Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Healdsburg, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bomber pours an opaque dark brown with decent tan head and good lacing. Aroma is quite hoppy, but also full of roasted and caramel malts, and chocolate. Taste is sweet with a bitter finish. Body is full to medium with low carbonation and a silky smooth, slightly oily mouhtfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden, so this is deceptively very easy to drink. This is one of the hoppiest and least boozy imperial stouts I’ve tried, and a very good one at that.

This is a fantastic stout. Pours very dark, nice head with tan, fine bubbles. The flavor is fantastic, nice and thick, very complex. Good hop bite but not overly hopped. Great stout.

A nice black, if a little bitter for a stout. Pours a nice brown with a tan head. Smells of hops. Taste starts creamy, with a hint of vanilla. But ends pretty bitter. Had at tap at the Bay Area Craft Beer Festival ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

0.65l bottle shared with The Tasting Crew. This is a near black one, or let’s call it deep dark ruby brown and it has a small quite bubbly light brown head. The nose has chocolate, the sweet and vanilla ish kind. Malts, the lower part of the Ballerina biscuits, wet rocks, some salty licorice and traces of couch. It’s quite present this aroma, and I like what’s flowing through my nose. It’s about soft to average on the carbonation level and the mouthfeel is really silky. More vanilla in the taste, the licorice is much more present in the taste. More chocolate biscuits, it’s a bit mouthdrying in a way and I get traces of hay. A really almost scary light drinkable one. 04.03.2013

Bottle shared with Tony, Cheers mate - Dark brown roasted malt, toffee, caramel and chocolate here - Big bear in name and certainly this gives you a bear hug you wont forget! Really liked this.

Bottle from Utobeer, Borough Market. Dark brown pour with a beige head. Toffee, licorice and butterscotch in the aroma. Raisin and chocolate flavour. Sharp sweet roast flavour. Long malt finish. Lovely stuff.

Pours dark reddish brown, almost opaque. Thin tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is bright and malty with hints of chocolate. Reminds me of a Brown Ale. Flavor and body a bit thin for what I expect from a stout, but it has nicely balanced sweetness and hoppy bitterness. Nice brew and a good deal for the price.

Pours dark black with off white head out of bottle. Chocolate aroma with oak/chocolate taste. Smooth beer with great flavor. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Very dark brown/black pour with a thin tan head. Aroma is floral, coffee, caramel, spice. Flavor is roasted caramel, coffee, chocolate, and a little fruit. Nice bitter finish, a little sour. Very pleasant.

No bottling date, but this was put on shelves very recently.
Appearance: The body is chestnut on the pour, but appears black in the body. The head is tan and thin with average retention, eventually settling into a frothy ring.
Aroma: The aroma is of roasted malts and milk chocolate but it feels a bit muted. I wish this smelled stronger.
Taste: Roasted malts are prominent in the flavor, even coming off a touch astringent. Caramel backs the roasted malts with some bitter dark chocolate at the finish, perhaps a touch of citrus hops throughout.
Palate: The body is a bit thin for my liking.
Overall: I can’t say I very much enjoy this. The real problem I have with this is the thin body.