Mike Loves Beer

It’s no secret that Coffee District is one of my favorite local places to get a good beer.  So it’s pretty obvious that I’m going to mention that tonight they are celebrating their 4th Anniversary.  To mark the occasion they will have live music along with some special and rare kegs hitting the taps.  Here is what to expect.

• Cigar City Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout
• Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb 2
• De Dolle Boskeun
• Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA
• Dogfish Head Burton Baton
• Tequesta Hop Scotch
• Southern Tier Creme Brulee
• And much more!

Things get started at 7 pm and will probably be going pretty late.  I myself will be out there so I hope to see a number of my regular readers and maybe some new faces.

Coffee District
325 NE 2nd Avenue #104
Delray Beach, FL 33444

It’s Thursday and you need something to do tonight?  Well you sir and/or ma’am are in luck.  Tonight at South Florida’s hottest brew pub, The Funk Buddha, they will be hosting a special Southern Tier night.

Five awesome kegs will be on tap from the New York brewers including the ultra popular Choklat.  Also joining it will be kegs of Iniquity, Gemeni, Cuvee 3 and Backburner.

So head on over to the Buddha around 7 pm for the event.  There is no cover, just pay as you drink.

The Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery
2621 N. Federal Hwy
Boca Raton, FL 33431

Name – Oat
Country – United States
Type – American Imperial Stout

My first craft beer I ever had was Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout years ago.  From that point on I have been hooked to craft beer and that beer in particular hold a very special place on my pallet.  It was unlike anything I ever imagined a beer could be like.  The body of the beer from the oats and the subtle taste of them just took me to far off lands I didn’t think actually existed.

It is a number of years later now but we have been finally been graced with a beer I have been eagerly awaiting.  When Southern Tier hit South Florida early in 2010 I took it upon myself to read more about them.  And when I saw that they have a fall/winter seasonal beer called Oat I figuratively jumped out of my seat.

A couple weeks ago the bottles started hitting the shelves and the kegs hitting the lines of some select bars.  I grabbed a bottle and it was time to see what Southern Tier pushed out.

It poured into my nonic pint glass a mostly black color.  But there were some deep red highlights along the edges of the glass.  A nice sized light brown head sat atop the brew.

The nose was subtle but you got what you needed.  Cocoa and roasted malts were the main driving force.  A little bit of the alcohol peaked out in the nose as well.

The taste is more cocoa along with a lactose flavor as well.  There is a slight bitterness to it but it seems to be from chocolate or coffee more so than hops.  The body is full and creamy as you would hope with the style.

I made a bold claim on Twitter the other night when I was drinking this beer.  I called Southern Tier the “Kings of the Stout.”  But this Blackwater Series is incredibly good.  From Choklat to Mokah to Creme Brule and now to Oat (yes I left out Jahvah since I’m not a coffee stout fan) they just continue to hit the seems off the ball with these stouts.

So if you want yourself a very good oatmeal stout for this winter season I can’t recommend enough to pick this beer up.  Let it warm up a bit and have it by the fire.  Well I guess if you have a fire place.

Grade - A-