Swale Oyster Stout

Formerly brewed at Whitstable
Style: Stout
Maidstone, England

Picked this up on last trip to Atlanta. I wish I could find it here. The flavor was clean and different to what I expected. A VERY good session stout

Sept 2002. For a brewery which only started in 1995 Swale has already made an impression with their succesful Indian Summer Pale Ale which has won much acclaim. Now, with their Whitstable Stout filtered through oyster shells they have produced a beer which - given enough exposure - should be given World Class status; a beer with so much depth and complexity it can match that of the Trappist beers of Belgium. Complex yet subtle, subtle yet rich, rich yet smooth, smooth yet with a buzz on the tongue. This has dark, plummy fruits at the back and roasty things at the front, the balance between them seeming almost divinely inspired. The finish is dry and salty with the hint of a sea breeze. This is not a high alcohol beer, this is not a grab you round the throat and spit in your eye beer, this is not a beer which can be great but is often bad, this is not a beer for which you have to wait until you draw your pension before you drink it, this is a user friendly, consistent, ready to drink now masterpiece. Get it now or be forever on the fringes of what is vital and new in the world of brewing. [4.4]
May, 2004 Bottle Conditioned. BBE June 2003. This is the last of my saved bottles of the original Swale Brewery’s Whitstable Stout. A glorious beer. A refreshing, light, yet creamy smooth mouthfeel. A divine coffee aroma. A splendid range of quality flavours - wine, coffee, chocolate - each clearly defined and somehow perfect, yet blending and harmonising like a world class orchestra rather than the local school band. Everything is here that would be in other stouts, but done with craftmanship and delicacy rather than crude impact. I was afraid I might end up downgrading this, fearing that my earlier experiences had been a novice’s enthusiasm, but this tastes even better than I had hoped. And now I wish I hadn’t drunk it, because I’m afraid the new owners won’t be able to make it as perfecly as this... [4.7]

This stout pours dark brown with short lived small tan head. Aroma seems bitter and dusty. Burnt, chocolate malt. Taste a bit old. Medium bodied. Gets weaker at the finish. Overall, just ok.

Bottle pours black with a small white head and no lace. The aroma seems a bit lactic. The flavor is clean, slightly chocolaty, and slightly roasted. The palate is cleansing and refreshing for a stout. Overall, a different stout that is pretty good.

Nice stout. Would have been nicer with some aroma. Nice taste, and a good after taste.

deep brown, no head. chocolatey wafer aroma with some mineral-ish notes. roasty malt and a bit of tart flavour but is there supposed to be oysters?

Great pour – black with a dense tan foam that comes right to the top of my pint glass. The full head settles into a lightly bubbled thin layer. Bronzed edges in the dark body. Fresh, milky, roasted seashell aroma. Interesting rocky/limestone qualities. Minty palate with a bit of mouthwash flavour just before the burnt malts take over a long, creamy mocha finish. Smooth palate and a beer that can stand the test of time in the closet.

Dark tan, large-bubbled head. Sweet aroma of smoke, grains, cereals, some fishy smells as well. Thin and oily overall, a sweet plum or old strawberry flavor on top of the chocolate malts. Not bad, but not spectacular.