Saint Patrick’s Day is this week, normally a huge day for bars and breweries, but that is obviously still toned down a lot this year due to the continued presence of COVID-19. Hopefully by next year things will be fully back and we can all gather at our favorite local watering holes for pints of stout, Irish red, Jameson on the rocks, or even green-colored beer if that is your thing. This year most of us will be celebrating at home. I am cooking a big pot of beef stew with a stout base, and I have plenty of dark beers on hand for the week. I’ve actually noticed an uptick in dry Irish stouts and foreign extra stouts coming out of local breweries this year. I’m not sure if they have always been making these beers and they are just getting packaged and distributed this year due to COVID, or if this is a new trend for the holiday, but I am a fan either way. I love a smooth and malty stout and don’t been huge ABVs, loads of adjuncts, or bourbon barrels to enjoy a dark beer. One I grabbed recently is the Nitro Oatmeal Stout from Bunker Brewing. I really miss drinking draught stouts on nitro, it is just a different experience, but canned nitro beers capture most of the positives. Bunker Brewing Nitro Oatmeal stout is available in the late winter on draught and in 16 oz cans.
Bunker Brewing Nitro Oatmeal Stout pours nearly black with a solid tan head. The aroma features some rich and roasty malts. These malts also lead the flavor, hints of black coffee, caramel and dark chocolate. Some earthy and herbal hops add balance along with a touch of late bitter bite. Nitro Oatmeal Stout is medium to full bodied, silky smooth and not too boozy at 5% ABV. It doesn’t have quit the same mouthfeel you get from a nitro draught system (or the cans/bottles with the nitrogen pellet), but you can tell it is on nitro and not carbonated. The finish is rich with some lingering roasted malt. This is a very tasty stout, plenty of dark malt flavor, easy drinking and delicious. A great beer to bring out the Irish in you this week! Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Previous Bunker Brewing reviews:
Hoppy Boston 
