Weapon Of Mass Seduction
Gigantic Brewing Company

 

 

I think this is a sleeper hit. It won't knock your socks off with the first drink or two. But, by the end, you'll be loving it.
First of all, its low cost. A lot lower than most 20oz bottles.
Both the bottle and the liquid which come out, look nice. It doesn't have strong smells good or bad. Surprisingly, even lacked any real smell of the sea. If you want your beer to light up your nose, you might be dissapointed. But keep going.

In pouring it, you can see and feel that its not a high carb. But it doesn't feel too low when you drink it. At this point, you might be expecting an average beer. And the first taste doesn't hit hard, good or bad. But then you realize how balanced it actually was. and as another user said, how "authentic" the cocoa/chocolate flavors are. and those sentiments expand, as you keep drinking it. I have drank several beers which claim chocolate and cocoa flavors, but didn't really deliver.

It really has a nice, authentic, roasted cocoa flavor to it. Its never bitter. and its not sweet or raisiny. Its actually on the dry side. But not excessive and manages to be ever so slightly creamy. Its just right. And its perfectly paired with a subtle malt. Just right. And actually, the malt is probably what you taste on the front of each drink. And then as you move through the middle, the chocolate comes out.

So, what about the oysters? That's the finish! I have drank a lot of stouts which finish on an overexposed burnt/bitterness and/or with an unpleasing raisin note. With Weapon of Mass Seduction, You get a little bit of oyster right at the end, just before the finish. It gives you a little twist mixed with the chocolate. and the finish itself is light seawater and lingering chocolate. Its really quite good!

Oh yeah, Oysters are famous for being an aphrodisiac. And that absolutely has survived the brewing process. If you drink the whole pint yourself, the effects will be quite strong. Much more than 4 or 5 oysters at a barbecue. I wasn't even thinking about this while drinking it. It forced me to notice, later on. Weapon of Mass Seduction, indeed!

I don't suggest pairing this with food, because you will definitely lose a lot of the character from the salt and sea. I mean, it was nice with some unsalted peanuts. But I quickly went back to giving this beer attention on its own. I had absolutely nothing to complain about here. I don't say that about most. A very well executed beer.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a half finger medium khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt with a little char, milk chocolate and cocoa, graham cracker and a little mineral, probably from the oyster shell. Flavor is dark toasted malt with light char, bitter and dark chocolate, nuts and a little marine saltiness. Finishes malty and chocolatey. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Covers all the bases I want from an oyster stout plus some chocolate! Nice lightly charred malt body and authentic tasting chocolate. A little touch of brine is reminiscent of what seems to be a fad in chocolate making today: salted chocolate. Works here too. A nice oyster stout and another interesting and flavorful stout from Gigantic.