Oyster Stout - The Porterhouse Brewing Company

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

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

may have been nitro-tap but i'm not sure about that

A- Great appearance, very much guinness-like. Black body with some reddish hints if seen through light. Dense, creamy and greatly persistent off-white head, that also leaves tons of dense lacing. Maybe not as big as guinness (a couple of fingers) so this takes away half a point

S- Not much showing through the dense head. Dark malts, a bit of chocolate, a slight roasted hint. On the back of things, some very light kind of salty/metallic sourness if that makes any sense

T- Very much a dry stout. Moderate roastiness, bittersweet notes of dark bread, chocolate, maybe liquorice. On the back of things and in the aftertaste there's a salty, mineral feel that adds a bit of a peculiar character and let's you know this is an oyster stout, though it's mostly a pretty classic dry stout: clean, simple, highly drinkable

M- Super-soft mouthfeel as per style. Very creamy and soft on both tongue and palate, just a slight hint of fine carbonation on the tongue. Nothing impressive (i was expecting just that) but still nice and fitting

O- What you look for in a dry stout are typical stout notes among a soft feel and great drinkabilty. This one has all that plus a bit of a peculiar feel. Nice

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2012 09:45:07 | More by Cozzatoad

lstokes

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at the Fountainhead in Chicago. This came out pitch-black with two fingers of bright white head. The smell is very briny--I guess that's what I wanted when I ordered this? The malt palate is roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, and charred coffee--a really well-done Irish Dry Stout, but then hey! There's some tangy salt/brine there. You will either like it or find this absolutely repulsive, but I was on the former side. The perfectly smooth, creamy, and full mouthfeel helped a lot.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2012 18:00:41 | More by lstokes

WhiteOak

Connecticut

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Black-brown with a brown edge. The light brown head is very sticky and lacy.

S- Dark roasted malt smell, with minimal char.

T- Something a bit more than the typical dry stout, but a bit thinner than the typical Porter. Flavors of roasted malt & dark coffee. I did not detect oysters, the ocean, or any other shellfish for that matter, but a touch of saltiness is apparent.

M, D- Creamy, dry, correct level of CO2.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2011 02:32:47 | More by WhiteOak

plaid75

New York

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at The Lark, East Northport, NY.

Poured a black hue with amber highlights topped with a one finger frothy white head. There was very good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a roasted barley, dark chocolate and charcoal.

The taste consisted of roasted malts, charcoal and a touch of lactose sweetness. Residual roasted malts.

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style.

Overall a tasty dry stout directly from the source. Glad to see it here in NY.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2011 22:33:24 | More by plaid75

DIM

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: This had a black body and it was served to me with a smallish off white cap.

s: Mild roasty notes of coffee grounds and something sort of tart and kind of spicy. The oysters I suppose? The effect is subtle if that's what it is.

t: Roasty flavors that suggest bakers chocolate is joined by tart, maybe tangy is a better word, almost salty flavor that I don't recall tasting before. There is a fruity component to the tartness as well. The finish has a surprisingly bitter charred coffee flavor that lingers for quite awhile along with a tart cherry flavor.

m: Nice body for a smaller beer.

o: This is the first oyster stout I've had in a long time and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Just a really nice dry stout but with a subtle twist.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2011 10:51:12 | More by DIM

mdfb79

New York

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap tonight at Rustico in Ballston, VA.

a - Pours a black color with one finger if creamy off white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, toasted malts, chocolate, and light coffee. Not really getting any oysters in the smell.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, oysters, chocolate, toasted malts, and smokey malts.

m - Light to medium body and low carbonation, smooth and creamy body.

d - A decent oyster stout. Not my favorite, but worth checking out.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2010 03:41:49 | More by mdfb79

kojevergas

California

2.48/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A: Served on-tap at the Porterhouse pub in Dublin. The cream top complements the tan body, which is bled into by the black bubbles in a dazzling display mimicking that of Guinness. One finger, creamy head. Appealing.

Sm: Light scent of roasted barley, malt, and a bit of hops. Appealing but unpronounced.

T: Cream on the open - which is thin. Simple body with a note of roast and a note of hops. Not bold and not particularly good. I'm usually biased towards stouts, but this is bland.

Mf: Too smooth, but the dryness in the finish is nice.

Dr: Too bland and too expensive to consider again. This is the best of the porterhouse's self-brewed stouts, but that isn't saying much.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2010 17:09:02 | More by kojevergas

Georgiabeer

Georgia

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

Had this on-tap at the Brick Store Pub. My first from this brewery, and only my second real oyster stout. Pours a garnet tinged brown with good clarity, and a strange white head with a garnet tint. Smells slightly salty and savory with some creamy sweetness playing off the other aromas. The taste is similar. Starts with a light creaminess and a slight bitterness, and finishes with an overlay of brine, a touch of Iodine, and light but complex umami notes. Smooth and light, in the mouth. This is certainly an interesting beer, and I'm glad I tried it, but I probably won't be going back for more.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2010 12:52:47 | More by Georgiabeer

Halcyondays

California

4.65/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap pint at Beachwood BBQ, my first true Oyster stout, this is definitely not Kosher,

A: Pours a dark mahogany with a fizzy off-white head, fair retention, muddled look. Not the best looking stout in the world, but I don't care with how good it tastes.

S: Dark roasted malt, hint of fruit/cherries.

T: The dark malt is great here, but the oysters are adding another dimension. There's a hard to define fruity character with a bit of saltiness. Great bittersweet ~ 60% cacao chocolate. Incredibly tasty and not heavy at all.

M: Smooth, medium-bodied, very easy drinking.

D: My favourite of the day at Beachwood. This is delicious complex stout. Very tasty, this place is a must visit if I'm ever in Dublintown. Get a pint and go back to the 1800s with this beer. Probably as close as you can get to a stout from Joyce's day.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2010 22:46:01 | More by Halcyondays

atis

Finland

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Porterhouse in Dublin

Pours black with thick, dense and creamy head that does not dissipate till the end of the glass, leaving dense lacing. Aroma is quite mild roasted grainy malt. Taste is very smooth roasted malts with nice touch of hop bitterness, dry finish and very long lasting bittery aftertaste.

This is my favorite Irish Stout. Amazingly well-made. I have to admit I could not drink too much of it, several glasses are fine, but sometimes it feels too intense/strong.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2009 18:31:49 | More by atis

AWolfAtTheDoor

California

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

This is a very unique brew. Had the displeasure of being stuck in Dublin for 3 nights and would have blown a lot of money each night at The Porterhouse had Ireland's archaic liquor laws not closed it on Good Friday.. yea I'm still pissed about that.

Anyways, the stout pours a dark semi-transparent black. I can vaguely see through when held up to the light. Similar cascading effect of Guinness after freshly poured. Light mocha coloured head, nice lacing throughout the session.

Roasted malts on the nose.

More roasted malts once this beer hits the palate. Some cream follows, then a nice hop bitterness emerges. If the malts are the yin, the hops are the yang. Very excellent beer. Hops linger and eventually they evolve into a subtle oyster flavor--more on that later.

Thick mouthfeel, what else would you expect from an Irish stout?

The reason for my bombshell 2.5 mouthfeel score is that 20 to 30 minutes after I had paid my tab and was walking around Dublin, I still had the oystery fishy taste in my mouth. It was not very pleasant. Had I cleansed my palate with an other beer before leaving perhaps this not would have happened, but it was definitely a downer. This is a good beer and worth trying, but the Plain Porter they brew is fantastic as well and I would take that over the Oyster any day.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2008 15:01:19 | More by AWolfAtTheDoor

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this a couple times at the porterhouse, one of my favourite places when I'm in Dublin.

At first it comes across as any of the bar's other fine porters; great roasted malt, coffee and a mouth coating burnt bitterness. An epiphany if you've been drinking Guinness in the Temple all day.
Drink it a little more carefully and you get a pleasant fishiness. I know that sounds horrible, but others have said sea-salt and I think it goes a tad farther than that. Don't let it scare you off, it's a real tasty drink and one of the more original ones I've ever had.

I find it's best to try this with a pint of plain, alternating at least a couple sips, allowing you to clearly taste the taste of Dublin bay.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2007 19:05:25 | More by CanuckRover

granger10

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My favorite stout at Porterhouse in Dublin. Black in color with a slight hint of red shining through. Nice creamy heads maintains itself atop the liquid. Aroma is great. I think I really do smell fresh sea oysters! This is a very aromatic drink, esp once it warms and opens up. Sweet butter english tofee. Smoky Irish peat. Dry roasted African coffee. I really liked the aromas. Taste was also good but not quite as amazing. Tons of roasty flavors with a definite salty, oyster edge to it. I had a few pints of this one and enjoyed them quite nicely.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2006 13:58:45 | More by granger10

cbl2

New York

4.63/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:

Pitch black with quarter inch tan head.

Smell:

Sweet roasted malt, and a hint of salt.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

The smoothest stout I've ever sampled. Absolutely astounding. Not much taste of the sea, but a pleasant sweetness that changes into a nice bitter finish.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2004 20:34:50 | More by cbl2

BenConnery

Australia

4.47/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Tasted this one in the Porterhouse in Dublin while on holiday there.
A thick black beer in the glass with a traditional creamy head. Smells were of the roasted variety as with many creamy stouts.
Not put off by the description of oysters in the brewing, after all Guinness and oysters are supposed to be a great combination so this would appear to be a logical extension really...
The tastes were all you'd expect from a creamy smooth stout, some licorice and coffee, perhaps burnt caramel. I think not as roasted as a Guinness but so smooth and creamy and full of body. I personally, and Irish readers don't hate me here, rate this above Guinness. I had them in Dublin, from the source, within a few days of each other and as good as Guinness in Ireland is, I loved this stout even more.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2003 23:33:00 | More by BenConnery

stcules

Italy

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A complex stout. Black colour. Toasted aroma, ligthly caramel. The taste is less toasted, but with licorice and vanilla. Smooth and aromatic. Maybe because it is brewed with fresh oyster. The aftertaste is liquer-like (sherry) and spicy, and light bitter, more evident in the finish. Good body.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2002 11:44:25 | More by stcules

Neorebel

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

This is a tough one... I will rate the appearance similar to the other Porterhouse beer I have had, as it looks very much the same. Nearly black, almost opaque, small head after the initial pour, no lacing. The smell is okay - salty, almost earthy, briny... a tiny bit of chocolate, and mostly... a cloying and alien sweetness. Perhaps also, some oxidized essence. When drinking, the smooth mouthfeel is the best part. Too acidic, salty, and most of all, too sweet. Even though I am inexperienced in Oyster Stout tasting... I'm sure there's much better out there in the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 02:33:54 | More by Neorebel

angelmonster

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a midnight brown color, turns black when held away from light. Head is cream toned and about an inch thick. Head retention and lacing are pretty good.

Smell is of roasted caramel malts, rye bread, and faint burnt coffee. Sweet milk chocolate is also lingering in the nose. Hops and alcohol are undetectable.

First taste is of charred chocolate malt. Not as sweet as in the nose, flavor is more like bitter dark chocolate than chocolate milk. Dont know if my mind is playing tricks on me but I taste a slight salty brine in the finish. Beer has a pronounced hoppiness, not sure if its from roasted barley or actual hops. From the limited number of Irish dry stouts I've tried, this one seems to be one of the few ones that has a tiny alcohol bit, most are on the tame side.

Mouthfeel is somewhat light but has more substance than most Irish stouts. Carbonation levels are somewhat high but the head helped to tone down the over fizziness.

Overall this beer was good for its style but nothing amazing or near the top of my list of favorite stouts. Didnt get any flavor of oyster, which is probably a good thing. Went down pretty easy but not sure if I'd buy it again

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 05:12:34 | More by angelmonster

guityler83

Wisconsin

3.96/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Dark dark brown with hints of red hugh around the edge. almost zero head, slight ring of off white bubbles hanging on the edge.

S: Roasty chocolate malt smell, a very lager like fruityness that might be the yeast popping out from the yeast.

T: Sweet gingerbread, gram cracker and roasted flavors. The bitterness is is noble like balancing out the finish and leaving a lingering fruityness.

M: Slick and oily with very low carbonation. Moderate to dry body and slightly astringant

O: A very drinkable and balanced beer. The smell of lager like qualities threw me for a loop and reminded me of a schwarz, but a solid dry stout non the less

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 02:14:20 | More by guityler83

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

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

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

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