Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

Well, it's snowing again.  It's been a cruel and relentless winter so far in MN - I feel like I'm digging myself out of the driveway every F'ing day.  But, today is Friday so I'm going to pretend it's not snowing, and pretend I don't need to shovel....ignorance is bliss.  TGIF, and cheers!

Tonight's beer of choice is a 12oz bottle of Breckenridge Brewery's Oatmeal Stout.  Beer geeks, this brew registers at 4.95%, 32 IBUs, and is brewed with Pale, Caramel, Chocolate malts, and black oat flakes, and hopped with Chinook and Perle. 

Pours an almost shiny black color, no light gets through this one, and it leaves a small amount of tan head.  The nose is really nice - a combination of chocolate malts, coffee, and an almost nutty sweet malt....it actually smells creamy. 

First sip is...you guessed it.  Creamy.  There are some roasted chocolate malts, but not nearly as prominent as I expected after smelling the beer.  There are some bitter notes in the middle, and a malty sweet, warm finish.  The alcohol content is pretty low on this one, and doesn't show up in the flavor profile at all.  I did also notice a smoked wood flavor.  The texture is fantastic - creamy, smooth, with mild carbonation. 

Overall Rating:  (3.2 out of 6.0)  In general I wasn't all that impressed with this brew.  It wasn't bad, but it didn't have the bold flavor that I really expected after smelling it... I thought it was a bit lacking in flavor, especially compared to some of the other examples in this category (Bell's, Samuel Smith's, etc.).  The smell was great, the nose was great, and the taste was just OK.

**Side Note - the flavors did improve after I let this sit for a while and warm up.  I'll have to revisit this one again in the future.