Town Hall Merlot Stout

According to the bartender, Town Hall has teamed up with the WineHaven Winery and Vineyard in Chisago City, MN. For this beer, WineHaven handed over some of the leftover mash from their merlot. Town Hall steeped their H2O Stout in this for about 6 months and is served out of the cask. Pours black with a thick, foamy, tan head. Aroma is very sweet for a stout. Not necessarily of any particular flavor, but just... sweet. The taste unloads a plethora of grapes and malt. The wine certainly comes out, but does not over power. Slight coffee and wood notes. Very smooth with a medium mouthfeel. Tasty, very tasty.

Dark Brown/Black Coloring. Frothy Head. The Wine Added Some Sweetness to it... Otherwise it Still Tastes Very Much Like the H2O Stout but With Merlot Mash Added to It. Actually Not a Bad Offering...Balanced...I’ll Have Some More Please!

Recognizable as their oatmeal stout but softened a bit by some time in the cask. The beer was served not at cellar but warm room temperature; it works for this beer. Black and thick foam. Roasted malt, and lots of oak in the flavor. Actually oak is the dominant flavor. Just a hint of tannins, and only there because I was looking for some kind of wine quality. Very light port as well. Full bodied, but lacks the complexity I expected. Very smooth out of the cask, easy to drink. I wonder if the casks are worn out?

I really, truly rue that I cannot sip from a sample freshly poured off a growler right at this minute and put my thoughts into the keyboard as they come to me, for this is cask-only, and I didn’t take notes, merely tucked my memory away from the pint and a half I had a mere hour. Moreover, I wish it were growlerized, in that I could taste this sweet stuff more conveniently, but that’s how they get you, back to the brewpub I go... Pours out a nearly full black, with light crimson shining at the very edges, with a plump, creamy tan head atop. Aroma is sweet and fruity, with all grape character, virtually none of what you’d find in a "normal" stout. This continues in the taste, as well. Body is full, but thin compared to a traditional stout, though the rich, sweet fruit taste rides on high. There’s a tannic texture as well, slightly acid, grabby on the palate. A delicious stout, that truly reminds you of wine. Damned drinkable, you could gulp them down almost too quickly if you’re not careful...that is, if you’re like me. With luck, this will last more than a week, and you can get a chance to taste it..but, please do try, it’s a treat!

One of my favorites last summer. A dark brown color best served on cask (from the tap does not do this one justice). Lots of oak in the flavor with roasted malts.