The Southern Tier Oat, an Imperial Oatmeal Stout, is another part of their Blackwater Series. Other beers in the series include the Choklat, Javh*va, Mokah, and the Creme Brulee. Each of these beers obviously meant to highlight a different area of the Imperial Stout world. The Oat, quite obviously, is meant to highlight the oatmeal stout section.
As I have stated many times before, anything involving stouts and coffee is something that I have to try. Seeing the Cappuccino Stout from Lagunitas on tap was one of those moments. While coffee and espresso beers are common, I had yet to see one that pulls in a cappuccino flavor. I knew that the beer would follow one of two paths, they either pulled off a cappuccino flavor or it’s another regular coffee stout but the brewer wanted a name other than coffee or espresso. Hopefully it’s the first option.
For those who are unaware of Clipper City Brewing Company, the brewers of Heavy Seas beer, their beer is divided into three fleets: The Pyrate Fleet, The Mutiny Fleet, and The Clipper Fleet. Each fleet contains beers of different styles, be it large and robust or classic and low in alcohol. I’m sampling the Siren Noire, an Imperial Chocolate Stout that is part of the Mutiny Fleet.
With the Winter season in full swing, Imperial Stouts are in their glory. The shelves at my local beer store are swimming with Stouts of all varieties: chocolate, oatmeal, coffee, etc. One I’ve been wanting to try is Southern Tier’s Choklat, and Imperial “Chocolate” Stout. Reasonably priced at about $7 for a 22-ounce bottle, not only was this worth trying but considering Southern Tier’s awesome reputation, it’s worth picking up a few.
Stouts, chocolate, and coffee are all things that go well together. Even better is when a beer is brewed with the idea of bringing out those elements. It can be a hard balance to strike, too much chocolate and you overpower the Stout elements, too much coffee and you miss the chocolate smoothness. The offerings from Southern Tier that I have tried recently have been good, hopefully the trend continues with the Mokah.
