Oyster Stout - The Porterhouse Brewing Company

TheDTrain

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I've been curious to try this beer for a while but I've always passed it up due to the oddity of an oyster/stout blend. Pours a thinner dark brown with some easy carbonation. I can't detect much oyster in the nose, but then again I don't really know what oysters smell like. Some roast malts & smokiness are predominant. Dry and true to style in taste & comes with an bit of odd funkiness thats hard to pin point.

Unfortunately nothing warrenting the price tag. But thanks to BeerFM Andy for satisfying the Dtrain's curiosity.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 22:08:20 | More by TheDTrain

TripelMark

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

05-17-2013 17:55:49 | More by TripelMark

leprechaunandfatman

Illinois

5/5  rDev +36.2%

05-02-2013 00:48:43 | More by leprechaunandfatman

rab53

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

04-18-2013 03:29:15 | More by rab53

blurredline

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

04-15-2013 03:08:49 | More by blurredline

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

04-15-2013 00:20:26 | More by kjyost

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.74/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Starts with a moderate head but it lasts and leaves plenty of ring lace with each sip. Ruby brown color where light passes easily.

Mild aroma of chalky darker malts. No coffee or even dark chocolate.

This is mild stout, perfect for introducing neophytes. There's a good blend of black patent malt and white pepper-like hop. The body is richer than most stouts. The carbonation is also high. There's a touch "band-aid" to the taste. The swallow has excellent balance of malt and bittering hop.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 17:22:03 | More by smcolw

wil19b85

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

04-10-2013 17:46:35 | More by wil19b85

bshiban

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

04-03-2013 22:54:52 | More by bshiban

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

4.04/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Purchased a 330mL single for $3.49 at Carl's Meat Market in Kittery, Maine. Nice beer selection they got there, hadn't been there before, wandered in on a whim. Oyster stout is one of my favorite styles and they're not very common, so I rarely pass them up. Funky pull-tab cap on the bottle, poured cold into a standard tulip.

A: A hard pour generates 3/4" of sticky, puffy, marshmallowy light brown foam. Retains pretty well and leaves a thick sticky layer on th glass as it slowly settles. Brew is nearly pitch dark, but a ruby red glimmer when held to a light indicates that it's pretty clear. Thick creamy layer endures for a long while after the head finished settling. Like a nitro tap for crap sake. Merangue or marshmallow. Really impressive head.

S: Robust dark roasty starchy malts, mild molasses sweetness, much fuller than I expected from a 5% brew. Distinctive savory brineyness from the oysters, nice and more robust than a lot of others, a good sign. Notes of chocolate syrup, tobacco, and smoke. Excellent!

T: Mild but complex, not nearly as robust as the smell. Feels like the flavor is really concentrated in the nose with little transfer to the taste. Briney notes with a good bit of herbal hop cuts through the dark stuff and gives it a thin flavor. Hop develops a strong lemony edge toward the end, hitting especially strong behind the tip of the tongue and in the back of the throat. A little buttery diacetyl hits the same parts as the lemon. Finishes with residual herb hop and a bit of caramel.

M: The feel is pretty thin and clean, nothing like the appearance implies. Carbo is crisp but not sharp or overpowering.

O: This beer is completely bipolar. The appearance and smell are huge, thick, robust. Then the taste and feel are thin and timid. Rather an odd combination of traits.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 02:14:25 | More by BeerNinja007

Steve_Oldrati

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

03-28-2013 03:54:33 | More by Steve_Oldrati

Trevormcraig

Florida

3/5  rDev -18.3%

03-24-2013 16:05:08 | More by Trevormcraig

jewellrunner

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +22.6%

03-24-2013 15:30:16 | More by jewellrunner

popery

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From notes on 3/21/11. Pours a transparent reddish brown with a smallish tan head. Some lacing persists.

Aroma is mostly roasted malt with some acidic fruitiness, a cold coffee note and a bit of chocolate-y, caramel-y malt. The caramel presence grows as the beer warms. No real oyster flavor, except perhaps a hint of brine, which may well be the result of perception bias.

The beer is a bit underwhelming in the taste department. It starts off with some fairly weak caramel sweetness, transitioning to a bitter coffee/roast flavor. The aftertaste is actually rather nice, as some good coffee/dark chocolate flavor lingers.

Carbonation is fairly low. Pretty good body for a ~5% abv Irish stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 05:23:13 | More by popery

Brenden

Ohio

3.64/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Stout it is, and appropriate: not a crushing Americanized version, but the look you'd expect and hope for from an Irish Dry straight from the source. Some brown highlights sneak through at the edges, and a tan cap of head rests on top. It offers reasonable retention and a pretty good volume of patchy and spotty lacing.
It's mostly roast in the nose, with a bit of some sweeter elements (caramel, a touch of vanilla) that's more those notes than the sugary aspects of them. A bit of a metallic element comes out, likely from the oyster, though it's not outright evident. A lightly tangy element (a factor of the roast?) sits underneath.
There's little sweetness in the flavor, but a choking dryness is avoided pretty skillfully considering what would be necessary to balance those elements. Otherwise, the taste is the same as the smell, and that metallic note is ever present.
The feel is good, appropriately full-bodied but not a huge American bruiser, nor should it be. It's mostly dry but might lean a touch gentler than some. There's enough smoothness at first, though it gets a little tough in the texture toward the middle.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 20:29:41 | More by Brenden

bconsidine

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

03-18-2013 15:54:09 | More by bconsidine

czechsaaz

Washington

3.86/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

One of those breweries I've heard a lot about but never seen their product until now. Guess some WA beer distributor thought it would sell for St. Pat's. So here goes.

Nice roast aroma. Black Barley and coffee notes with just a little fruity yeast ester.

Dark. Just like you'd expect, dark. Nice long lasting half inch head that's not quite white but not tan either. Looks exactly like a glass of stout should.

Funny, tastes like a stout. Full of roasty bitterness and hop bitterness balanced by sweetness of malt. But roasted malt is the big flavor. It's got all the bold roast flavor of a quality stout without any astringent or burnt flavors like some stouts. Also, I've had oyster stouts where you can really taste the ingredient. Here, there's something in there that sets it apart from what you might be used to but if you didn't know, you wouldn't be able to put your finger on what it is. A subtle added bit of complexity.

Not as big bodied or as creamy as other stouts. The carbonation level is more lively and aggressive than the two 'famous' Irish stouts.

It's a very nice well balanced beer. I don't think it is so different that it would convert your average industrial stout drinker but it's every bit as good. I like the little guys so I'll get it again. Need to get back to Dublin some day so I can try this fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 06:49:45 | More by czechsaaz

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.11/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 11.2 oz. pull tab bottle into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark blackish brown with hints of amber. Lots of rising bubbles and a huge four finger light tan head. Good retention and lacing around the glass.

Smell: A very creamy and sweet dark aroma with fruit and a kick of oyster. Dark roasted malts with hints of cocoa, coffee, cream, milk, caramel, toffee, grains, and yeast. Hints of the salty oysters come through giving an ocean like scent. Fruit hints of dark cherry, raisin, plum, and fig. Fairly earthy with some hints of floral and grassy hops. A pretty interesting and nice aroma.

Taste: Follows the nose with a creamy and sweet taste of roast, oyster, and dark fruit. Roasted malts with a taste of chocolate, coffee, creamy milk, grains, caramel, toffee, yeast, and smoke. The oyster taste is pretty noticeable giving a fairly salty, mineral like taste. Notes of dark dried fruit including plum, dark cherry, raisin, and figs. Some earthy, grassy hops provide some balancing bitterness. A pretty good Irish Stout taste.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with a fairly high level of carbonation. Very creamy and somewhat slick. Finishes fairly dry.

Overall: A pretty good Irish style dry stout. Good roasty flavors and a nice kick from the oyster.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 05:11:52 | More by MattyG85

rmehughes

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

03-18-2013 00:38:10 | More by rmehughes

benjada

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

03-18-2013 00:35:22 | More by benjada

Durge

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on March 17th at My Place in Newtown, CT, this Irish made specialty stout seems to be out there out of nowhere this Saint Patrick’s Day season. It shows a semitransparent dark black-brown color with a giant, thick and creamy tan head and very good sporadic but chunky lacing follows. I pick up mild wheat-malt and vague charcoal grass in the nose hit but it’s a bit weak, definitely not bold. The first taste brings a charcoal flavor with oyster shell edges and floral grass hop hints. I also pick up some grape/wine ideas. There's a chalky feel on the surface of this medium light bodied stout with modest carbonation, very much a cask ale feel. Not bad, although there's a very slight touch of soapiness and its a bit thin for my tastes. Decent flavor overall.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2013 20:32:58 | More by Durge

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

4.16/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Porterhouse Brewing 'Oyster Stout' an Irish Dry Stout @ 5.2% served from a 330 ml bottle with the somewhat annoying pull tab bottle caps purchased for $3

A-pour is dark brown/almost black in the glass with a good size off white head that leaves large spotty lacing along the pint glass

S-salty ocean surf after a storm , some sweet smelling floral/fruit hints

T-smooth tasting smoked oyster's on the shell , almost sweet tasting , smokey , salty , creamy

MF-thin viscous medium body , low carbonation , dry roasted finish

Ov-oyster thru out this beer but is never overpowering , easy drinking beer , yes I'll have another it's St.Patrick's Day , not the best Irish beer butt a damn good one

sampled alongside 'An BrainBlasta' & 'Plain Porter' also of Porterhouse Brewing

prost LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 07:32:52 | More by LampertLand

stortore

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

03-17-2013 00:35:20 | More by stortore

chippo33

Vermont

3/5  rDev -18.3%

03-13-2013 23:45:53 | More by chippo33

Mattyb79

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

03-12-2013 00:04:05 | More by Mattyb79