Alchemist Beelzebub

Draft at the brewpub - Poured a very dark black/brown in color with a small tan head that persisted. Aroma was a hearty mix of darkly roasted malts and hops. Flavor is quite bitter to start with a hefty hop bite. As the beer warms (in glass and in mouth) a nice roasted malt character emerges. Hard to place this one, but I like it... almost like a "immature" Imperial Stout... would be interesting to let this one age for a bit and see if that mellows some of the hop bite.

Tap @ Blind Tiger. Poured a deep brown color with a thin tan head. Roasted malt aroma with notes of pine and ash mixed in. The flavor was very roasty with mild ash notes. medium bodied.

Tap at BT. Really dark. Acrid smokiness, lots of hops up front. Malt is much more prevalent in the flavor than I expected. Cocoa, smoke, coffee, blah blah. Nutty. Good but not exciting.

Pitch black beer, with a brown head. Aroma is very hoppy. Lots of bright pine and resin. Grapefruit and piny american hops over a light chocolatey base. Flavour is more IPA than Impy Stout. Very hoppy, assertive bitterness. Some lingering sweet stickiness. Light roastiness and soft chocolate flavour on the back. The body seems lighter than it actually is. It’s okay, but if I’d wanted an IPA, I would have ordered one.

Tap at Blind Tiger. This is the hoppiest stout I’ve ever had. Hardly tasted like a stout at all. Only a touch of roast in the aroma. Flavor is pure hops, though doesn’t have the caramel of IIPAs or barleywines. Interesting I guess, though I wanted a stout.