Lupine Murder of Cranberries Oatmeal Stout

A story: I had a tasting with a rep from this brewery months ago. The samples were all from a rec-closable swing-top bottle. None of them did anything for me. There was talk of other beers, but how could I trust their quality, if the samples sucked? Well, maybe sucked is a strong term, but they weren't impressive. Then, I heard good things from friends who visited the taproom, or who had tried beers like this one at other bars. I simply had to try them again, right, give them the benefit of the doubt.

So, I'm drinking this growleretterino of Murder of Cranberries before I write up Lupine for Breweries One by One, because I can't wait, and I want to drink it. One thing that confused me was the name. There are cranberries in it, but Murder of...? Well, that's what a gathering of crows is called, and why? Because of the Crow River. Of course.


Full and complete blackness, lovely brown ring of foam on top, slowly drifting down to nil.

Aroma is right on for an oatmeal stout, perfectly roasty and toasty, loaded with chocolate, coffee, caramel malt, beautifully burnt. Bitterness balances with malt sweetness. Nice.

Taste: Sweet caramel-y malt starts if off, rich roastiness keeps it rolling. Lush and luscious, great bitterness, excellent stoutiness. Fruity flavors enter the palate, cranberries adding a subtle tartness to the mix. Excellent play on the palate, keeping it tart, dry, complex and terribly tangible. Coffee and chocolate malt flavors keep tantalizing the tongue, richly rewarding, lasting long.

This is just about perfect, and downright likable, too. I'm going to try to drink as much of this as I can, just you watch me. It's perfectly delicious. One of the best locally brewed oatmeal stouts I've ever had.


From the website: Our Stout can be enjoyed by many more than just dark beer drinkers. Subtle coffee notes balance nicely with the cranberries, which give it a slightly tart finish. The deep, rich flavors, body front to back, and smooth tastes linger making you want more. The coffee and chocolate roasted malts give this beer its rich color and never-ending flavors.