Score
7.25
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Flemish oatmeal stout from this brewery in Tielt, with a name spelled 'stowt' instead of 'stout', probably to evoke the meowing of a cat in reference to the brewery's name and logo, or to evoke the Western Flemish pronunciation of the word 'stout'... Very thick and foamy, dense, creamy, membrane-lacing, yellowish brownish-beige, stable head, very dark chocolate brown robe, as good as black, with thin mahogany edge. Aroma of caramel candy, melting 'fondant' chocolate bars, cold cappuccino, brown bread crust, soggy toast, coffee grounds, dusty old jute bags, dried prunes, dry bayleaf, granola, raisins, baked banana slices, ground hazelnuts, dried blackberries, hint of cassis. Sweetish onset with slight sourish edge, dried fig and dried blackberries with a slice of red apple and a hint of banana, finely carbonated with smooth, oily mouthfeel - and of course that typical velvetiness oatmeal tends to bring. The oatmeal also adds a light granola-like sweetish edge to a caramelly, hazelnutty and brown-bread-crusty malt profile, harbouring a black-chocolatey backbone within, which becomes more prominent towards the end, when coffee-like roasty aspects also show up - albeit in a 'friendly', somewhat restrained way. Leafy hops add a bitter note to the tail, where the black chocolate, brown bread and caramel pleasantly linger on, warmed by a dash of alcohol - which even adds a brief 'heat' in the very end, more so than one would expect from a beer of this strength. Other than that, nothing wrong here, on the contrary: this is a very pleasant, accessible, clean and sleek, technically well-executed oatmeal stout, no frills or additives here but just the basic thing - and I love that, especially when it is well constructed as is the case here. Too bad for the badly hidden alcohol, this would have hit a higher score with me otherwise.
22/VI/22 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ last choir rehearsal before summer, BB: 26/IV/23, bottled: 26/IV/22 (2022-771)
Clear dark brown to black beer, big creamy beige head, stable, non adhesive. Aroma: very malty, grains, good roast, earthy touch. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: oh my, lovely stuff going on here, a good warm roast, caramel notes, a little sweetness from the malts, very classic but very well done! Aftertaste: more malts, grains, good roast, earthy and almost bitter finish.