Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

Is Trader Joe's the best place to get trashed?  This is the question I suddenly asked Omar while he was watching TV.

"I don't think so." He replied.

"Although, they do have an extensive selection of craft beer."

There was something Canadian on TV, but that's not important right now.  What is important is Stockyard Oatmeal Stout.  I bought it at Trader Joe's.  It was super affordable, and I was looking for a new beer, soooooo...

Stockyard Oatmeal Stout, from JosephBrau Brewing Co., San Jose, California.  12 "fluid" ounces, 5.2% ABV.  This is a very dark brown, nearly opaque beer, not much fuzzy frothiness to speak of.

Yeah, Omar thinks that Trader Joe's has an extensive selection of craft beers.  I think they have cheap beer.  Have you been?  Not to suck their Joe, or anything, but I do buy some beer and wine from them on... occasion?... every now an again?... often?...  You know what?  Up yours!  I like my booze and I'm very cheap.  I have water efficient faucets and shower heads, a learning thermostat, a (quote) "micro-subcompact" hatchback that gets an advertised 37 combined mpg, and, yes, I buy the Chuck.  Let your jealousy run down your turned up noses.  My point is: I kind of dig this beer.  I wonder what Omar thinks.

"It kind of has a... like something is going to be grand.  And then, all of a sudden, it's gone."

~O. Cortina

He's wrong, of course.  Just because he can cook a mackerel, he suddenly has a opinion about his own enjoyment of beer.  Then again, he can cook the hell out of a mackerel.  Let me give this another taste.  The first impression is a full nose of bread, then a hit of acidity, followed by malty-malty-malt, some chocolate, then the chocolate and the malt swish around for a while, and finally... nothing.  A false cadence.  

"Very much like that scene in Monte Python and the Holy Grail."

~ Omar C.

You remember: the wimpish prince (who screams like a lady) is just about to break into song, when his father storms in and commands "no singing".  Like that.  The music builds, the camera pulls back, inhale deeply, aaaaannnnnnd... nothing.  

Everything up to that point is solid.  There are many tasty molecules doing happy dances, but, it was last call, the lights came up, and suddenly you're done.  I don't think that diminishes the enjoyment you experience up to that point.  Let's call it a question of value, low cost, extremely reasonable return, I still like it.  

If you're wondering, Trader Joe's is a lousy place to get trashed.  They would almost certainly call the cops if you were weird enough to get drunk there.  Also, they don't have a great selection of craft beer.  It's not bad though.

Final thought: Omar was right.