Ever since Firestone Walker fell into the clutches of Belgian Moortgat (Duvel), it seems their beers have silently and slowly become more available here in Belgium - and even if I bought this one from a Dutch webshop, I guess Moortgat's ownership still has something to do with that, something I can have nothing against. This is their classic Velvet Merkin, a bourbon barrel aged oatmeal stout, from 2018, so two years old at this point; apparently the first editions were a bit stronger in alcohol volume, which I assume explains why this vintage has its own entry here. Quite densely mousy, even creamy, yellowish-beige, thickly dented-lacing, slightly crackling but very stable, even if eventually 'breaking' head on a blackish (but actually very, very dark bronze) beer with crystal clear ruddy-mahogany edge till the end (this beer has clearly been filtered, or worse...). Pleasantly 'warming' bouquet of cappuccino, charred horse steak, bitter black chocolate, beef broth, old furniture, roasted pecan nuts, burnt toast, some glowing charcoal even, cold black coffee, dry raisin bread, leather, tar, moist nutmeg, dried fig, vanilla-scenting oak wood, hard caramel, oatmeal pancakes like both my grandmothers used to bake them, something unsugared chewing gum-like, dried juniper berries, blood, old brownies, mocha ice cream - and then, subtly lurking around in the background but still detectable to the experienced nose, that typical 'cooked cloth'-like aspect pointing at pasteurization (so my suspicion at the time of looking at its transparent edges, proves right). Rounded onset, sweetish but nowhere cloying and balanced with a fruity-sourish edge (quite obvious even but elegantly and 'neutrally' so) with hints of dried fig, blackberry and blueberry, quite spritzy carbonation for a barrel aged vintage beer - accentuating the sour aspect and even hindering drinkability a little bit; still full, very smooth (oat!) mouthfeel, a lovely combo of 'fondant' chocolate, toasted pecan nuts and burnt brown bread, bittersweet but remaining restrained in its sweetness - it's more an abstract impression of softness provided by the oats in this case than actual sweetness. Full roasted bitterness in the end though nowhere too sharp or ashy, in fact very black coffee-like as it ought to be, with these dried fruit and burnt raisin aspects lingering about; woody tannins add further dryness, working well with that mouth-filling roasted bitterness and back-up hop bitterness, as well as a retronasal whiff of vanilla, enhanced by the bourbon, which otherwise behaves very well, providing a sweet-boozy element in the end without overtaking the beer (as is all too often the case these days). Long, warming but altogether gentle finish combining bittersweet bourbon with bittersweet roasted malts and wood, while a vague touch of liquorice lurks in the background. Oatmeal stout indeed, feeling thick enough for this ABV and delivering the smoothness one expects from the style - though it must be said, the somewhat pungent carbonation does reduce this effect a bit. This overcarbonation, for this kind of beer at least, is the only thing that bothered me a bit; otherwise this is a well-made American style strong stout, packed with all the classic flavours one expects from the genre and even coming across as a tad old-fashioned, due to its roasted bitter, coffee-like character. More or less exemplary in its category, with the bourbon barrel aspect having been applied rather gently; not the greatest highlight in American style barrel aged stouts I ever had, however, so I'm still wondering if this was really worth its rather hefty price tag. I think leaving it unfiltered and unpasteurized would already be a big step in the right direction (compare with BCBS now and before!)...

Bottle. Dark brown, creamy foam. Aroma: sweet, caramel, jam, coffee, bourbon, maple syrup. Taste: sweet, maple syrup, caramel, a little bourbon and vanilla, not bad.

Bottle (2017, vintage 005) from Total Wine & More, Burlington. Appearance is dark brown (almost black) and ruby with light source directly behind with nice sparkle at the edges of the glass, finger-width beige, crackling head with poor retention and trace lacing. Aroma is strong bourbon and oak, lighter sweet/tart fruit with more muted roasted malt. Taste is strong bourbon, oak, caramel malt, dark fruit, coconut, and hint of vanilla. Mouthfeel is medium side of light-to-medium bodied with smooth texture, average carbonation with pleasant mild alcohol warmth and sweet finish as taste. Overall, missing the coffee and chocolate (aged too long?) and the bourbon is a bit high in the mix, overshadowing the underlying stout. Almost more like an aged barleywine. Maybe would benefit from more aging? Less?