Great Lakes Blackout Stout

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Pours a dark, though not impenetrable brown with a dense tan head, thinning rapidly. The nose is thick with rich malt, heavy on the chocolate, light on the roast. Some perceptible alcohol, but in general so creamy and rich that it compliments, rather than distracts. Perhaps some cherry and some floral hops. The mouthfeel is really quite lovely. Not big and foamy and mouthfilling, but creamy and smooth body while low in the carbonation. Almost chewy. Really what I think a beer like this needs to be. The flavor is good, though honestly a bit of a let down. Big sweet malt, less chocolate, though present, much more forward roast, and definitely some fruit, mostly cherry. Alcohol is dominant. Strong floral hop presence with some resinous pine. A sweet roasty finish with a bitter alcoholic aftertaste. What would improve this beer? Less alcoholic heat, less roast, less hops. Not a lot less of each, but a bit less of at least 2 of those features, and this beer would be in very nice balance.

12oz. bottle - pours inky, opaque black with a small mocha head. Held directly up against a light it only reveals the faintest red hue at the edges of the glass. Aroma is primarily of roasted malt with coffee and chocolate filling in the holes. Smells great, but the flavour blows it away. Tonnes of burnt malt, chocolate, dark coffee, all leading towards a healthy bitter hoppy finish and an intensely long finish. Alcohol is somewhat present, but warming and unobstrusive. Yes, this is an awesome stout. Big and rich.

Plenty of coffee, chocolate and malts in the aroma, color is dark and pours with a light head... Taste has plenty of chocolate, coffee, smoke and malts and a good punch of alcohol.

Bottle. Espresso black with a fine tan head. Aroma is dark chocolate, cocoa, almonds, smoke, coffee, alcohol, bananas, faint hops. Really rich flavor, but leavs something to be desired. Slightly acrid and astringent, but very smooth despite. Good alcohol in the finish, with nice lingering bitterness. I was expecting more of a monster... but this is definitely a great beer.

pours a beautiful black color, head slowly dissapears and laces the glass nicely as I sip. burnt malty aroma with a hint of acidity. Full rich roasted flavor and a strong warm alcohol finish. Fantastic!

HOLEE MUTHER OF GAD. This is the good stuff. Very thick, syrupy, with Hershey’s syrup dominating but also with roasted notes and some hop bitterness and alcohol to keep it rounded. Highly smooth and drinkable.

This brew surprised me. I’m a big fan of stouts, but this brew proposed a new level of complexity. a stunning black pour and body, this brew will please you stout lovers, and perhaps even exceed your standards of a "good stout"! I know it did for me!

This is a great solid stout but for me a little one-dimensional - it hit me as a malt bomb, just fairly sweet yet no defined layers of flavor, for me anyhow.