Oatmeal Stout Review

I've been pretty busy for the last few weeks and will probably still be busy for the next week or so. That is the reason for the longish delay in reviewing the oatmeal stout. But here goes.

Appearance: Deep brown / black. Not completely opaque, but close. Small tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving only the surface of the beer and a few bubbles around the perimeter of the surface.

Aroma: I get a roast / chocolatey aroma, like a classic dry stout. A hint of dark fruit is somewhere in there. No hop aroma. I'm not really sure that the oats have contributed anything to the aroma, since I don't get anything that smells like oatmeal cookies.

Taste: Again, roast, coffee and chocolatey notes, but pretty subdued. No astringency. It's fairly dry, I would say almost as dry as an Irish Dry stout. I get some hop bitterness in the aftertaste. It's kind of earthy and blends well with the roast flavor.

Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, but a thickish mouthfeel provided by the oats. Roasty aftertaste.

Overall:  It tastes quite good, especially as it warms to serving temperature. As intended, it's tasty but overpowering, and it is low in ABV.  A good session beer. But the head retention is disappointing. Next time I will add some Carapils, wheat, or flaked barley to give it better foam.