Whitstable Oyster Stout

Brewed by Whitstable
Style: Stout
Maidstone, England

Bottle. Aroma of chocolatey roasted malts, along with underlying coffee. Opaque brown/black color with a tan head that laces a little. Didn’t last long though. Starts with smooth roasted dark malt, not at all harsh, but definitely roasted. Mouthfeel tends to thin. A little sour component lurks, but this is very nice stuff. The finish is dry and coffeeish, but not bitter.

Half pint at The Market Porter at London Bridge (London), dark black with a filmy beige head. A sweetish and tobaccoey malt aroma, only slightly roasted. A very smooth palate, a slightly roasetd malt flavour with tart and smokey plums in the finish,

Definitely one of the most interesting labels I ever seen. Bought this at Toppers in Helana Montana and drank this in the car driving to Vegas. Rich with a bit of sourness and an interesting beer I would like to revisit some day. Page 448 of Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide and only 241 of his Classic 500 Brews to go.

Bottle: Almost black with reddish spots, small brownish foamy layer; distinctive coffeeish - like fresh ground coffee or cacao powder - ,a bit fruity, a bit sourish-vinous nose; solid bitter-sweetish flavour, light to medium bodied; drier, coffeeish-bitter finish with a faint sourish-sweetish fruity touch. Pleasant Stout..........

Bottle and served in my NB worthy glassware: Nearly opaque with ruddy highlights that developed a pencil thin mustache head and zip for lace. The aroma shows a dash of bittersweet chocolate in addition to a roasty malt, cheap coffee, licorice, and ashy yeast vapours. The taste is a simple combination of sweet chocolate and bready malts backed by a minor acidic fleshy fruit. It finishes with some more ashy notes and a nip of coffee. The aftertaste is a boney and left an oyster shell calcium tablet feeling upon the palate. The rest is a watery and coffee-ish. A poor example of a stout, no thanks, I will pass on this and try a better dry stout with my oysters. (Almost every good rating of this beer are at least 2 years or more old, did they change the recipe? Hey TAR methinks a rerate is in order...)

33cl bottle bought 10 miles from source: Smelt of milky coffee and cocoa powder. Black in colour with a thin copper cream head. Slight metalic taste at the front of the mouth with a rich, almost tart, flavour at the back of the tounge. Not much bitterness at the side of the tounge but plenty of coffee on the finish. Like most bottled beers the fizz kills the flavours.

Bottled. Pours a murky dark brown with a thin tan head that settles to a ring of foam and a collection of tan bits that settle to a layer of sediment. Aroma of roasty malt, coffee and band aids. Light, watery body with minimal carbonation. The taste is barely sweet with just a touch of chocolate. The finish is a dry, watery memory of coffee.

Missing head, only a small layer over a very dark body. Light malty-sweet aroma. Very watered cocoa taste. Hard to discern anything else (Half on cask at The Dove Street Inn, Ipswich 21.09.2006).