New Holland - The Poet Oatmeal Stout

Today was a long day at work....last night returned home from a bachelor party trip to Las Vegas....so as you can imagine, it's a bit difficult to re-acclimate to normal human life.  That is a crazy town full of crazy people - definitely the best people-watching town out there.  I had a chance to try Stone Ruination IPA and Squatter's Hop Rising IPA, both phenomenal brews that aren't available in MN.  That was definitely a highlight of the trip for me ; ).

This Oatmeal Stout is brewed by New Holland Brewing, located in Holland, Michigan.  After fumbling my way through their clunky website, I was finally able to find a description of this brew.  I have to say, that website needs a serious overhaul - it's a disaster.  Anyway, The Poet is a year-round offering that comes in at 5.2%ABV.

The label depicts a crow in front of a full moon - cool design for an oatmeal stout.  I think the legend goes, that every time a crow caws, someone in the world has died.  I heard that in a movie...so it must be true.  This beer is nearly pitch black with a nice layer of sticky tan head - good retention.  The aroma is creamy coffee, burnt wood, and a hint of sweet chocolate.  The drink starts off with a crisp dark chocolate roasty flavor, along with some burnt wood and coffee grinds.  Very mild hop bitterness in the middle, and the finish is creamy and smooth.  The mouthfeel is a tad light for a stout, but nothing to complain about.

Overall Rating:  (4.2 out of 6.0)  This was an easy-drinking Oatmeal Stout.  The body was a little thin, but the flavors were nice and I didn't have any problem finishing this glass.  Nice winter session brew.