Allagash Black

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Foreign Stout
Portland, Maine USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

A bit of chocolate and coffee in the aroma. This beer is a lot fizzier than I was expecting. Very dark color. Smooth on the palate and bubbly, almost like root beer but not as much carbonation. Pleasant aftertaste.

Pours black, of course, with a tan head that fades and leaves nice lacing as it passes. Aroma is of chocolate, coffee, spicy yeast, and some burnt sugar. Flavor is of mostly chocolate with some Belgian spice and licorice in the finish. Medium bodied, quite dry. I commend them for trying, but the flavor is pretty strange for a foreign stout.

Batch 27 bottle pour into tulip. The Black is actually a deep dark brown. Moderate light tan head. Aroma is Belgian yeast, sweet malt, minor alcohol. Maybe just a little coffee and chocolate but it all takes a backseat to the yeast. Taste is more Belgian yeast, chocolate malts, some coffee. Moderate carbonation and a very pleasant finish. An good departure from my recent string of Russian Imperials. Would certainly buy again.

Properly named, Black, fills my glass with robust darkness impenetrable by even the brightest light. A lovely off white head grows and recedes before I indulge myself. Aroma is surprisingly light with hints of alcohol and candy sugar, possibly a touch of black licorice. The opaque liquid flows slowly over the palate provoking flavors of very dark chocolate, black licorice, burnt sugar and hints of dried fruit (figs?). The Belgian side of this stout is extremely subdued compared to other Belgian stouts I’ve had, Hercule. I’d like a little more funky spice in this. Overall a solid brew with one of the best mouth feels I’ve ever experienced from a big, black beer...

A remarkably drinkable beer given its high-ish alcohol content, this sat black (natch) in the glass beneath a thin cap of foam. I use the term "glass" loosely, because in fact this was poured from a 22 oz bottle into a tiny plastic stein at Brew Fest in Athens, GA. Even alongside the rarities and oddities at that event, this stood out for its subtle and pleasant blend of roast flavors. Nut skins, coffee, and chocolate abounded, never competing with one another and marrying beautifully with a whiff of funk from the Belgian yeast. Another fine offering from Allagash.

Poured into a snifter, the Black pours, um black. It pours an opaque rich black, that foams up like most Allagashes when you pour them, that leaves a nice rich head that is slightly off-white. Not a very rich aroma, slight hints of sweet malts and yeast are the lead. Wonderful flavors of dark chocolate, like that 85% caocao kind, along with roasted malts. Mouthfeel is great, smooth and a mild yet bubbly carbonation. Its a little pricey but I also got it at cost, so I bought two cases, some for trade and some for cellaring. Very drinkable.

This beer pours a very dark brown, almost black, but in the light you can tell its brown. The closest brown I’ve seen to black. The head is a medium creamy tan that has about 2 finger of head. It falls in about 2 minutes to a light coating on the surface of the beer. There are streaks of head hanging to the glass, very good lacing. The aroma is very your really get some nice roasted malts, and a hint of toast. caramel and light hops. The taste is right on the aroma very malty at first with sweetness then a nice light roasted coffee to finish. A surprising smooth drink but yet full and clinging on the palate. This beer is easy to drink, I could put away quite a few with ease.

Bottle thanks to jrob21. Pours nearly black with a 1 finger, creamy tan head that has excellent retention. Aroma is roast, dark chocolate, lots of dark fruit, a touch of pepper, earth and musty wood. Flavor is roast, cocoa, lots of earth, dark fruit, hints of licorice, pepper, musty old firewood, toasted nuts and a little resinous hops to the finish. Palate is medium bodied, between syrupy and creamy on entry, pretty over carbonated and dry, sort of chalky to the finish. Really good stuff, wasn’t too impressed with the mouthfeel, definitely over carbonated, but its pretty delicious. Honestly the yeasty notes would probably be a little over the top without the high carbonation too.