Oyster Stout
Tributary Brewing Co.

 

Most of all, this is NOT SWEET. And I love it for that.

Look: opaque and nearly black. Not much in the way of head but that might be me and my glassware.

Taste: Mineral flavors across the tongue, supported by the roasty, grainy, not-sweet malt.

Feel: not much carb. Smooth and a little lighter than I expected.

Overall: I haven't experienced many stouts like this. (Probably worth doing a tasting with the Devil's Purse oyster stout.) Strong recommend for not-sweet fans.

On tap at The Ginger Man in Boston, MA.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head and lots of lacing.

I don’t get much saltiness or oysters in the aroma, but there’s a great roastiness and a solid smokiness.

I really don’t get the oyster thing here. Beyond that, the base stout is delightful, with a soft and fruity flavor, some big toast and roast, and a light smokiness

This is medium bodied and very creamy, with a really nice drinkability and a crisp finish.

This is super solid, even though I don’t actually taste any oysters.

 

 

On tap at LFK

 

On tap at a recent brewfest.

It pours mostly dark brown to about black with a modest off-white or tan head.

The aroma reminded me more of burnt coffee grinds and dark roasted malts than something sweet. No to low hop profile.

The body is medium but it is delicate and smooth.

The sweetness kicks in more vibrantly in the flavor. Whereas I got this coffee thing on the nose the taste was far more roasty and sweet with a mild bitter ending. A deceiving beer but I say it in a good way.

Most oyster stouts seem to be classified as English Stouts, so that's where I added this one. It also has oatmeal in it, though, so you could count it as an oatmeal stout. I dunno.

Described on their website as follows:
Brewed with malted and flaked oats, and 15 pounds of local New Hampshire Great Bay oysters, this stout has a soft mouth feel and beautiful mineral character. 6.1% ABV

Okay, so Mott is the softspoken king of American stouts, and Tributary is probably the best stout/porter brewery going on right now, if not in the whole US than at least in New England. It's no surprise, then, that this beer is very good, borderline excellent.

Pours very dark and characteristically full bodied. Smells like a sweet oatmeal stout, the barley is rough but the hops are minimal and some light chocolate aromas round things out.

Tastes more interesting than it smells, much brinier. Smooth, semi-sweet barley throughout, a wee hint of oatmeal roughness on the back end, and then a lightly salty, lightly chocolatey finish. Exquisite complexity without any overbearing strength.