Beer Review: Pub Dog Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

'tis a pity

I picked up a single 16.9 oz. bottle DOG Brewing's Pub Dog Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Oatmeal Stout at Cindy's in Elkridge, MD a few weeks ago. It had been in the cellar, but I decided to open in Friday night. I figured that if it was as good as I hoped that I could easily get more to keep on hand. 

I poured this into a snifter and shared the bottle with my wife and her sister. It came out dark brown with a very fine head and little to no lacing. The head is retained at the edges throughout the tasting. The aroma is very lightly roasted malt and with a hint of chocolate.

Up front it tastes very tart. It's jumbled up with some hints of dark chocolate. The tartness continues through the tasting, almost like it was aged in bad red wine barrels. Not a hint of bourbon or wood. There is not much character or depth to the flavor profile at all. I am saddened by this. 

This beer just flat-out misses the mark. This should be a much more robust beer with well defined and harmonious flavors of chocolate, wood and bourbon. I doubt I'd buy this one again unless some serious tweaking is done to it. It's kind of like a sour porter, not much of a stout feel to it. I hate to post a bad review, but it needs to be said. Do not buy this beer, it's a waste of money. Hell, even if I was offered a free one, I might pass on it.