Firestone Walker - Velvet Merkin

I understand that is what they are saying now, but do you remember Velvet Merkin back when it used to be available around Central and SOuthern (maybe even Northern) California for years before they started releasing Velvet Merlin? There was Velvet Merkin, which was the oatmeal stout that you would frequently find and then a barrel aged Velvet Merkin. In fact it used to be listed as an "alias" beer on here after they started to bottle it as Velvet Merlin. And with all the changes to this site, things have gotten moved around, but look up the currently active Velvet Merkin and then go to the last page of reviews and read some of the oldest reviews on this. You will see people specifically talking about it as barrel aged Velvet Merkin and not a barrel aged version of Velvet Merlin. Similarly, when you go to the last page of the Velvet Merlin reviews you will see some of those oldest ones being a jumble of both the original Velvet Merkin oatmeal stout and the barrel aged Velvet Merkin. It looks like maybe a local editor or one of the brothers went in at one point and tried to split these out again after the "alias" days of them all being on one listing. But I specifically remember that it was always Velvet Merkin and BA Velvet Merkin at anyplace that I went back 4 or 5 years ago.

 

Just make sure not to put "merkin" into Google Image Search

 

It is confusing, and I asked David Walker and his wife about it. Here's what I could gather: Velvet Merken was the name of their oatmeal stout that they used to brew. It was draft only, and they played around with the recipe quite a bit. Sometimes they would blend some portion of the barrel aged beer back into it, so it would be partially barrel aged. Sometimes a fully barrel aged keg would show up at some fests. Once they decided to bottle it, they had to get label approval and standardize things, plus they had issues initially with getting the word, "merkin" through the ABC. The Velvet Merlin is completely non-barrel aged and comes in six-packs of 12 oz bottles. The Velvet Merkin did eventually get approval and has become the name of the fully barrel-aged version that is being released in 22 oz bottles for the first time this year.

 

I like the triangular Merkin symbol on the box. Genius!! I can't wait to have this caressing my palate!!

 

It is very, very glorious. Had it on tap in Philly this past March. Definitely in my top 3 for favorite imperial stouts. So. Much. Vanilla. Mmmm.

 

Really hoping that I'll be able to find a bottle or two of this.

 

This

Makes total sense, because I do recall variations in the abv, as well.

 

Everytime I read the name of this beer I just think to myself how sublime a velvet merkin would really feel.

 

This is correct. I remember when they were going through all of the hooplah of "merkin". It was on tap here and there at the tap room, always as "merkin". A lot of us locals were not happy about the change in name. But, alas, here she is!

 

seriously firestone is just killing it right now, parabola and sucaba are fantastic so i think this one is definitely going to deliver without a doubt

 

Get in my belly. Barrel aged oatmeal stout sounds great

 

Csuck it, Cthulhu.

 

whole foods tustin should get bottles next week!

 

Want this sooo bad.... wish Firestone distro'ed to Michigan

 

Can't wait for this to find its way to Arizona.

 

Hopefully this will be as easy to score as this years' Parabola in ATX.

Love the box. And I can't believe it, but it's already label approved here (they've had it on draft here in a few places for special tappings), so apparently the TABC has no problem with the word "Merkin", lol.

 

Facebook says September? What's your source?

 

Damn, fell for it... ugh. Don't do it.

 

I just saw a picture of Maynard James Keenan!

 

Can. Not. Wait.

One of my favorite beers ever.