Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin (100% Barrel Aged Velvet Merlin)

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Stout
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Draught from Brouwerij Lane. Just a little light shines through on the dark brown with ok head & lace. The aroma is incredible bourbon, chocolate sweetness, light roast. The flavor is so well rounded and deep with wood, chocolate, vanilla, I suppose coconut, truly remarkable. Feel is silken, light, a bit woody. Truly remarkable beer.

Darft on tap at Twisted Spoke (Chicago, IL). Pours a deep blackish brown hue, good opaque quality, frothy light brown head atop dies to a film, laces ok. Some brown glow on the bottom and edges. Aromas are cocoa, oak, and pretzels. Mellow oak, vanilla, and toffee. A touch sweet, caramel elements, roasty qualites try to temper a bit. More oak, roast, and tannic barrel and some warm spirit, a bit more bold as we move on, some oatmeal and touches of sweetness try to battle back. Initial is heavier end of medium scale, some roast, rich cocoa, vanilla, and oak. Well integrated off the bat, touches of spirit, fudgem and caramel. Decent roast and malt presence remain after barreling. A bit creamy in body, vanilla and roast work well going back and forth. Some fullness and fudge. A bit creamy, some caramel, toast. Backend is toast, vanilla, some salty caramel. Finish is oak, mellow roast. Pretty nice beer.

Starts out great with a soft, malty nose. A clear black pour with a fast fading head. Soft palate again that borders on faint and unspeaking.

Grabbed a sixer from ralphs for ten bucks. Really impressed overall with the brew. Starts with a light sweetness characteristically maple and dark chocolate with cinnamon. Mid swill you taste the stoutness of this fine concoction, maple continues into a slightly bitter coffe-esque flavor. Your left with a bitterness shortly but this beer actually finished the tiniest bit sweet to me. Color is beautiful and full of depth, if not slightly muddy. Dark amber fer sure. Carbonation was even and lasting, the head was minimal throughout, but did last. Overall a great beer overall. Highly recommended.

Clear deep dark brown, with a delicious sweet aroma of chocolate, coconut, bourbon-oak, vanilla, graham cracker, and sugar cane. Flavor was semi-full bodied with a solid dark flavor that lingered a log time. Roast and toasted malts greet the flavor, quickly turning to coconut and toasted chocolate, finishing with oak, chocolate, and vanilla with a long finish of bourbon-like tannins.

Opaque black with a small, tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, cocoa, vanilla, whiskey, lactose, and burnt wood. Taste of vanilla, roasted malts, cocoa, burnt wood, marshmallow, and whiskey.

For such a hyped-up beer of a beloved brewery of mine I was expecting far better. Slightly thin, complexity isn’t there for me.

Sampled at Falling Rock. Pours an oily opaque black. Nose is boozy, sweet, coconut milk, chocolate. Sweet flavor, cake icing, caramel, booze, vanilla. Full, sweet finish. Really nice.

Draft. Pours near black with a beige head. Light roasted malts, bourbon, dark chocolate, dark fruits, and lighter noted of coffee and vanilla. Solid.

Had this at the 2012 Great American Beer Fest in Denver, Colorado. Great barrel scent, bit of chocolate, taste is similar with a great wood roast flavor.