I'll triple the oatmeal stout recommendation. Also try Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout if they have it.
I like the dark German wheat beers, too. They're soft and drinkable, but with complex yeast esters. Other brand names escape me. Maybe Tom, will suggest a few.

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Everything they make is excellent. A visit to their brewery has been on my list of things to do. Perhaps the next family camping trip will be in the Anderson Valley...

i didnt get the oatmeal stout, but i did grab a sixer of the-

Paulaner Salvator- 7.5% alcohol. i had been looking forward to trying this dopplebock for a while. it pours a rich mahogany color, very clear, with small whispy head. strong fruity aromas with raisins. had a very rich and full caramel flavor, with hints of molasses and toffee. silky texture, with strong presence of malt. overall powerful flavor that finished slightly dry and bitter. very good beer with presence of alcohol very dominate. will definitely have again. might go good with a salty, cold-cut hoagie. 7.5 out of 10.

bigjohn

Gaining any weight, bigjohn?

I had a couple of beers yesterday myself. Now that my spring sport coaching assignment is over I get home at 2:30 - leaving plenty of time for drinking.
Warmed up with about 2L of Dos Equis from the keg. I then moved on to the Affligem Dubbel that Tom left in my frig. Excellent beer. Dubbels tend to be my fav Belgian style. Bananas and chocolate, some raisin. Excellent, soft and estery. Went great with beans & weinies.
Against my better judgement I also opened the Affligem Trippel. When cold, it started with raunchy malt and had a curious mineral finish. Plenty of alcohol. Warming, the bananas came to the forefront. I forget the second glass, but I remember thinking that I much preferred the Dubbel.

Thanks for the update John, I'll have to try the Salvator again some time. I don't remember it being a bad brew, I just prefer Spaten Optimator to it. Now I still have that Ayinger Celebrator in the fridge and I suspect that it will be my new favorite Dopplebock.

It looks like yesterday was a day for beer sampling. I sadly finished my last Young's Double Chocolate Stout last night and I'm glad I still have their Oatmeal Stout to look forward to. The Double Chocolate is really a good stout and it finishes with a nice and smooth roasted flavor that draws me to this style. The chocolate is there but just enough to justify it's title. I do recall more chocolate presence when I had it on tap though. I wish I could get this stuff without having to go on a roadtrip.

after doing a search, i see that i gave the Spaten Optimator a 7 out of 10. it had the same type sweetness, with raisin and caramel flavors. i remember liking it very much.

i talked with the owner of the beer store yesterday, and he said he has had a few more requests for the different Ayinger beers, so he was gonna try and make a solid effort to get more in. he also informed me that he would not be able to get any beers from the Rochefort and Three Floyds breweries. apparently, there isnt even a distributor in Texas for those makes of beer. so sad for me..

i am gonna have to try one of the chocolates or oatmeals. i just wuss-out everytime i am in there..

bigjohn

OK, this needs a bump.. i just tried one of my buddies 'fruit' beers this weekend....

Abita Purple Haze Raspberry- 4.8% alcohol. pours slightly hazy(how ironic), with an amber/purple color. very sweet smelling, bold fruit aroma. reminded me of Kool-Aid.. drinking this one was hard. i think if it didnt say "beer" on the bottle, you would think it was a wine-cooler. it was kinda fizzy in the mouth, and had a dry tart taste throughout. overall taste was uninspiring, and ended with a slight metallic flavor..? i should have learned my lesson with 'fruit' beers after i was sooo disappointed with the samual adams cherry wheat. i give the Abita a 3 out of 10. not good at all.

BTW- i had a bud light in a bottle for the first time in like 3-4 months, and i realized just how bad it is. it was very spritzy, with a sickly-sweet flavor. almost like apple cider that had gone bad a little. i drank it cause its all that was avail, and it got easier with every sip.. but, after tasting all these good beers, i just dont see myself going back. its too hard..

bigjohn

That pseudo-cider flavor is what you end up with when you add corn sugar to a beer to bump the alcohol content but not contribute anything to the body. Given that the beer has very little flavor to begin with, it's extremely hard to mask.

i wasnt aware of that.. thanks for the brew lesson..

a friend of mine in college tried to make his own beer several years back, and it came out BAD.. after tasting his, and seeing the effort he put into it.. i just decided that it was MUCH easier just to go pick some up from the store..

bigjohn

Can someone explain again why the beer thread is in "Advice from Axiom Owners" and the wine thread is in "Water Cooler" ?

Thank heavens for "search"