatmeal Stout has.

I quite like this beer. They really packed a lot of flavor into it. I am going to go back to buy more. Take yer 4.25/5!