Queen City Craft--Marooned on Hog Island

Another offering from 21st Amendment Brewery, Marooned on Hog Island is billed as a "stout brewed with Hog Island sweetwater oyster shells". At 7.9%, this stout has some chops. It comes in 12oz. cans and pours with a dark, ruby hue, under a fluffy cream head. Unlike Hell or Highwatermelon, reviewed earlier, this strong ale comes, not from San Francisco, California, but from 21st Amendment's San Leandro, CA location.

The aroma is quite rich and warm, with cocoa and molasses elements. The flavour, which is built on a malty foundation, contains some dusky, sweet chocolate notes. My pal MM recommended that I enjoy this brew slowly, because a faint saltiness comes though as the beer warms, and she wasn't messing with me--there is a smidgeon of aquatic saline noticeable at the finish.

This beer certainly doesn't taste as strong as its billing, which makes it a deliciously dangerous ale. Strong, yet subtle, Hog Island is a fine piece of brewing. It might be a bit sweet and weighty, but not by much.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.