Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin Stout

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Stout
Paso Robles, California USA

On tap at Pasa Robles location...both regular and nitrogenated. Beautiful cascading bubbles on nitro...mohogany color. Coffee and dark chocolate aroma and flavor, along with notes of espresso, cocoa, bitter nuts and hops, tropical fruit. The regular is like above but obviously not the lovely creamy smoothness...also perhaps a touch more coffee notes and less balance. Aged 3 months in 10 year old bourbon barrels, bartender Chris said this is an oatmeal stout. I was there 12/26/07 and these beers were not listed on the chalkboard.

Tap at PP C’Bad. Pours dark brown with a nice, frothy, light brown head, specks of lace. Smells light and roasty, chocolatey and malty sweet. Tastes sweet and roasty malty and chocolatey. Smooth and sweet. Body is perfect, super smooth and velvetty, good carbonation.

On tap @ Hamilton’s: Dark in appearance with little sign of foam heading. My nose had a difficult time sniffing out any key characteristics so the rating is adlibbed. The flavor was a sweet and dark combination of malt and chocolate with added oats that I simply summarized in one word "rich".

a darn nice stout great coffe flavors and nice bourban and chocolate flavors......I really enjoyed this one on tap at the stone bistro

I think I had this at Churchill’s. Very chocolately aroma (but less than Southern Tier). Some vanilla, some leather. Very smooth mouth feel.

Guest tap at Fifty Fifty. I went in to try the house beers out, and saw that they had this as a guest tap because they didn’t currently have a house stout. Not knowing anything about the beer other than it was a stout and that firestone makes an awesome porter, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The pint showed up at the table pitch black with a rocky tan head. A little cold at first, but most stouts are right out of the keg. The aroma had a strong espresso roast character. The flavor also had lots of bitter dark chocolate and espresso flavors, with some dried fruits. The body was full and smooth, but not too substantial. What got me was that there was this alcoholic bite that felt disconnected from the rest of the beer. it felt like the beer wasn’t too alcoholic, yet there was this vivid snap like a hard alcohol. Never crossed my mind that it was bourbon aged, but makes sense now looking back. An interesting and cool stout; I would definitely had another pint or two if time allowed.

17th Beer of the Beer Spot Tasting Sunday March 30th, 2008. 12oz handbottle via Thekegergator. Pours black with a tan ring. Nose is sweet and malty. Taste is sweet, malty and an overall damn nice oatmeal stout. Tap at Live Wire, still good and rich.

This is an Oatmeal Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. Deep licorice, dried fruit, smoke and chocolate flavors. This whole beer has a slight vinuous quality, but is well rounded and smooth around the edges.