163. Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout

This is our second beer from Dark Horse Brewery; like the last one, Crooked Tree IPA, we had this on tap @ South Park Tavern.

Pouring a deep brownish black, One has a tan head that quickly dissipates to a ring; the nose is burnt cindery and roasted malt with some chocolate hints. One starts with chocolate and burnt malt accompanied by dry biscuit malt flavors; the middle has an upswing of sweetness and a good dose of roasted malt flavor, finishing dry with bitterness that is more a product of malt than hops and some light chalkiness. Medium bodied, One has a creamy mouthfeel, but also some harsher cinder notes across the profile; the low to medium carbonation and dryness accentuate the cinder mouthfeel components a bit. An enjoyable beer; it is not the most oatmeal-y oatmeal stout that has come our way. It could use a bit more roundedness and less harshness from the roasted barley to allow the flavor profile and mouthfeel to be more rounded—there are lots o’ cindery bits in this beer. At the same time, One is a very tasty beer.

From the Dark Horse website: “Number one in a series of five stouts produced to help ease you through the cold and grey midwestern winters. This beer is full bodied with hints of chocolate, roasted barley, coffee flavors and a nice creamy head.”

ABV: 8.0%

Um....yer artwerk is showin’...

(12/10/2009)