Black Diamond Peak XV Imperial Porter

Brewed by Black Diamond Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Concord, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

This bottle that are actually quite good looking but the wax is hard and soooo hard to get off. Im glad im not the tender who are supposed to serve and open these bottles. The pour is blacky but rises like hell - this one is very hard carbonated. Well once settled it is black with a redish glow and a head that is allready gone. The nose is being tickled by the high level of CO2 but somewhere there are also some caramel malts and coffee. The taste is mostly bitter and roasted with side notes of coffee and malts. Mouthfeel is very thin. The finish is long and roasty with a bitter dryness. Nothing special really - Im quite disappointed.

Pours deep brown with a thin dark tan head. Nice vanilla and chocolate in the nose in addition to roasted malts. Same in the flavor with the roasted malts mellowing out the sweetness nicely.

Bottle. Clear, very deep mahogany color topped with a huge tan head, foamy, lasting, sloppy streaks and blobs of lace. Malty aroma, lots of vanilla, some milk chocolate, molasses, musk like sweat, almost the scent of a urinal (oops). Mouth is medium, foamy carbonation, a touch on the dry side. Flavor is sweet, with lots of molasses, soy, dark fruits, bitter cocoa, vanilla towards the back end, and a long aftertaste of vanilla and burnt malts (cocoa, french roast, woody hops). It’s basically just a fancy porter (obviously), and it’s pretty tasty. A bit candy-like, but good.

Vanilla bean and coca nib aromas, plays in taste. Slight sour and yeasty. Some apples and grape. A bit lactic and maybe touch off. Thanks to sharer!

Tasted from a bomber bottle purchased at City Beer. Pours super deep, nearly opaque, amber with a massive tan head that slowly recedes to leaving an even blanket of lace. The nose is vanilla, chocolate, coffee, coconut, and roasted malt. All of these are come through with nearly equal strength. The flavors are a bit more subdued with the bitter chocolate and malts taking center stage. The vanilla is much lighter than anticipated. The body is medium, and somewhat sticky with lively carbonation and a long chocolate finish.

Poured dark brown, creamy, sweet, chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, little molasses.

Taste and smells like Broccoli and Rootbeer. Nice color. At $7-$9 a bottle I would porbably pass on another. Very foamy. The wax cannot be wax the crap went everywhere, what a mess, then the cat tried to eat it.. However the wax is a good deterrent not to drink more.The picture on the label looks good. Overall a rather average brew. if it wasn’t for the 8% ABV, I would have given it a lower score.

On tap at Monk’s Kettle, SF. Wasn’t really in the mood for a big porter, but the recommendation came strongly and so I took the plunge. Deep dark brown pour with a fairly impressive head, the whole looking for all the world like a milkshake. The nose was really fine, with a soft milk chocolate quality to it rather than the customary aggressive, bitter, dark notes. It was certainly bold enough to earn the imperial designation, with deep roasts and a strong base coming through in the taste, but I thought it was a sweet, satisfying confection as well.

Bottle. A very dark brown to black color with a brown head. A robust toasted malt aroma with dark chocolate and hints of coffee and vanilla. A really nice long finish.

A: The wax was nearly impenetrable, but after finally getting through it, I popped the cap only to have tan foam come climbing out of the bottle. The pour is a dark brown color with an enormous tan/brown head. Infection? S: My fears are confirmed on the nose. Slightly acidic roasted malts along with coffee and...peaches. Some other sour fruit notes like lemon and green apple, but the amount of peach aroma is quite startling. T: It’s even worse on the palate. The flavor opens up with broccoli stalks before moving on to the peach flavor. The tartness is subtle, but this is a friggin imperial porter, not an oud bruin. Roasted malts and coffee are still there. M: The body is light to medium with a high level of carbonation for this style of beer. Most likely a byproduct of the infection. D: This was just all kinds of bad. I don’t have any desire to try this again.