The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 19: The Poet

Beer # 183 The Poet Oatmeal Stout

New Holland Brewing Company

Holland, Michigan, United States of America
Independent
Oatmeal Stout Ale 5.2 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.33 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @NewHollandBrew

 Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
    But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
    And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
            Merely this and nothing more.

The Raven -- Edgar Allen Poe  1845

 Years ago I got a copy of Poems, Chiefly Narrative, well, I still have it. But in its pages I first began to enjoy poetry. One of those poems was, of course, The Raven. A dark brooding, twisted tale of a man haunted by ( choose one: Grief, guilty conscience, mental illness, alcohol, drugs, disease, loneliness... etc.) whose fears manifest in the form of a raven that speaks but one word: `Nevermore.`  Poe leaves us to fill in the blanks, Why is the raven there? Who does he represent? What has the hero done? (so many questions). A good beer should be like a good poem. A little thought provoking, a good topic of conversation, and a leave you with desire for more.

Tonight's beer does not specifically invoke the name of Edgar Allen Poe or the Raven, but a cheeky raven is silhouetted against a full moon on the label, leaving us to draw our own conclusions... just like Poe's poem.

Enough literary devices... onto the tasting...

Pours a hazy chocolate brown with a generous tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is caramel, toasted grains, rich chocolate, cedar, and pencil shavings. The first sip is a rich but soft tasting beer. slightly effervescent on the tongue. the oats are dominant... with  lots of toasty grain notes caramel chocolate and a sweet woody finish.Aeration gives us an earthy, caramel, licorice flavour.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

A very standard oatmeal stout. While good it does nothing special to attract attention.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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