Skull Rock Stout

Thunder Bay, Ontario is the birthplace of Skull Rock Stout. An oatmeal stout, S.R.S. contains 5.1% alcohol and comes in 473mL cans emblazoned with a sinister skull. The beer comes from T-Bay’s Sleeping Giant Brewing Company.

For the style, this stout has a surprisingly reddish tint—still dark, but not the jet black I was expecting. It pours with an extremely vibrant and sudsy tan head. To my nose, S.R.S. is quite alluring and assertive, with a malt-focused scent built around chocolate and leather notes. The flavour has a nicely toasted and malty front end, enriched with bitter chocolate. This gives way to a mostly hoppy finish.

The biggest thing that I took away from my engagement with Skull Rock Stout is that it tastes way stronger than its 5.1% listing. That said, though, it could have been a smidge stronger and not lost a step. It isn’t as smooth as I was expecting from a brew made with oatmeal, but that doesn’t really take away from my enjoyment all that much.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.