Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

 Josephs Brau Brewing Co.   San Jose, CA

This is a blind taste test set up by my lovely girlfriend…

Appearance:  Pours a dark, dark brown…a thin layer of luscious, mocha/dark khaki head formed and remains…it’s a bit thin…from the appearance, I’d guess it to be a light stout or a brown ale…(3.75/5)

Smell:  Tons of oat, chocolate, caramel, creamy vanilla…roasted malts are strong...very vanilla creamy…a very decadent smell, it was served to me somewhat warm, which I think helps this brew’s aroma stand out more than if it was crisp and cold…it’s really nice to smell…(4/5)

Taste:  Roasted malts, caramel, chocolate, creaminess, vanilla, oats, a hint of dark fruit sweetness, very mild coffee flavor…some biscuity maltness as well…it’s not overly complicated, a straight forward brown ale (I’m guessing)…I’m not getting much hops flavor or bitterness…(3.75/5)

Mouthfeel:  Light to medium body, I have to say it’s a bit watery...it’s got tons of carbonation (somewhat surprising from the body) that fluffs up and brings a nice chocolate milkshake feel on my palate…wet, light, silky, satisfying…roasted malts linger in the after taste…(3.5/5)

Overall:  This is an all right brew…the flavor is nice, but the body is way too watery for me and brings down the overall impression this beer leaves…not knowing exactly what I’m dealing with here, I’d have to guess this is some kinda brown ale…it’s very drinkable and something I could recommend, but certainly hasn’t blown my socks off…the aroma is fantastic, definitely the highlight of the presentation…this is an upper average brew…(3.5/5)

Surprise, it’s a Stockyard Oatmeal Stout!

Huh…it’s actually a pretty good beer… I have to say I’m kinda surprised that it turned out to be a stout, there is a noticeable lack of hops presence in the smell, flavor or feel…Stockyard is exclusive to Trader Joe’s which would normally sound like a cheap beer knock-off, but that’s far from the truth and at $6 per six pack, this may be the best deal in town...it won’t wow you, but you can buy cheap, share openly and your friends will think you’ve got good beer taste…which is all that matters…

Notes:

Oatmeal Stout

12oz Bottle

5.2% ABV

Score:

(3.73/5)