Oatmeal Stout Tasting

Me vs. Sam Smith again, only this time it's the second, all-grain edition of the homebrew.

Appearance-wise, mine is a tiny bit deeper black with a slightly darker head. Neither head is anything to write home about, which goes with the territory (oats having some fat content).

Nose:

Sam: Coffee, winey dryness. Warmer, a distinct creamy note is perceptible, like chocolate Hagen Daaz (sp?).

Me: Substantially fruitier. A little more toward chocolate than coffee. It's not better than Sam's but it's really sultry and intoxicatingly fruity. Less tightly focused, but nevertheless really interesting.

Flavor/Body/Finish:

Sam: Lovely, focused chocolatey palate--dry, even ever so slightly sour in spots. Finish is fruity and lingering.

Me: Oily, rich palate. Chocolatey, slightly less dry than Sam's, but nowhere near cloying. Finish is fatter, swinging from cream and coffee toward butter and chocolate.

These are both pretty beautiful beers. I ought to investigate ways to touch up my grain bill to get a little more toward the tighter, coffee-er end, as I think I prefer that. Should ask that on a More Beer forum or something.