Try?
Have you ever
stopped to think what your beer is made of? Most people, I suspect, probably
don’t. Maybe they know it’s made with barley malt, but how many also know
that some mainstream American lagers are also made with rice or corn? That
are a lot of grains that can go into beer making, and at times you never
really know what these adjuncts (additional grains beside barley) really
are.
You don’t have to worry about that with Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout. That’s because Colorado’s Breckenridge brewery tells you right from the get go that this one is made with oats, although to be fair just everybody making the style will tell you that too. Certainly, Oatmeal Stout won’t (and shouldn’t) replace your morning bowl of this venerated cholesterol-lowering staple food. And don’t tell your doctor I said it would, either.
Still, oats do add a magical touch to beer, especially in an inky black stout. They can make it more drinkable indeed, and I think more accessible. If you’re put off by the bitter roasted character of some stouts, don’t give up on dark beer just yet. A tall cool (but not cold) glass of Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout just might be the thing for you, especially with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner as I type.
Some specs from the brewery:
Malts:
Two Row Pale, Caramel, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Oat Flakes, Black
Hops:
Chinook, Perle
Alcohol by Volume:
4.95%.
Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout pours to a dark black (but not opaque) color with a thick rocky tan head formation and a decidedly chocolaty nose. A sip reveals a medium bodied, rather dry stout with a wonderfully chocolaty palate. Oats can impart a silky-smooth, somewhat oily character to beer, and I get that here, though not as much as in some oatmeal stouts. Notes of chocolate pudding and black coffee are apparent as well.
In the finish, a grassy, minty herbal hop aroma adds a subtle bitter buzz to the roasty bitterness found here. I think if I had my druthers I would add just a tad more body, but all in all this is a very easy to drink and delicious stout. It’s also a wonderful dessert beer, one that I can easily imagine pairing with a slab of chocolate cake garnished with mint ice cream.
Far and away, my favorite beer from Breckenridge.
You don’t have to worry about that with Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout. That’s because Colorado’s Breckenridge brewery tells you right from the get go that this one is made with oats, although to be fair just everybody making the style will tell you that too. Certainly, Oatmeal Stout won’t (and shouldn’t) replace your morning bowl of this venerated cholesterol-lowering staple food. And don’t tell your doctor I said it would, either.
Still, oats do add a magical touch to beer, especially in an inky black stout. They can make it more drinkable indeed, and I think more accessible. If you’re put off by the bitter roasted character of some stouts, don’t give up on dark beer just yet. A tall cool (but not cold) glass of Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout just might be the thing for you, especially with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner as I type.
Some specs from the brewery:
Malts:
Two Row Pale, Caramel, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Oat Flakes, Black
Hops:
Chinook, Perle
Alcohol by Volume:
4.95%.
Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout pours to a dark black (but not opaque) color with a thick rocky tan head formation and a decidedly chocolaty nose. A sip reveals a medium bodied, rather dry stout with a wonderfully chocolaty palate. Oats can impart a silky-smooth, somewhat oily character to beer, and I get that here, though not as much as in some oatmeal stouts. Notes of chocolate pudding and black coffee are apparent as well.
In the finish, a grassy, minty herbal hop aroma adds a subtle bitter buzz to the roasty bitterness found here. I think if I had my druthers I would add just a tad more body, but all in all this is a very easy to drink and delicious stout. It’s also a wonderful dessert beer, one that I can easily imagine pairing with a slab of chocolate cake garnished with mint ice cream.
Far and away, my favorite beer from Breckenridge.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
