Shuck Around And Find Out
Ilk Beer

oatmeal stout with oysters, love the style, all too rarely get to enjoy one in my world. this is a little curious, not as oceanic and sort of brine forward as they can sometimes be, but mineral forward, more shells than meats to me, calcium and the like, not fishy even a little bit, but that doesnt mean it isnt weird. i like what the oats do in this black beauty, they frothy it up and give it some richer body for a beer thats pleasantly light in alcohol. they lengthen it too, this is dry but seems to evolve a lot as it drinks. plenty of roasted bitterness in it, to me on the edge of too much, perhaps obscuring the more delicate oyster element i want to really experience in this. some bitter linger late too and a burnt drip coffee note with it as well. some light saltiness i suppose as it warms, maybe a protein texture, but its not easy to pick out oyster, at least for my palate. bigtime mineral profile though, and i think thats the contribution, nice with the darker grain, almost a salted dark chocolate thing, weird but good, and it grows on me the more i drink it. i had never heard of these guys before two cool beers in close proximity, and now they are totally on my radar. this is fun and different.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a fine, one finger milk chocolate head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, coffee, bakers chocolate and a touch of brine. Flavor follows, with dark toasted malt with light char, bakers chocolate, coffee beans and a mild brine note in the finish. Medium bodied at the high end of light to medium creaminess; nice mouth feel. A nice roasty, toasty oatmeal stout that has a great unsweetened chocolate element and serous coffee character. The mild brine shows up in the finish, but the oyster shell and oatmeal components give it a nice, smooth and creamy feel. Nicely done. I wouldn't mind tasting a heftier version of this recipe, although it is fine for the sessionable styles that Ilk seems to be aiming for.