Blueberry Oatmeal Stout - Buffalo Bill's Brewery, Hayward

I debated whether or not to include this as one of this year's Jingle Beers because there isn't anything terribly festive about an Oatmeal Stout that's been spiked with blueberries. Since Buffalo Bill's Brewery only releases this during the winter months I figured I'd go ahead and include it anyways. Oatmeal Stouts are great, hearty beers with thick textures and dark flavors... so I'm not sure exactly how the addition of tart blueberries would work here. When I was pouring this beer I just about forgot that what was so special about it. This beer looks like a plain stout, it's black with a thin off-white head. When I went in closer I could smell those blueberries rolling out of the pint glass.

It's an interesting combination... dark beer and blueberries, not something I would have thought to try on my own. I'm glad the folks at Buffalo Bill's Brewery put this beer together, whether I like the beer or not I enjoy trying these sorts of combinations.

So, this beer tastes pretty much like you'd expect. Right up front you've got some really tart blueberry flavoring. It tastes a bit out of place, like it doesn't belong in such a rich beer. The Stout flavors play second fiddle to the blueberries, which is a bit disappointing but not entirely unexpected. This beer's flavor combination really just isn't doing it for me... there's something about the strong tart blueberries with the dark stout that just isn't working.

I'm glad I tried this beer, now I know I can avoid it in the future...