Rainy Daze Oatmeal Stout to Welcome the Spring
BY MATT STEVENS for WEEKLY VOLCANO 4/17/26 |
Today we stumbled down to one of our old hangouts. The Parkway Tavern on N I Street has been a Tacoma staple for 91 years. The Parkway is a classic neighborhood tavern with arguably the best beer list in the state.
The beer list was as eclectic as always, but I was looking for something from a brewery close to Tacoma, and the Rainy Daze Haulin’ Oats Oatmeal Stout jumped out at me. It comes in at 7.4% alcohol, which is a heavy oatmeal stout. Rainy Daze, a longtime local brewery based up in Poulsbo, is often on tap and occasionally in cans in Tacoma.
The stout pours a dense, thick black with a tan to brown head that is also thick and mucousy, but in a good way. I’m excited to dive into this.
Often, oatmeal stouts are lower in alcohol than an imperial stout. BJCP says a stout runs from 4% to 6%. The heavier Haulin’ Oats version is a bit thicker and bigger than that. The nose of this beer is great even with that higher alcohol content. There are suggestions of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt, but with the smooth broadness of an oatmeal beer.
The beer tastes great. The chocolate and roasted malts blend extremely well with the smooth velvetiness of the oats. It’s hard to describe the oat flavor profile, but it brings a smoothness and fullness. I’m not a fan of coffee, which makes me an unusual resident of the Long Dark, but this beer’s coffee blends in extremely well with the chocolate and roast. It is a beautiful blend.
Mouthfeel: the oat really coats the inside of my mouth and provides a great, broad profile of flavors. It’s a great beer that extends its flavors throughout the mouth.
Overall, this beer is great. It is a big beer at 7.4%, so it’s tough to have multiple. I advocate that you ride your bike home like I do if you plan on partaking in more than one. The Parkway has multiple bike racks, and there are few more enjoyable activities than cycling through Tacoma on a warm spring day.
Catch this delicious stout at the Parkway, or make the trip up to Poulsbo and have it at the brewery. Poulsbo is a great town for a Sunday frolic to wander around the waterfront and the gorgeous downtown.
