Fat Dog Imperial
Oatmeal Stout
Review Date 9/23/2005
Try?
Re-buy?
I had the good
fortune to visit the Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, PA some years ago. Right
off the bat I was impressed: by the interesting tour, the great beer, and
the commitment to freshness displayed by a brewery that packaged its beer
unpasteurised and unfiltered in 750ml bottles. They placed the words "MUST
BE KEPT REFRIGERATED" on the label, famous words to live by indeed.
There's a little history behind this commitment in my personal experience. For a time, Stoudt's beers were available in my former home state of Rhode Island. I was happy to see them to be sure, but sadly all too frequently I would walk into a liquor store and see them sitting warm on a shelf. When I informed the retailer that the beer really should be refrigerated, I was given the brush off or, worse yet, advised it would be seen to in a mendacious tone. Dismayed, I called the brewery and explained the distributor wasn't doing it's job insuring that retailers were properly handling the beer. I was assured I would get a return call on the matter, and I did indeed.
It was Carol Stoudt herself who called me, and she assured me she would look into the matter. Evidently the distributor was not willing to put the effort into the product, as soon after Stoudt beers were no longer available in Rhode Island. It was not my intention to deprive my state of the fine line of Stoudt's beers, but better that than the consumer receive stale beer.
In any event, Stoudt’s beers have been too long absent from my DBR, with the exception of the occasional trip to Philadelphia which allowed me to procure some. Now they’ve appeared in Georgia, no longer in 750ml bottles but in six-packs instead. Stoudt’s now brews and bottles their own 12 ounce six-packs, no longer relaying on FX Matt (Saranac) to do this for them.
Tonight’s beer: Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout. This one has changed a bit over the years. Here are my tasting notes from five years ago:
The label indicates an imperial stout in style, but it seems much closer to a dry stout in my estimation. The alcohol warmth and licorice notes so common in imperials are not present here, but what one _does_ get is plenty of roasty, slightly coffeeish and heavily chocolatey notes followed by a good balancing, slightly bitter hop finish. This is really a nice beer, and a great example of the craftsmanship so evident in every bottle from Stoudt's, certainly one of Pennsylvania's leading craft brewers. Try it with fried oysters, or perhaps as a dessert beer with a slice of chocolate cake.
I don’t recall the oatmeal qualification in those days, either. Either way, the beer seems much bigger today. It’s still jet black in color with a thick creamy head as you would expect. But it’s much more akin to a true Imperial now, rich and roasty with a full mouthfeel packed with notes of espresso, chocolate, raisin, vanilla, and lots of licorice.
The nose alone on Fat Dog Stout is a pure delight, rich and heady, intoxicating in its own luxuriant fashion. The silkiness of an oatmeal stout isn’t here, but this is an Imperial all the way. It finishes in a big way with a warming alcohol presence and a delightful roastiness, making it a natural for a cool fall or winter night. And the bottle conditioning with live yeast can only improve the beer over time.
The one down side? Fat Dog is pricey at about $10 a six-pack. It’s well worth it though. So why not try one today? You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but a fat dog like this is still man’s best friend all the same.
There's a little history behind this commitment in my personal experience. For a time, Stoudt's beers were available in my former home state of Rhode Island. I was happy to see them to be sure, but sadly all too frequently I would walk into a liquor store and see them sitting warm on a shelf. When I informed the retailer that the beer really should be refrigerated, I was given the brush off or, worse yet, advised it would be seen to in a mendacious tone. Dismayed, I called the brewery and explained the distributor wasn't doing it's job insuring that retailers were properly handling the beer. I was assured I would get a return call on the matter, and I did indeed.
It was Carol Stoudt herself who called me, and she assured me she would look into the matter. Evidently the distributor was not willing to put the effort into the product, as soon after Stoudt beers were no longer available in Rhode Island. It was not my intention to deprive my state of the fine line of Stoudt's beers, but better that than the consumer receive stale beer.
In any event, Stoudt’s beers have been too long absent from my DBR, with the exception of the occasional trip to Philadelphia which allowed me to procure some. Now they’ve appeared in Georgia, no longer in 750ml bottles but in six-packs instead. Stoudt’s now brews and bottles their own 12 ounce six-packs, no longer relaying on FX Matt (Saranac) to do this for them.
Tonight’s beer: Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout. This one has changed a bit over the years. Here are my tasting notes from five years ago:
The label indicates an imperial stout in style, but it seems much closer to a dry stout in my estimation. The alcohol warmth and licorice notes so common in imperials are not present here, but what one _does_ get is plenty of roasty, slightly coffeeish and heavily chocolatey notes followed by a good balancing, slightly bitter hop finish. This is really a nice beer, and a great example of the craftsmanship so evident in every bottle from Stoudt's, certainly one of Pennsylvania's leading craft brewers. Try it with fried oysters, or perhaps as a dessert beer with a slice of chocolate cake.
I don’t recall the oatmeal qualification in those days, either. Either way, the beer seems much bigger today. It’s still jet black in color with a thick creamy head as you would expect. But it’s much more akin to a true Imperial now, rich and roasty with a full mouthfeel packed with notes of espresso, chocolate, raisin, vanilla, and lots of licorice.
The nose alone on Fat Dog Stout is a pure delight, rich and heady, intoxicating in its own luxuriant fashion. The silkiness of an oatmeal stout isn’t here, but this is an Imperial all the way. It finishes in a big way with a warming alcohol presence and a delightful roastiness, making it a natural for a cool fall or winter night. And the bottle conditioning with live yeast can only improve the beer over time.
The one down side? Fat Dog is pricey at about $10 a six-pack. It’s well worth it though. So why not try one today? You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but a fat dog like this is still man’s best friend all the same.
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
