Mendocino Black Eye Ale

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Hopland, California USA

Mendecino Brewing Company--Black Eye Ale--The Ultimate Blend--2008 Release--22 oz. Bottle. 6.50%--25 IBU’s? (4.2 / 5.0) Black & Tan--Rich lacy mild espresso head. Clear dark bronze red brown color. Mild chocolate toasted mild hop front. Smooth thin refreshing mild sweet toasted bisquit creamy chocolate hint mild fruit body. Mellow hop spice fresh lingering malt end. Sampled 5/27/2008. $3.29 Each Mendecino Brewing Company--Black Eye Ale--The Ultimate Blend--2005 Release--22 oz. Bottle6.50% ABV--45 IBU’s? (4.25 / 5.0) Black & Tan--Mild tan lace head. Clear dark mahogeny red black color. Tangy mild hop front. Smooth creamy mild roasted sweet caramel espresso mild fruit ester body. Clean mild hop spice hot end. Rich smooth UniqueBrew. Sampled 11/9/2005.

Bottle. Pours deep brown with a thin off white head. Light roasty and sweetish aroma with some strange herbal notes. The flavor is well balanced with some light roasted malt and floral/herbal hops. Not bad.

Rating 301. Woop. A - Musty caramel, fruit, chocolate, hops, dark malt, and roast. A - Pours brown. Ruby to bright light. Light whitish head. T - The sum is greater than the parts, I imagine. Not sure what d-bag in marketing came up with this, but it wasn’t the BEST idea. For a blend, both beers are still present. The ale probably more dominant. Not sure if that’s a strength or a weakness. Hoppy and caramel malt upfront, with stout/porter qualities in the mid and back. Caramel, pale and roast malts all there. Chocolate and some dark fruitiness. Chocolate and hoppy caramel linger. Finish is still stout-like. P - Pretty silky. Bitter like an ale, but creamy smooth like a stout. Hops and roast both make strong points here. Somewhat like a porter. Probably the best asset this beer has to offer. O - Really wish I had the two to mix for myself, side by side with their rendition. 50/50 or 60/40. Sometimes, I guess you DO get what you pay for. A low-end Rogue would be a better choice. $2.99 was good for this, though. Glad I tried. For the affordability, maybe try again. Pretty sure this was fresh from the store, unless transferred from another location. Tastes somewhat old Not the best. Not worth seeking. Mendocino brews come off pretty tame and uninteresting to me. Think their “limited’ winter IPA was pretty good though.

The beer looks tasty when held to the light. When i bought it i was a little skeptical about the blending of the beers and rightfully so. the initial taste is sweet, but that is about all this beer has going for it. The finish of this beer is similar to that of a cold coors light but slightly maltier

2009 Bottle - Pours a thin dk brown with a large beige head...aroma is dk malt and olives, light fruit with some roast as well...flavour is sweet and thin, charred wood, grain, sweet malt...not a sticky beer by any means, but no component dries this brew out, so the normal sugar level goes unchallenged by any of the other ingredients...finish is watery and tame...I don’t get the motive...

Pour dark reddish brown. Nice Porter. Easy to drink and very pleasant. Would definitely have again. Yum.

You start with a tasty porter, then get a rough stout, then some mellow ale notes with a harsh metallic finish. I like the blend idea, would be fun to have the components to drink side by side. Is this really a porter or did the first person to enter it just go with that?