Winter is stout and porter season. Nothing calms the chill of a harsh winter night like a big, dark, preferably high alcohol beer. Well, Boulder Beer has made Obovoid, and oak-aged oatmeal stout which seems to have every quality in place to make me love the hell out of it. And so I did.
Despite the claims on the bottle that the beer is "dark as deep space", my pour had a definite rich mahogany in body. The off-white, pushing-toward-brown head is immensely rich and creamy. As I drank it marbled wonderfully, and maintained through virtually the entire 22 oz. The aroma has some robust coffee and espresso notes as well as a mellow vanilla from the oak.
It drinks wonderfully smooth. The flavor matches the aroma to a great extent, with a rich, bold espresso up front backed up by a hint of vanilla and caramel. The oats provide a rich yet mellow backing that lesser oatmeal stouts scorch to death in search of "intensity". In various sips, the beer even has a slight cream soda/root beer quality to it, only heightening the drinkability. There is a slight tangy carbonation that is my least favorite part of the beer, but in general the mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, coating the mouth evenly and distributing the flavors wonderfully.
I was fortunate to also have this beer on draft, and I can say that it is frighteningly similar, a credit to the fantastic brewing at work here. That aforementioned tang is totally absent out of the tap, and it ups the toffee and cream factor.
After eyeing this bottle in Whole Foods forever, I was smart enough to pick one up. I suggest you do the same. Obovoid is a rich, sweet, mellow experience that shows both an adventurous spirit and the ever-more-desirable quality of restraint. With the stout, oak, and oatmeal, there were plenty of places to screw up, but Obovoid manages to combine all the parts without doing a disservice to any. Fantastic work, perfect for a chilly night.
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