As the temperatures in Sydney dropped below 10 deg each night this week, I’m sticking to stouts. Milk (or sweet) stout last week, I’m stepping up a category with the @hopnationbeer Karma Oatmeal Stout. Oatmeal stouts were once an extension of sweet stouts, with the addition of oatmeal to increase the body. They’ve morphed over the years from the traditional English beers to range between quite sweet to relatively dry. Hop Nation (who have a great range of NEIPA’s, hoppy and sour beers) have done well with their foray into winter warmers, with a beer I’ll be drinking again. I drank this at cellar temperature, which is how I like most of my stouts, with the exception of milk/sweet versions.
Can. Pours jet black, with a thick, light tan head that is retained throughout and laces heavily. Delicious dark chocolate aromas, with nutty oat notes, milky sweetness and medium levels of toasted malts. The flavour profiles are quite different to the aroma, with only a threat of the sweetness on the nose, before turning into quite a dry stout. Toasted malts abound, capturing charred barrels, cold camp fire, espresso. The oats provide nuttiness, while bitter chocolate, the roasted malts and a little but it earthy hop provide relatively firm bitterness towards the back end. Medium bodied, and just lacks a bit oaty texture to push it into the next level.
3.7/5. Trent