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 from consumers beverages in niagara falls. black tan head. old school ris, weve moved past these types of ris but this beer is really nice. more of a well hopped stout by todays standards.

Blak pour with a tan head. Big roasted malt, licorice, and dark chocolate. Coffee, burnt sugar, and a surprising hoppiness. There’s a nice sweetness to the flavor. Still plenty of roasted malt, coffee, and dark chocolate. Some licorice, lots of hop flavor and bitterness, and a hint of alcohol.

I was absolutely shocked to find this bottle at the Beerhive in Edinburgh, Scotland, it is one of those beers which I have been dying to get into for a long time so I am very happy to be doing so tonight! This is a lovely beer; complex syrupy and coffee aroma, milky chocolate on the front of the tongue, light malt middle, with a lovely deep coffee finish - a myriad of coffee flavours which deepen and lead to a dark, crisp & dry coffee finish. I really think this is an awesome beer, it hits the taste buds & plays over your tongue with a blast of flavour. This really has to be one of the best stouts and indeed beers I have ever had to pleasure to sip. Full marks.

dark brown, tan head. decent retention and some nice lacing. toast, coffee, chocolate, toffee, lots of dark fruits: raisin, plum, cherry. medium-heavy bitter, medium sweet, savory, very slight tartness. medium body, slick feel. very enjoyable, but definitely on the thin and light side for an "imperial stout"

This stout smells great but disappoints with the lack of flavor and its watery thinness. This is a decent beer but does not taste or drink like an imperial stout in my opinion.

22 oz bottle into a tulip. From notes. A: Pours a dark ruby color that actually reveals some suspended sediment when held up to the light. Otherwise, it’s nicely opaque. The head is a two finger khaki shade. It fades slowly but surely, however it leaves little lacing on the glass. S: I note some licorice, dark fruits, touches of both smoke and citrusy hops, along with a hint of roast. A rather nondescript aroma for an imperial stout; it’s more befitting of a good single stout. T: This one seems to be dark fruit and licorice forward. I notice some caramel in the midtaste, and pleasantly balanced citrusy hops on the back end. The hops also provide some herbal and peach qualities. It seems to be mellow and balanced to a fault - however, this would make a great everyday stout due to its easygoing nature. M: It’s light, clean, and dry. If the bottle didn’t say 8.1%, I’d wonder if it was really 5% or so; the alcohol is concealed superbly given its lightness. It doesn’t offer much in the way of richness, however. O: I was unsure how to grade this one. As an imperial stout, it’s rather meh - but as a regular stout, it’s damn good. For better or for worse, this drinks like a 5% single stout...except that it’s really 8.1%. Since Bear Republic doesn’t call it an imperial stout, I’m grading it as a single. Ergo, I’m willing to overlook some of its flaws and appreciate it as a decently priced (for a bomber) everyday drinker.

A - Pitch black with 2 fingers of foamy tan head. No lacing. S - Rich chocolate with roasted coffee, roasted malts, sorghum molasses, prunes. Wow, caramel and dark bread really comes out as it warms. T - Dark roasted and sweet malts, rich chocolate, sorghum molasses, prunes, and unknown dark fruits. Sweet caramel is layered underneath the chocolate while pine hops come out on the finish. Coffee and cocoa on the aftertaste. M - Medium to full velvety body, not chewy but free flowing. This stout hits all the marks of a great stout. Truly one of the better American Stouts out there. Very drinkable and the alcohol never showed up anywhere. Serving type: bottle 11-26-2011

Poured from 22 oz. bottle. Opaque, black-brown with a large tan head and very good lacing. Aroma of dark roasted malt, vanilla, dark fruit, roasted coffee, chocolate and licorice. Taste of roasted malt, molasses, vanilla, roasted coffee, dark fruit and chocolate. Full body and medium/low carbonization. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

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.