Firestone Walker Brewing Company Velvet Merkin
What the brewers say
“Beautiful chocolate, espresso, and vanilla-bourbon aromas hold your nose hostage. Rich dark chocolate truffle, bourbon, and espresso create a dangerously smooth and incredibly drinkable barrel-aged oatmeal stout.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Big oak with nearly no hops aroma. Nice roasty notes with some earthy and nutty flavors as well as big bourbon and vanilla notes on the front, balanced with a nice caramel and oatmeal malt sweetness. Subtle roasted malt comes through as espresso at the end.”
Flavor: “Caramel, almond, and oak showcase. The vanilla character is strong and carries through. Nice roasted notes of coffee and malt help keep it from being too sweet. Cherry and plum esters. Balanced, with a pleasant sweetness that lingers in the finish.”
Overall: “Beer candy. This is the sort of beer you either love or laugh at—a ridiculously oaked beer that manages to pull it off. You could finish a bomber of this on your own and not regret it. Perhaps the most drinkable barrel-aged stout I’ve had, while still remaining one of the tastiest.”
