Firestone Walker Saucerful of Merkins

On tap at the City Beer Store. Wonderful aroma of Bourbon and oak, with a touch of chocolate malt. The flavors of strong Belgian and smooth, oat Impy blend very nicely. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Just the right amount of oak and bourbon to bring the complexity up. Could have been a train wreck, ended up being a smooth ride. Even though served cold, the flavors were open and smooth, blending nicely. I wish it was bottled.....

Draft. Blackish beer with a light tan head. Chocolate, roasty, light spice aroma. Big chocolate, roast, vanilla, bourbon flavor. Medium bodied. Lingering vanilla, bourbon, malt, earth, spice, and a bit of oat coming in at the end.

On-tap at O’Briens. Pours dark brown with red highlights, thinnish light brown head with a bit of lace. Smells of oats, fish, and booze. Tastes of oatmeal, bourbon, booze, and oak on the finish. Medium, almost thin body. Subdued, smooth carbonation. This brew is a little thin and a little bit of a mish-mash of flavors to me.

Near black; amber head. Strange aroma and flavors of rich, sweet malts with some strange tropical fruit, wood, raisins, plums, dark bitter chocolate. Finish has some sour, bitter and whiskey notes. On tap at the Linkery.

1st rating of this beer. Cask @ The Linkery for their 3rd Anniversary. I called about this beer all week last week and they finally put it on cask tonight! My girlfriend Cyn had some, and I saw Darkelf there too. This beer according to emails is 15% Belgian Strong Ale (Saucerful of Secrets), 85% Bourbon Barrel aged oatmeal stout (Velvet Merkin). As such it is certainly weird and pretty much a strange beer, but all in all its tasty and interesting. Pours black with a 1 finger light brown ring. Nose is sweet ruddy, with notes of dry malts, some wood and a bit of bourbon. Taste is sweet and bourbony, with a bit of an imperial oatmeal stout quality to it. The dark Belgian in this beer really does come through in here. Also as darkelf nicely pointed out the bourbon is there but it is not omnipresent it is a flavor in the mix of other flavors. This is different, sweet, chewy and all together tasty. Nice work Firestone Walker, and thanks to the Linkery for having it.