Just the other day, I was browsing through the postings in that most revered of all beer groups, Honest Craft Beer Reviews, when I saw a posting about Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout from the Independence Brewing Company of Austin, Texas. That made me think, and I said to myself, “Self, don’t you have a bottle of that beer in one of the beer fridges?”. Yes I did, and so I broke it out and decided it was time to drink it.
This is the second Independence brewery for me, as I fondly recall the now-defunct Independence brewery from Philadelphia, PA. This Independence brewery, however, is in Texas and has been since it was founded there in 2004. This is my first beer from Austin’s Independence brewery.
The brewery says of their Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout:
Flaked oats create a rich, creamy body that tempers the bitter roasted barley flavors of this robust, heady ale. The name Convict Hill Stout was inspired by Convict Hill in southwest Austin, where limestone was quarried for the Texas capitol building.
Ingredients from the website:
Hops: Nugget
Malts: Roasted Barley, Chocolate Malt, Flaked Oats
Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout has an alcohol content of 8% by volume and is a year-round selection from independence.
Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick creamy tan head and a soft roasted chocolate nose. Taking a sip, the beer has wonderfully roasty dark malty notes up front combined with a silky smooth body and oodles of chocolate and light licorice notes as the beer progresses. It finishes dry roasty, smooth and oh so drinkable with a hint of warming alcohol. My bottle is over a year old and is still really and truly a very wonderful beer. A slightly phenolic note is perhaps its only flaw.
Popping this beer, which has no alcohol content listed on the label, I was expecting a beer of around 5% by volume in strength, closer to the norm for an oatmeal stout. This beer is stronger than that, and I expect that it has easily withstood the test of time because of this. At this strength, I would call this an imperial stout rather than an oatmeal stout.
Definitely a beer I would buy again.
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