Merchant Ale House Drunken Monkey Oatmeal Stout

Brewed by Merchant Ale House / Murray Street Brewing
Style: Sweet Stout
Saint Catharines, Canada

Aroma of espresso, roasted malts. Black with beige coloured head. Medium head retention. Not much lace. Tastes good, flavors of espresso, roasted malt. Not really much hops, but some bitterness is there to balance. Full bodied. Carbonation is average, but would prefer a bit less. One of the best stouts in the province, anyone with an appreciation for the style should try it.

On tap at the Merchant Ale House. Pours a deep dark brown to black with a medium sized tan head. Sweet oatmeal notes, roast, hints of coffee and char. Really good roast and coffee flavors, nice creamy full body. Finishes with a touch of sweetness and a long roast char flavor. Quite tasty.

Draught at the brewpub. This was dark brown, almost black in the glass with a small creamy head that died quickly. The aroma held some roasted nut, dry coffee, smoke. The mouthfeel was quite thin, especially for an oatmeal stout. I tasted coffee, mild chocolate, more smoke.

On-tap at the brewpub. Pours black with virtually nadda head. Slight aroma of roast. Taste is initially watery and thin roasted coffee. I builds up and is drinkable, so I can see why it is so popular. Introduction for bud/molson drinkers to a stout. A weak stout really, but passable.

[1542-20080719] Tap. Aroma is a bit smoky but mostly malt. Dark brown red-hued body with a long-lasting creamy light brown head. Smoky malt flavour has a hint of coffee chocolate nuts and bandaid. Medium-full body. NOT very monkey-like, sadly.
(@ Merchant Ale House; St. Catherines, ON)

Draught sample- Deep brown motor oil pour with chestnut hues around the edges. Head is a frothy beige cream. In the nose, I get roasted barley with freshly ground coffee, lending a hand to milk chocolate and butterscotch. The flavour profile is a bit weaker than the aroma would have led me to believe. Roasted coffee bean dominates, with a bit of milk chocolate and toffee. Its mild and creamy, but is’t too complex with the flavours. Quite drinkable in any event.

A clear dark bbrown stout with a light moka head. A good mil chocolate or moka coffee aroma. In mouth, a lighter stout, with nice chocolate malt, but again, very thin, which seems the recurring theme at this place. Light bitterness lingers on. On tap at brewery, July 28 2007.

On tap at the brewpub. Black pour, thick white head, looks great. Sweet roast aroma. Good sweet taste, medium bodied. Packed full of flavour, short finish. A very solid stout. My second favourite beer here next to the IPA.