Beer of the Weekend #904: Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout
The second beer of the (last) weekend is something special I saw lingering on a local beer shelf: Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout, brewed by the Confluence Brewing Company of Des Moines, Iowa.
Where’s the usual pic? I’ll get to that in a moment. An image of the label will have to do.
The color is opaque black. Two fingers of tan, bubble-spotted, thick head settles slowly, leaving a trail of foam on the glass.
The aroma is dark and roasty. There are scents of roasted malt, chocolate, and molasses. It’s very dark but also smells smooth and creamy, so the oats are evident.
Roasted malt dominates the flavor, and the beer is very bitter and sharp. (I keep wanting to use acidic to describe that character but don’t know if it’s correct.) Dark chocolate is noticeable and there are hints of berries, but it is mostly roasted malt. Molasses comes through too. It tastes flat and old despite the fact the canning date on the bottom is October 10, less than two months ago. Frankly, it does not taste well made. The alcohol is completely masked. Neither the aroma or flavor bring oatmeal cookies to mind—which is a bummer because I’m a huge fan of oatmeal cookies. There are also flavors of vanilla and cinnamon. Honestly, it’s a pretty bad anniversary beer.
Fun facts about Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout:
• Style: Oatmeal cookie stout.
• Price: $9.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Coralville, Iowa. Here’s the thing I’ve noticed about beer sold at New Pi, especially the Iowa City location: it can be old as hell. Case in point: there are bombers on the shelves at the IC location that were bottled in 2015 (I can’t remember the beer or brewery right now). Not cool.
• Alcohol content: 7.9 percent ABV.
• Calories: 316 per 16-ounce can (estimate). If you multiply by 3 instead of 2.5 (Ounces[ABV x 3]) the estimated calories are a whopping 379.2. Yowza!
• Here is the beer’s description from the brewery website:
• Dark beer, like stout and porter, does not agree with me anymore. They give me the worst hangovers. No matter how much I drink the night before, I feel dehydrated and have a headache in the morning. Wine has the same effect on me, which is why I have not drunk wine in 10 or 11 years.
• So why is there no pic? After drinking one or two cans of Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout, I dumped the others down the drain. The beer was in the sewer when I realized I forgot to take the usual pic. Oops!
• I think Confluence’s birthday is the same day as mine: October 22.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C-.
Where’s the usual pic? I’ll get to that in a moment. An image of the label will have to do.
The color is opaque black. Two fingers of tan, bubble-spotted, thick head settles slowly, leaving a trail of foam on the glass.
The aroma is dark and roasty. There are scents of roasted malt, chocolate, and molasses. It’s very dark but also smells smooth and creamy, so the oats are evident.
Roasted malt dominates the flavor, and the beer is very bitter and sharp. (I keep wanting to use acidic to describe that character but don’t know if it’s correct.) Dark chocolate is noticeable and there are hints of berries, but it is mostly roasted malt. Molasses comes through too. It tastes flat and old despite the fact the canning date on the bottom is October 10, less than two months ago. Frankly, it does not taste well made. The alcohol is completely masked. Neither the aroma or flavor bring oatmeal cookies to mind—which is a bummer because I’m a huge fan of oatmeal cookies. There are also flavors of vanilla and cinnamon. Honestly, it’s a pretty bad anniversary beer.
Fun facts about Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout:
• Style: Oatmeal cookie stout.
• Price: $9.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Coralville, Iowa. Here’s the thing I’ve noticed about beer sold at New Pi, especially the Iowa City location: it can be old as hell. Case in point: there are bombers on the shelves at the IC location that were bottled in 2015 (I can’t remember the beer or brewery right now). Not cool.
• Alcohol content: 7.9 percent ABV.
• Calories: 316 per 16-ounce can (estimate). If you multiply by 3 instead of 2.5 (Ounces[ABV x 3]) the estimated calories are a whopping 379.2. Yowza!
• Here is the beer’s description from the brewery website:
Up to this point our yearly anniversary ritual has been to brew a special porter. This year we decided to mix things up a bit with an Oatmeal Cookie Stout. Utilizing four commercial-grade ovens, we hand-toasted 100 lbs. of oats for the brew, added molasses, cinnamon, and vanilla, and finally threw dozens of fresh oatmeal cookies from La Mie Bakery directly into the boil. Why you ask? Because it’s our anniversary and we wanted to have fun! We couldn't have made it through our 6th year without all of our wonderful fans, so from all of us at Confluence: Thank you, have a cookie, and raise a glass. Cheers!
• Dark beer, like stout and porter, does not agree with me anymore. They give me the worst hangovers. No matter how much I drink the night before, I feel dehydrated and have a headache in the morning. Wine has the same effect on me, which is why I have not drunk wine in 10 or 11 years.
• So why is there no pic? After drinking one or two cans of Anniversary Oatmeal Cookie Stout, I dumped the others down the drain. The beer was in the sewer when I realized I forgot to take the usual pic. Oops!
• I think Confluence’s birthday is the same day as mine: October 22.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C-.
