4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Had this on tap at the Great Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine Festival in Anchorage (Jan. 2011). Colour... as black as a raven (but a raven with a thick tan head!). Nose... very roasty with loads of dark chocolate and licorice. Palate... incredibly smooth, thick and coating with what I’m sure were tendrils (like the "legs" of wine in a glass) running down my throat! Plenty of roastiness here with dry, sappy oak, molasses, Dutch licorice, Hershey dark chocolate, charred marinated meat and a slightly oaky, dry finish that lasts and lasts. I’ll definitely be looking for this one again!
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
2011 Seattle Beer Week – Back n Black – Brouwers Café
Dark Brown in color, with a thin tan head. Big rich dark roast malt aroma. Flavors where super rich malt . Dark roast, chocolate, coffee and light hints of hops bitterness. This was a super clean brew with tons of flavors. This has a tobacco dry finish.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at Brouwer’s. Glossy black pour, with a *dark* burnt mocha head. This one’s super, super dark. Big, dark malts on the nose -- sumptuous. Molasses, dark chocolate, and just a splash of port wine. Very full body, and powerful flavor. Nice and roasty, although without much coffee. This has a near-perfect balance between roasty and sweet -- and the alcohol is present, but not overbearing. It could use a bit of age -- seems a bit fresh -- but it’s absolutely delicious. Now for a bourbon-aged version. Kudos to the folks at Black Raven. If they keep things up, they’ll be on the international stage in no time.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
2011 Great Alaska Beer And Barleywine Festival. Black color with tan foam. Big chocolate, dark roast coffee, dark roast malt aromas. Rich, smooth mouthfeel with soft co2. Deep roast malt, dry chocolate, mocha latte flavors, easy smooth finish--very good.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20
First release on tap at Black Ravem tasting room. Nearly pitch black body with two fingers of dark tan head that leaves a lightly used motor oil sheen to the tulip glass with phenomenal lacing. Somewhat muted aromas of cocoa, molasses, and bourbon. At 9.5% ABV, I wouldn’t call it sessionable, but an incredibly smooth and enjoyable drink for the Imperial style. Flavors of leather, more bourbon, and roasted figs. Mellow carbonation leaves a sticky finish. Man, This would be a nice one to cellar for another year.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft at the brewery. Black, thick tan head. Very nice looking in a glass. Aroma is chocolatey with char, a little wood. Starts out a little sweetly chocolatey and becomes pretty dominated by ashy, charred flavors, slightly acidic and very roasty. Finishes very intensely, resinous, pretty woody, and a touch boozy, and lingers for a while. Pretty intense stuff... I had a limited time to drink it and wished I could have taken it a touch slower. It’s nice to see Black Raven do a big stout and I definitely want to try it again as soon as I can.
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