Big Sky Brewing - Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout

First off, I'd like to comment on the Iowa State win over Oklahoma State on Friday night.....WOW!  Talk about a huge upset!  What a way to finish up the season at home, with a win over the #2 ranked team in the country.  It was one of the most exciting ISU football games in history, and it's wreaking havoc in the BCS.  Paul Rhodes is a phenomenal coach - check out his locker room speech after the game - who wouldn't get behind this guy?!  He's so much better than that asshole Gene Chizik.  Great job Iowa State.

Tonight I'll be drinking Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout from Big Sky Brewing in Missoula, Montana.  This is a limited release brew available only in September and October.  You may remember back in March, I reviewed another limited release Big Sky brew called Cowboy Coffee Porter, which turned out to be coffee-infused blah.  Slow Elk features a strange, mutant hybrid cow-elk on the label.   The website provides an explanation, "Happens every year; people shootin' cows.  That's how the Slow Elk got it's name.  Enjoy the creamy texture, great malt complexity and the unequaled smoothness of this Northern Rockies Oatmeal Stout.  Stock your fridge the easy way and keep an ear open for the unmistakable bugle of the slow elk....Mooo!"  So...I don't get it.  Do people in Montana call cows 'slow elk'?  According to the google-brain, slow elk is a southern term for a domestic cow that is shot from the roadside and butchered in the field.  A form of domestic cow poaching.....weird!

This stout is a 5.4% alcohol.  It's a black color, clear and some light is able to get through.  About 2 inches of tan head form after the pour, with decent retention.  The aroma is subdued with oats, cocoa powder, and a hint of black licorice.  Not bad.  The first drink is certainly smooth and silky, as expected from the style.  Sweeter than I expected, with a mild dark/milk chocolate flavor, molasses, and a light amount of roasted malts.  Subtle hints of nuts, pistachios.  Then some gritty, light coffee grinds come in.  The finish leaves a soft astringency lingering, difficult to describe, not good but not overwhelming either.  The mouthfeel is light for the style, with low carbonation...certainly a little thinner than I would like.

Overall Rating:  This was a mediocre oatmeal stout.  Very light and drinkable, but also fairly bland.  I'll finish the bottle, but you won't see me purchasing it ever again.  C-