What should I brew this weekend: Surly Bender clone or Jamil's Oatmeal Stout?

Getting sick of IPA's, and need to brew something that isn't a hop bomb.
Narrowed down to Surly Bender Clone or Jamil's Oatmeal Stout.

Would take any other suggestions.

Other thoughts were: Deschutes Obisidion Stout/Black Butte Porter clones.

I'd go with the oatmeal stout. I brewed it a few months ago and it is awsome. All I can say is use rice hulls, it gave me my first stuck mash.

Personally, I hate stouts in the summer. Fall or winter on the other hand, I love'em.

I have my oatmeal stout on tap right now, and it's becoming more of an after-dinner beer for me, but one of my friends stops over to drink it after he plays tennis!

To me, both of those beers are great but neither are summer quaffers. Either would be great, though!

I have 2 IPA's and a Cream Ale on tap, as well as a Saison I just bottled. Summer Quaffer's, I need not.

elproducto said:

I have 2 IPA's and a Cream Ale on tap, as well as a Saison I just bottled. Summer Quaffer's, I need not.

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I'm not one to pimp my own recipes (well, maybe a little ) but if you want to check out a good oatmeal stout recipe, I have one posted. It's more coffee-ish tasting that really roasty-tasting if that makes sense. The roastiness is still there slightly, but more as a coffee aftertaste rather than screaming "roasted barley". I started with Jamil's recipe as a basis, then changed up the recipe to get what I was looking for.

Pimp away. I've brewed a few of your recipes and they have yet to disappoint.

Looks great, except I don't have pale chocolate. Everything else I have. How is the Willamette? I have a pound of it, and no EKG, so I was going to use it in Jamil's anyway.

I actually really like the idea of a coffee stout/porter, so that sounds great.

What I want is a beer to drink around the backyard firepit in the evenings.

elproducto said:

Pimp away. I've brewed a few of your recipes and they have yet to disappoint.

Looks great, except I don't have pale chocolate. Everything else I have. How is the Willamette? I have a pound of it, and no EKG, so I was going to use it in Jamil's anyway.

I actually really like the idea of a coffee stout/porter, so that sounds great.

What I want is a beer to drink around the backyard firepit in the evenings.

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I like the pale chocolate because it's less "harsh" than regular chocolate, but you could use it if that's all you have. I really like the willamette as bittering in that beer. I had a whole pound of it too (it was $8 a pound!) so I've used it in the oatmeal stout each time I made it.