Tradition dictates that oysters may only be consumed when there's an R in the month. Tradition is silent on when you're allowed to bung them into a stout, however. Galway Bay Brewery's summer stout, Flaggy Shore, bears the name of an oyster farmer of the same name and location, and carries a shellfish allergy warning, so I guess like the Porterhouse's own Oyster Stout it does actually include them in the recipe.
Otherwise it's a straightforward Irish stout: 4.5% ABV and served on nitro. It's nicely full-bodied and leaning to sweet with lots of milk chocolate in the centre, though finishing properly dry, adding a mildly metallic pinch of old world hops in the aftertaste. There's no novelty factor going on, however. I might be picking up a little salt, but no more than you'd get from actual milk chocolate. It seems the poor oysters died for nothing.
Regardless, it's a very decent stout, and consumed on a warm afternoon in Dublin was exceedingly refreshing. I'd happily drink this any time of the year, with molluscs or without.
Tasted like burnt salted caramel, dark chocolate 70% and a bit of light coffee.
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