At Pub 27 in Pompeii
Dulles Airport Take-Off Tasting Tour: Sterling, Ashburn and more: House 6 Black Hat Oatmeal Stout from Ashburn, Virginia
Date: April 19, 2019
The Story— We don’t know how many “firefighter” breweries there are in the US right now, but it’s a considerable number. Many are in retired engine houses and more are brewers who have traded their gear for brewers’ boots.
We like the vibe and we liked the people at House 6. It’s a welcoming place, kid friendly and neighborly. But the beers are better than the neighbor down the block brews in his garage and unlike most of these small welcoming breweries, they didn’t miss on any one of the half dozen beers we tried there. We could have as easily chosen their Imperial Brown Ale or, more remarkably, their Tripel. This oatmeal stout is a good example fo the style– oats give a silky smoothness to the beer, but some versions are so creamy smooth that they’re hard to stik with for a while. This one shows a nice bit of moreish balance.
The Beer— Oatsy smooth, but with a black dark acrid edge that gives, I guess, a bit of a balance– it certainly prevents cloying. Lots of bakers chocolate, some dark fruit and a creamy end. Ellie found good flavors for a less than huge beer.
Value — Good. Pretty much going rate for a good house beer.
About these posts: We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year. The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings. Values: “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.
For the next several weeks we’ll feature fun places to explore beer — and much more–a different destination each week. Our beers of the day will feature beers from this wonderfully wet destinations. This week we’re featuring beers in the Dulles-Sterling are of Northern Virginia. A caveat as always: the vast majorities of craft breweries may have a few beers that are usually available, but their most interesting beers are usual season or one-off brews that we may rave about, but you can’t find. Our specific beer descriptions can tell you what sorts of beers the brewery does well; if you don’t find the exact beer on tap, you’ll probably find something similar.
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