Black Hart
North Coast Brewing Co.

Black HartBlack Hart
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From:
North Coast Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Irish Dry Stout
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
82
Avg:
3.56 | pDev: 10.67%
Reviews:
61
Ratings:
69
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 14, 2013
Added:
Feb 21, 2003
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by CelticAleMan from California

Aug 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by nygannon from California

Jul 20, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Wezzle from California

Jan 17, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by zenithberwyn from California

Aug 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by baysider15 from California

May 07, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by fitius5150 from Oregon

Mar 16, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by mhaugo from California

Dec 11, 2011
Photo of avaldivia
Reviewed by avaldivia from California

3.32/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured 12 bottle into a Pint glass.

A: Black. Little head after a vigorous pour. Decent lacing though.

S: Light, but you definitely get the roasted malts. Pleasing light roasted coffee.

T: Same as smell. Not going to blow you away with flavor.

M: Medium bodied. Good carbonation. Dry finish as would be expected.

O: Not earth shattering, but a solid, affordable brew.
Sep 11, 2011
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.41/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours an almost opaque dark brown with a 1 inch puffy khaki head that settles to a craggy cap. Thick streaks of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, slight cocoa bean, and slight coffee notes. Taste is of roasted dark malt, burnt coffee, and some bitter cocoa bean flavors. Mild roas/coffee/cocoa bitterness on the palate after each sip. Low carbonation on this one with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good Irish style stout that I picked up on the cheap at Trader Joe's, but I am not so sure I would get it again.
Aug 20, 2011
Photo of karait95
Reviewed by karait95 from Mexico

3.91/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Big brown head with mixed bubbles, dissipates slowly leaving behind some traces on the glass, the head color is nice somehow dark and even the carbonation is not very visible it exists and keeps a permanent layer on top of the beer, the color of the beer is almost black, the body seems also tick as the style should be.

S: The smell is not too strong, barley can be sensed and also the toasted is present but not as intense as expected maybe some chocolate is in the back of the main aroma.

T: This one is better than the smell, the toasted is all time present, since the beginning you feel the coffee-like flavor, the malts as barley and some hops can be felt well mixed.

M: The feeling is good, good lasting and good ending, a little bitter at the end combined with balanced little sweet with little bitter in the beginning.
Aug 17, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
dark brown, basically black with no light shining through on this one at all. Rich looking head of tan on the top hung around for most of the session. The aroma was a bit light. Lots of roasted malts, with just a hint of cocoa underneath it. Really dry taste, but a little bland for me. Light cocoa and roasted malts, but it lacked alot of depth to put it over the top into another cateogory. Still though it was a decent little stout with a nice feel, and a 3.5 percent very drinkable.
Jul 18, 2011
Photo of DarthKostrizer
Reviewed by DarthKostrizer from California

3.58/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Look: Black with a 1/4 inch tan head and ok retention

Smell: Dry roasted malts and a little bit of coffee and chocolate (very subtle)

Taste: Pretty much identical to the nose. Upfront is a pretty decent coffee flavor and nothing else is really present

Mouthfeel: Dry medium body with medium carbonation

Overall: This is a good cheap stout that is very drinkable especially in the winter time. I will make sure and pick up another 6 pack come winter time
Jul 11, 2011
Photo of notchucknorris
Reviewed by notchucknorris from California

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Pours a very dark brown color with a tan head that lasts pretty long and clings to the edges of the glass.

S: I'm getting freshly ground medium roast coffee and Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. Perhaps a hint of roasted malt in the background.

T: A little sweet for a dry stout, but this is tasty. A bit of coffee bitterness upfront, followed by some smooth and sweet chocolate flavors. End finishes with a roasted and slightly charred note. A solid beer and probably the best stout in the Trader Joes lineup.
Jun 10, 2011
Photo of rKunda
Reviewed by rKunda from California

4.03/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Overall this is a really good beer. It's a lot lighter in flavor than some other stouts. I love me some hearty stouts, but this very drinkable and lighter stout is quite good. It keeps a good stout style yet is mild enough that I could easily drink a couple and be none worse for the wear. Compare this as similar to Guinness in drinkability (but not in flavor), though the feel it completely different, neither are really strong in flavor.

Tastes great. Looks great. It's not in my top ten beers list, but it's a really good beer. Nothing more, nothing less.
May 02, 2011
Photo of Beerbluesbiology
Reviewed by Beerbluesbiology from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours an opaque black body with a 2-3 finger tan head. Smells of many things: dark caramel, raisins, dark chocolate, smoke and faint coffee. Complex smell but not as complex taste as I picked up mainly dark toffee, smoke and coffee followed by a hoppy bitterness which leaves a relatively dry finish. Overall, a light(er) stout in this style but a good stout. Try it out!
Jan 12, 2011
Photo of FosterJM
Reviewed by FosterJM from California

3.63/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
161st review on BA
bottle to pint

Father in law had this at the house for Christmas eve, so I took one home since I hadn't had it before.

App- Roasted coffee brown with a two finger head that a nice espresso brown. I tried to get a little agressive on the pour and it worked. Had some nice lacing as well.

Smell- Roasted coffe, little bit of cream and some chocolate. Nothing overpowering. Pretty standard smell.

Taste- A light coffee taste with a chewy sweetness to it. Not too bad for what it is. Has a caramel sort of taste on the backend.

Mouth- Pretty light stout. Had a nice medium carbonation. Not as thick as I would have liked.

Drink- It was free. It was not bad and I think North Coast does some good brews.
Jan 06, 2011
Photo of pennywhistle
Reviewed by pennywhistle from California

4.12/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It was only $6 for a 6-pack, so I figured this was a poorman's version of Guinness, but I was pleasantly surprised! Full-bodied, nice coffee flavour. Slightly syrupy, but not too thick. The best part was its low ABV - it makes a good session beer. As far as cheap stouts go, this one's now my favourite.
May 24, 2010
Photo of iD9
Reviewed by iD9 from California

3.43/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Served in a Guinness tulip pint.

Appearance: Dark, appears opaque at first but in direct light hues of mahogany red and chestnut browns are clearly visible. I poured the beer with excessive vigor (I like to knock a bit of the carbonation out of my beers) so the head developed a bit awkwardly. On initial pour a thick tan head forms. Head retention is mediocre but not bad. Honestly, it looks cool but it seems way to light for a stout. Luckily, the pleasant foam head saves the beer from a 3.5 and bumps it up to 4.0

Smell: Smells of dark, roasty malts. Much like the appearance, the smell is a bit on the light side. As the style might suggest, it reminds me a bit of Guinness some of the dry notes coming out on top. Nothing to write home about.

Taste: Hits the front end of the tongue with a very low flavor profile. As it travels back the hops (or maybe its a woody bitterness?) hits the pallet. Reminds me a bit of the Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter (which I did not like). The beer is saved by a slightly sweetened aftertaste which helps set the pallet straight. I do get a hint of roasty, earthy flavors on the front end now that I think about it.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and medium bodied. Again, it feels a bit on the light side. Not what I expect from a stout.

Drinkability: The hoppy bitterness towards the back of this beer greatly diminishes the drinkability of this beer. I have no qualms with a dry beer but coupling the dryness with a bitter, hoppy finish is off putting.

Not a bad beer, but not really a good one either. I love North Coast brewing but this is a miss for me. I won't be buying this beer again when its infinitely superior, more badass brother Old Rasputin is around. I often wonder if all these bourbon barrel aged, choclatey, anisey american RIS have ruined my taste for more traditional, dry irish stouts.
May 18, 2010
Photo of LordAdmNelson
Reviewed by LordAdmNelson from Ohio

3.51/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Black with some tan head, little or no lacing to speak of, not bad for a stout. The smell isn't terrible, but there's some wet dog smell under the roasted notes that doesn't jive with me. Some chocolate and coffee notes too. Taste follows suit, largely roasted and chocolate notes, akin to a Guinness with a bigger MF. MF is a bit over-carbonated, though not terrible. Mutes some of the flavor. Decent drinkability, nice easy drinker, I'd like it to be a bit more interesting.
Mar 17, 2010
Black Hart from North Coast Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 69 ratings