Day 14 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 14: Land Grant Brewing Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Raisin Stout
Oh, this is a fun can and fun name! We’ve seen a couple Land Grant beers up here every now and then, but they don’t really have a large footprint in Cleveland yet. Excited to try this! From Land Grant: “Beard Crumbs is a smooth dark stout teeming with notes of chocolate, coffee, and an extra punch of holiday cheer via the addition of caramelized raisins. It delivers the joy of an oatmeal raisin cookie, minus the crumbly cleanup. It’s a festive ale that old Saint Nick himself would love.”
Reflections
Ben: I really wanted to like this because the can and name and concept are all awesome. However, I think this missed the mark. It finishes so bitter to me! And it doesn’t even seem like hop bitterness, cause the flavor isn’t really apparent anywhere else. Is it the raisins? It does get better as it warms, but still finishes bitter no matter what. I’ve enjoyed other beers from Land Grant, so I’ll definitely try this again next year, but this one’s not for me in 2020.
Julia: I was hesitant going into this because I hate oatmeal raisin things. But Ben told me that raisin flavors are in other dark beers I like so I was more open to this. Nope, should have listened to my gut. It tastes like a mix of the terrible grape and cherry medicines we had when we were kids. I don’t get any stout flavors at all (and I love stouts). I really truly did not like this and hope to never see it again. There is absolutely nothing fun and festive about this beer except for the very cute can.
Adam: This one took me the longest to figure out how I feel by far and I think… I don’t like it. I’ll give them credit because it’s certainly complex. I absolutely do get the scent of raisins (which I have never said before about a beer so kudos) and there are notes of chocolate and toffee and it’s a little syrupy. But the thing I dislike is it finishes with a bitter coffee flavor. It says there is coffee in here but it’s like old gas station coffee. And I can’t get it out of my mouth. Starts of really good but finishes bad. Love the smell and the first taste. HATE the after taste a lot
Alex: I was really excited to try Land Grant’s Beard Crumbs, but something tastes a little off about it. It smells pretty good, I can smell the raisins, but it definitely finishes on the bitter side. I feel like I am tasting aluminum from the can or something. Speaking of the can, it’s amazing and adorable. I feel like I would give it a second chance though. Merry Beardmas!
Scott: The beard crumbs oatmeal raisin stout is so far, the best beer graphics to date. It’d charming, whimsical and totally unique. It’s exactly how I’d describe this weird beer. It’s not a typical holiday beer but I love stouts and this one works for me. I imagine this one will be loved or hated by the group, but I plant my flag in this one as a top beer this month.
Christa: This is a beer I knew Scott would love and one I knew wouldn’t be for me. I love the design, it’s so cute and it’s a unique addition to our lineup. I am pleased to taste the oatmeal and it is slightly reminiscent of one of my favorite cookies but the can promises the joy of an oatmeal cookies without the crumbs…I’d still rather have the crumbs. But, in fairness, I tried this last week and handed it to Scott with a big “nope” but I found myself enjoying it a bit more this go around.
Tony: Ok first things first, bonus points for an amazing, original name and can design. For the beard and broad blog it doesn’t get much better in terms of branding alignment than “beard crumbs.” The description is equally enticing with mentions of chocolate, coffee, and carmelized raisins. For me [insert dramatic competition tv show judge pause] it absolutely delivers! I love stouts and this is a really good one. I get the chocolate, coffee and nice bitterness. I cant say that i can distinguish the raisins, but its got great flavor as I’m a fan of oatmeal stouts. I was surprised to see the ABV wasnt higher because it tastes like it would be, but from the name to the can art to the actual taste, I really enjoyed this one! 🍻
Megan: Ok this one intrigued me from the very beginning. I think I was most excited to try a beer named beard crumbs, because why not?! It’s not at all what I was expecting. When you think of cookies and a stout, my mind immediately goes to rich and creamy and sweet but it’s very different. It tastes like chocolate and coffee with a bitter aftertaste. It doesn’t feel super thick or creamy. It’s a dark pour and robust taste but isn’t thick. I’m not getting any of the oatmeal or caramelized raisins as the can indicates and I don’t know if I could say it is the most holiday drink that we’ve had but it’s definitely interesting and I would drink another. It’s just not what I thought it would be. Extra points for a very fun can and name. I came in intrigued and I’m leaving intrigued.
Brad: I love oatmeal stouts. I love this can. I love this beer. I will for sure look for more of these if available. I don’t consider this a problem, but Beard Crumbs seems to be much more hoppy than other oatmeal stouts I’ve had, which actually makes it stand out to me. I think I enjoy the bitterness at the end. I also wish they provided an oatmeal raisin cookie with each can, but whatever.
Heather: Cutest can of the calendar award goes to Beard Crumbs! I love stouts but unlike my better half, did not dig the bitter aftertaste of this one. I liked the first several sips, but by the end my tongue felt super thick and like it was covered in moss. Nope. Didn’t like that.