Hello everyone! It's that time again. Not necessarily time to take over the world, but time to get another beer review up. This one also happens to be my October Beer of the Month. Yep, right on time with my monthly beer, I know!
I'd have had this up earlier but I've been ill the last few days. So without further delay, tonight's beer is none other than the latest release from Firestone Walker. That's right, we're drinking Velvet Merkin, and 8.5% abv Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout. I'm pretty stoked to get this one and I'm really looking forward to trying it. So let's get this thing poured and I'll give you my thoughts on the Velvet Merkin.
This one pours out a pitch black. No light coming through at all. There's about a finger and a half of a beige head that's very foamy. Not a ton of retention time on this and honestly not a lot of lacing left behind. Sort of surprising on the lacing at least. This looks like a pretty standard stout. Nothing too crazy. Let's get the nose.
First thing I get is a lot of vanilla, lots and lots of it. Maybe more than any other beer I can recall in recent memory. Vanilla boozy notes. There's a lot of caramel sweetness. Lots of woody, oak qualities. You can definitely smell that this is a big bourbon barrel beer. Some nice toasty notes from those oats. There's some big milk chocolate and cocoa notes too. Big time vanilla and oak bomb here. I'm ready to see how this one tastes. Let's drink!
Interesting. First thing I'm hit with is a big blast of vanilla and bourbon goodness. That immediately is erased by a tidal wave of oak. It's almost like I'm drinking the barrel itself. That sensation, flavor, note, basically plows through the entire palate. Sides of the mouth there's more oak, almost a charred wood flavor. A little bit of vanilla and a lot of a bourbon quality. Back end of this thing almost tastes like I just took a shot of bourbon. Lots of caramel and vanilla with a bit of an alcohol burn. This one definitely warms as it makes it's way down the chest. I don't get any of that chocolate/cocoa I caught a whiff of before we started drinking.
This beer is also a little thin in the body. I know a lot of oatmeal stouts tend to be a little thinner than their imperial counterparts. However, this one is thinner than even some of the local oatmeal stouts. I'm kind of surprised in that regard. I was hoping a little bit for more body and I'm left wanting a little bit more in that department.
So overall, Velvet Merkin is good... but maybe not what I'd call great. The nose is awesome but those characters fall a little short while drinking. I sort of wish I'd given this a little more time to develop or mellow just to see what happens. I may pick up another just for that reason alone. Give this one a shot if you want. For $20 a bottle I'd consider this a touch pricey. Your call.
Rating: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment