Toadstool Oat Stout

Toadstool Oat Stout
Part of a sampler, $7 something, 6% ABV

Purchased at the brewery

toadWith the proliferation of stunt beers these days, one would be forgiven if one thought this beer contains actual fungus. After all, mere minutes from Firefly Brewing is Shebeen Brewing, who make beers containing cucumber and wasabi, bacon, grapes, and pineapple. We have a glut of pumpkin beers, so why not a mushroom beer?

Haha, very funny, right? Stop laughing, because such a beer exists: Moody Tongues Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner. For $120 a bottle.

I hate people sometimes.

But toadstools aren’t truffles. In fact, you may be surprised to know, toadstools are actually not mushrooms per se, but are toadstools. And they are often poisonous. Fortunately, Firefly Hollow’s brewer/owner Dana Borque isn’t really into stunt beers and the “toadstool” in this stouts name is merely just a word, not an ingredient.

Firefly Hollow Says:

Roasted barley and debittered black malts combine for a smooth roasty & coffee like profile. Flaked oats and barley contribute an absurdly rich and creamy texture

Like me, I’m sure you’ve been confused by Nintendo’s Princess Toadstool. Especially since she’s been known as Princess Peach every other game or series. I know, right? Peaches are delicious sweet treats and toadstools are poisonous fungus.

In Japan, the Princess’s name has always been Peach. She was originally known as Princess Toadstool in the United States and other Western countries. The English translation of Yoshi’s Safari (1993) marked the first usage of the name “Peach” outside of Japan;. In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, she went back to being called Princess Toadstool. It was not until the release of Super Mario 64 in 1996 that the name Peach became widely known outside Japan, although both Peach and Toadstool have been used in subsequent games.

tumblr_l9chg8rzWp1qbj9xwo1_500Japanese beer is generally awful and the thought of drinking a Japanese stout is horrifying. Stick to gaming and cosplay fetishes and ramen.

The Toadstool Oat Stout is often on Nitro at the brewery, but it wasn’t when I had it. I can’t imagine what that would be like though, as it is already velvety smooth in its own right, thanks to the generous addition of flaked oats. I’m sure it’s great, and I believe the nitro version will be distributed in the fall of 2014.

Firefly also dumped in both flaked and roasted barley, along with the malts and Challenger hops – so yeah, there’s a lot going on here. But it all works very well.

I’ve come to seek out the rare beer in Connecticut that uses generous amounts of flaked oats. They are very unique beers and allow me to use the beer-reviewer word, “mouthfeel” and not feel like a total douche. Because for me, “mouthfeel” should only be used on these flaked oat beers (which aren’t all stouts, believe it or not) and the rare wit or Berlinner or sour with hyperactive champagne-like carbonation.

The Toadstool is just the right amount of bitter: bitter chocolate and bitter nuttiness.

If I have a complaint it’s that for a rich stout, the Toadstool was also somehow a little thing. I know, that makes no sense with the creaminess of the beer, but it’s true. I like my stouts to have weight to them – not boozy weight, but a sort of heaviness on the tongue. This was missing that.

Most of our brewpubs do an oatmeal stout and a few breweries pump one out once a year. I’d put Firefly’s right up there with the best on offer in our state.

Overall Rating: A-
Rating vs. Similar style: A-

Firefly Hollow Brewing Company
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