Yazoo "All Dog Alert" Oatmeal Stout

Yazoo has a generally bad reputation here in the hometown. At least, that has been my experience in talking to people who have lived in the area longer than me. Maybe this isn't the average group, as I distinctly recall hearing joy in visitor's voices when they saw the Yazoo stand in the midway of the airport. They've generally tended toward average beers in my reviews, so I'm not sure where this dismissive attitude originates.

Pouring it shows a surprisingly dark red beer. I expected this beer to be dark, but I didn't expect to be quite as red as it is. I know that Guinness likes to refer to their beer as Ruby, but it is black for all intents and purposes. This one, I would call deep ruby red. It doesn't sprout much head, and the minuscule head that it does produce does not stick around for very long. The aroma is sweet oatmeal and dark earth. It's a cold night, and I'm looking forward to a complex beer.

First sip is resolutely dry, bitter, and laden with coffee-like malt. This is not a way to win me over to your beverage. I was looking forward to a silky smooth, somewhat sweet and complex oatmeal stout, but you have added a malt that does not seem to mesh well with my expectations. Is the fault mine because of my expectations? It's not uncommon to have a malt of coffee in a stout. Maybe the sip just brings too much of what I don't like out. Let's try full swig.

Tip-in is profoundly bitter with coffee and earth up front. The middle is somewhat watery coffee. The finish is more coffee and dryness.

Bottom line: I believe the first true stinker in the Yazoo bunch.

0.5/5