A dark Stout called The Poet with a raven on the label conjures up images of dark, creepy poems with beating hearts and swinging pendulums; luckily this beer is a bit more inviting. We have reviewed some other New Holland beers in the past and have been satisfied by their brews, let’s see if The Poet can continue the trend.

Poured from a 12oz bottle this 5.2% ABV Oatmeal Stout pours dark black with hints of brown coming through. The one finger head leaves a thin lacing on the glass with great retention all the way down. The Poet smells of unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, and a decent punch of roasted malt; a truly inviting aroma.

By virtue of a lower ABV and a good balance of malt roast and sweetness, The Poet is very easy drinking, almost a session Stout. The immediate flavors are roasted malts, with some malty sweetness, dark chocolate, coffee, and a little bit of bitterness from the hops adding some deeper complexity. What was nice is how the hint of sweetness lasts throughout, but it isn’t at all over whelming and lets the roasted malt and hops play out.

The Poet is a good example of a session Stout as you could easily drink more than one, and thanks to its complexity, you won’t easily become bored with the flavors. The only downfall of The Poet is that at first the flavors seem muted. You have to seek them out as they don’t jump right out at you on the first sip. This aids in the session nature of the beer but hurts some of the flavor components.

Overall: 7.5/10