Old Man Oatmeal stout

by Ashley Cotter-Cairns
(UNOB Towers)

Old Man Oatmeal stout: named after a mountain, not some crusty geezer, apparently

During a visit to New Hampshire this weekend, I met one of Woodstock Inn and Brewery's brewers, Butch. First we tried the special edition of Pemi Pale ale. Shortly afterwards, he bought me a pint of Old Man Oatmeal stout.

Before you accuse me of being easily bought and treating my review with a grain of salt (or sugar!), let me add that this was not the only beer I was bought over the weekend and nor was it the best.

Besides, that is not the point. The point is, Old Man stout was delicious.

I stuck my nose in the small head and took a sniff. At once, the chocolate malt was easily detectable. A couple of hours since I ate dinner and I was about to drink my dessert!

Butch told me that the beer was intentionally made slightly sweeter than an average stout. Well, that's fine by me! I found the taste rich, complex and thoroughly satisfying, with that chocolate malt giving way to licorice and coffee undertones.

It was sweet, but not novelty beer sweet, with a decent body and smooth mouth feel. Being a stout, the finish was bitterish and it was all I could do to prevent myself from licking the sides of the glass clean when I was done.