Wingnut
Footballguy
In addition to what the others have said in response to this post, what it comes down to is different people have different palates. One guy might taste plums, and another might not get plums but instead taste vanilla, while yet another gets something else.What I like to do when I get a new beer is read a few reviews over at BA and see what others are tasting in it, then when I drink it, I try to nail down a few of those flavors, as well as others I may notice myself...can someone tell me if my tastebuds are dead?
when i drink a beer, either i like it or i don't.. the flavors that stand out to me at all are chocolate and coffee. otherwise it's either "thin", "thick", "bitter", "sweet" or, now, "piney"
why do i keep reading these insane flavor profiles over at the beeradvocate site?
i just picked up a bomber of New Holland's Dragon's Milk on a recommendation.. wanted to see what i was getting in to so i looked over the reviews
"What an unusual and unexpected flavor combination, the vanilla and almond/amaretto followed from the aroma, but its also very sour like sour milk, but not sickening, even has a slight chocolate twang"
and
"The aroma is oakey and vinous with a big chocolate and peat malt base and a touch of tart and sour dark fruits. As it warms, old cheese and strong alcohol comes out.
The flavor is sweet chocolate malts with some vinous alcohol and plums. It has a smooth woody finish."
and
"Taste some roasted flavors hints of chocolate then strong cherry flavors come on sour wine like again light vanilla and bourbon flavors with some sour vinegar notes mixed with cherry."
so all in all we've got vanilla, almond, sour milk, chocolate, cheese, plums, wine, bourbon, cherry, wood and vinegar.
am i ####### high or is that completely impossible? I realize that there are some beers with a nice complex flavor.. but let's be honest here. it can't taste like "vinegar" and "cherry" and "vanilla" and "plums". and how the hell can it range from "wood" to "vinegar"????
are people making this #### up to sound smart?
nohere.. i'm being serious. it just doesn't seem possible that you could 1) pick up that many flavors from it, 2) make a beer that has 12 different flavors mixed in to one bottle.
Of course, being a big time Hop Head, my taste buds probably cant pick out as many sublte nuances as someone who has a more refined palate. My taste buds have taken a beating over the last year with all the hops I throw at em almost daily.
And to stay on topic, I just cracked my lone Troegs Nuggest Nectar.
I like to finish half the brew, see what flavors I can pick out, then look at some BA reviews if I can't place a flavor. It's a fun way to educate the palate and the buzz is just a bonus. I can nail a number of flavors and a lot of hops, but by no means have a palate like Venom (one seriously great guy, btw - he's into beer like Otis is into women) or some of the other long term BAs. I've been in a long non-reviewing mode - probably should start that up again.
There are people in Ohio and Mass claiming to have it in stores. He's going to check with the distributor and call me back. :fingerscrossed:
Bad enough that I won't be enjoying any of those on draft day, but I'm on call so I won't be enjoying any beer. 
Nah. The oats add a little bit of sweetness. I don't think they taste like oatmeal though. Of course, maybe my tastebuds aren't as defined/refined as they could be. Oatmeal Stouts tend to be a little sweeter than other stouts. A good one, like Sammy Smith, is nice and smooth.
