Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Black H2O Oatmeal Stout

Black H20 (aka Black Water) Stout, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery. Man, it's been a while since I've taken home a growler of this, but here I am trying to be a completist. So, I'm dredging up a review from  back in July of 2003, whoa, 10 years ago! I'm drinking a growler of it, now, looking at notes from on-tap. I think we were about a month away from having growlers legalized here, back then.

Oatmeal stout ranks high among my favorite styles, and I'm up to try any example, but this one went far beyond any expectations!

Appearance: a very perfect darkness, but perhaps soft around the sides, and not fully black, though entirely opaque, with a solid, standing 1/2" head of cocoa-colored foam.

Aroma: light and creamy on the very first sniff, but thereafter, bitter, but softly so, and rich and redolent with espresso character. This has to be the coffee-est of non-explicity-coffee-stouts I've encountered, and it's no wonder that Town Hall's Coffee Stout, made with this beer, drenched in grounds and such, has to be ranked as my favorite coffee stout of all, beating out Bell's Java, Z St. Mocha, and any/all comers.

On the tastebuds, every flavor found in the aroma has it's way with the senses.
Fully flavorful, all the way, not too bitter, not too sweet, just perfect!
Rich, roasty, rewarding. Malt is huge, hops small. Body isn't exactly full, finish is smooth and coffeeish to the last. A very easy-drinking stout, and extraordinarily packed with flavor for a style that doesn't often live up to it's potential, in many examples. This is definitely my kind of stout.

And this new assessment makes it harder to decide on my favorite beer from Town Hall. Too many good ones!
I took notes on a cask version at the end of last year...infinitely smoother, and the coffee character still stands tall.
P.S. I still don't know if the Doobie Brothers inspired the name of this beer, investigation is still pending...