Mutiny and the Mollusk

22 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled in 4/2012. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 2-3 finger dense and rocky tan head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Amazing appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, oysters, sea salt, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, oyster sauce/shells, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, oysters, sea salt, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, oysters, sea salt, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, oyster sauce/shells, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/saline mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.6%. Overall this is an outstanding Oyster stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, oyster sauce/shells, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish; great soft/silky feel for the ABV. Awesome balance of rich malts and oyster sauce/shells; with solid earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on English style example as expected. Not overwhelming on any aspect. Held up amazingly well for 7.5 years at the low ABV.

Bottle shared. Pours near black with dark biege head. Aroma of roast, chocolate, fudge, toffee, cocoa and light coffee. Flavour is over moderate sweet and bitter. All of the aroma aspects come out in the palate with raisins, overripe red fruit and oyster saltiness on the side. Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation. Fantastic for the low ABV.