SKA Local Series #12 (Merlo Stout)

Brewed by SKA Brewing
Style: Foreign Stout
Durango, Colorado USA

On tap at the Ska Brewery. Poured a dark brown color (almost black) with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of chocolate, woodiness, and roasty. Tastes of the same. Some lighter merlot in the tastes - but subtle. Some lighter vanilla sweetness in the finish.

Nose is heavy on the coffee/roastiness ith a little bit of caramel. taste is black licorice and roasted malt leading to a nice oakiness towards the finish. Slight bitterness shows to balance it out and as it warms, there’s a blackberry kind of sweetness as well. Really nice.

bottle. black pour with awesome thick frothy tan head. lacing. coffee and chocolate aroma. flavor much the same. a bit of dark fruit. nice body, balance and flavor. Really nice beer.

Bomber. Oily black. Medium chocolate tan head. Aroma is chocolate, sweet wine, alcohol and wood/earth. Flavor is woody, chocolate, smoke, and light coffee.

Poured from a 22oz. bottle into a Snifter at 45°. Color is black with good carbonation and a tall, thick, tight light brown head with retention and nice lacing. Aroma of coffee with roasted burnt scents and a slight metallic thing in the back. The medium body goes down with a sharp rich feel. Finish comes in moderately sweet with toffee and licorice then a coffee taste that cares a bitterness and faint smoke ending with a touch of alcohol. After taste is dry as the bitterness overtakes the alcohol and lets a bit of oak come out. Overall its a very well done Foreign Stout, though I was expecting a red wine flavor to be in there and I think it would have been a nice addition.

22oz. bottle. Pleasant aroma of dark chocolate, roasted malts, muted sweetness, old wood, ash, dark, dried fruits, earth and a hint of must. Ebony color with dark brown highlights and a lasting, uneven, tan head. Flavor profile is very nicely balanced between dark sweetness, roasty, coffeeish malts, light fruitiness, the background winey, woody presence and the gentle bitterness. Shows an earthy, almost loamy character, but refined and ever so lightly vinous. Very smooth and almost light on the palate, very much so for the substantial alcoholic content, and with a medium-full body. Gently warming late into the finish. I have to say, this easily met my expectations of what a Stout by this description would be, and it’s something I was really in the mood for to boot. Huge shout out to krisbierjaeger for conceiving of such a unique and tasty beverage! Once he explained the way the homebrew and this version differ, I’m convinced the homebrew version was even better. This is by far the best beer out of SKA that I’ve had and likely will have, ultimately.

22 oz bottle purchased at Argonaut in Denver, Colorado. Pour is black, brown and ruby with a very thin tan head. Aroma of rich roasted coffee, some smokiness, with just a whisper touch of wood. Rich and full nose. Taste is the roasted malt with a nice sharpness of dried sweet fruit. Woody oakiness present thoughout, really well integrated. The aftertaste has a leafy herbal element which is really unique. As it warms, the herbal element may be a tad too much. Comes across a touch bitter. Palate is medium bodied, really soft - very gentle carbonation. Really nicely put together beer.

Shared by theisti, thanks Tim. Pours black and forms a nice brown head when I agitate the glass. Aroma is roasty, has some flat malts (kind of like oat-like and steamy). I also get a lot of mint that I attribute to the oak. The flavor has lots of bitterness coming off the malts. and velvety sweet prune. There is a long bitter finish and more mint from the oak. Its sweet in the middle but drying at the end. Well crafted, lots small parts melded together but none of the flavors make me completely love it. Has a nice feel to it, viscous, full, and lightly undercarbonated.
22oz bottle, marked, thin, tall Boulevard tulip.