Black Beer Stout - Hite Brewery Company LTD

UCLABrewN84

California

3.08/5  rDev +33.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, char, and some slight metallic aromas. Taste is much the same with a somewhat thin flavor. There is a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer but fairly drinkable for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 02:42:33 | More by UCLABrewN84

YamagamiTravis

Japan

2.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-30-2013 08:35:41 | More by YamagamiTravis

Jugglemeno

2.5/5  rDev +8.2%

02-04-2013 07:28:51 | More by Jugglemeno

sumpjh

California

2/5  rDev -13.4%

01-03-2013 13:42:28 | More by sumpjh

KKB

Massachusetts

2.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A – Looks nice enough, a dark mahogany body with tall wheat toast head that recedes rather quickly and leaves no lacing at all. Not too excited about this, but lets dive on in.

S – Really just smells like burnt malt, and some bread I suppose, I actually don’t know what else to say about it. It is uninteresting, one dimensional, and just somewhat bad smelling.

T – Sadly the taste is not much better. It is somehow more bland than the nose and it just tastes a little roasted with some vague bitterness, slightly metallic as well….really just not good.

M – Even the mouthfeel is off for a stout—it is medium bodied with too much carbonation. Just poorly orchestrated.

O – This is very bad. Totally, entirely, not good. It isn’t even that it just doesn’t have much going on, it’s that what is going on is boring and somewhat caustic to my taste buds. I won’t be having this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:25:28 | More by KKB

duff247

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -2.6%

08-25-2012 23:40:43 | More by duff247

avisong

Virginia

2.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-13-2012 02:48:11 | More by avisong

Nate

Ohio

1.75/5  rDev -24.2%

03-09-2012 00:25:45 | More by Nate

ygtbsm94

Virginia

2/5  rDev -13.4%

01-29-2012 08:13:42 | More by ygtbsm94

starlight37

Korea (South)

1.5/5  rDev -35.1%

01-24-2012 17:34:09 | More by starlight37

electtodefer

New York

2.5/5  rDev +8.2%

01-14-2012 00:29:03 | More by electtodefer

Elut

Korea (South)

2/5  rDev -13.4%

11-26-2011 17:14:05 | More by Elut

kagent777

Utah

2.53/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

One liter plastic(?) bottle straight from Korea to me via my friend Hedion. I poured it into my beer goblet.

Appearance: Pours a medium to dark brown with almost no head. A small island of foam floats in the middle of my glass with a thin ring around the edge. Kind of looks like Coca Cola that has been left in cup for too long. After a second pour, even the carbonation looks like that of a soda, thin bubbles and extremely short lasting.

Smell: There is a faint note of chocolate along with a little alcohol and some slight yeastiness. The beer is really restrained in the smell department.

Taste: The taste is mild roasted notes with a hint of chocolate. Not much going on, but not as bad as I was expecting. As the beer warms, the tastes shift toward a tar or char note, but not in an awful way. The finish is short and does not go anywhere.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thin side. On the other hand the carbonation is too strong.

Overall: I will probably never see this one again. It is by no means the worst I have had, but I have had a lot better also.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 04:03:41 | More by kagent777

msubulldog25

Oregon

2.98/5  rDev +29%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Cool find at the West Linn Market of Choice ~ never know what one will find there. A 330ml/11.13 oz. brown bottle with a twist-off cap, a rather elegant and simple label (tan and copper text on matte black, with a V-shaped winged emblem) and a laser-printed date: 09302011. Poured to a pint glass after a few minutes out of the fridge.

Neck label:
"DEEP & RICH
Premium Beer
Stout offers a rich black flavor [huh?)
topped with sweet, smooth & creamy head."

A: Clear cocoa brown, a far cry from 'black'; dark amber if anything. Plenty of carbonation, rising in rapid streams. Topped at first with a 2-finger plus dollop of heady fluff, the color of singed marshmallow and quite airy; it fizzles away within a couple minutes, leaving a thin percolating film. Just a patch or two of lace, small foamy bumps really... not unattractive, just unlike the 'English Stout' standard.

S: No much here, really; it takes several big whiffs and a lengthy warming period for much aroma to awaken. Mild malt, a sweeter cereal that retains a bit of it's 'wort' beginnings. Toasty with a trace of spice. A few dry, brassy/mineral moments. Meh.

T: Lots of caramel maltiness, and a semi-sweet roastedness - a little nutty with hints at cocoa powder. Some chalky/mineral character as it settles. Rather than English Stout, this more closely resembles a toned-down Schwarzbier in taste profile - quite likable when forgetting about style norms. If this is 'rich black flavor', I'm not entirely opposed.

M: Wow, REALLY carbonated... a standard soda has nothing on the first few sips. As I become accustomed to the fizz, the underlying thinness shows, and a creaminess does develop; however, not much substance to the overall feel. A scarce malt gumminess as a lip-sticking leave-behind, with a fading dry roast.

O: Nowhere near my ideal stout, but not without its charm. Strange thinness, both in appearance and feel, can't outweigh a fairly tasty and drinkable enough beer that is ok alone and probably pairs pretty well with a number of Korean dishes. Not gonna run out and buy more, but for under $2, the bottle wasn't a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 21:55:27 | More by msubulldog25

bwalsh

Connecticut

3.18/5  rDev +37.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

So, I've begun reviewing all of the Korean beers, because I miss my American micros so much and I found that this is a reasonable way to cope. Unlike most others, I will not bash on the Korean beer I choose to consume (quite frequently), because it is still beer. I respect it for what it is, not how it behaves. I've been consuming the old Black Beer Stout for a few months, and I've actually turned a few American drinkers onto it. For what one gets in Korea, it is about the best (oh so sad). Sure, I could buy Guinness and Hoegaarden and what-have-you, but where's the fun/economy in that? They don't have the best, so I might as well imbibe the local. I have a bit of a personal attachment to Black Beer, so forgive the inflated scores...let's just assume I'm having a bottle of it with friends outside a Family Mart:

A- Pours a nice blackness. If it weren't for the lack of creaminess and the quickly-dissipating head, one could be convinced this were a standard stout. The head lingers for a bit, depending on the pour, then bubbles away.

S- Has a nice enough smell. It reminds one of times imbibing pretty solid beer, but with a hint of forgetfulness. As if the brewmaster forgot to add roasted malts or whatever. Still, for a Korean beer, the smell is the most reminiscent of a proper beer.

T- Not at all bad. It's like stout married an adjunct lager. I think Guinness is too watery of course, but that's because Guinness has been living through hype and image forever. This beer has a bit more wateriness (as in less creaminess), but it still brings a touch of coffee and chocolate malt to the equation. We've had this with dessert before and the results were not disastrous.

M- Like I said, still too watery for a proper stout on all ends, especially mouthfeel. It brings carbonation and a lack of expected creaminess (due to the mildly promising appearance and smell).

D- I would drink this all night, providing the company and atmosphere were good. It's not fabulous, but it is conducive to a hefty amount of consumption. I would rank most stouts at a higher drinkability based on taste and mouthfeel alone, but this beer does have a certain soul to it. It's a bit like the rebel beer of Korea; a black minority in the land of yellow, tasteless beers, it must try to grow and thrive.

Give Black Beer Stout several chances if you're in Korea...if not, you probably won't find it, nor will you ever think of touching it (even if it is $4 a sixer). I love this beer...I'm not "in love" with it...I love it as a friend that I'm forced to hang out with, ya know?

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 14:46:05 | More by bwalsh

jeranbrews

New York

1.83/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Consumed 3-22-10 from a pint glass

A - Puffy airy chocolate ice cream colored head that faded in 2 seconds, leaving no lacing. Coca-cola colored in both clarity and color

S - Aluminum can smell from a bottle. How'd that happen? There is a mild chocolate smell like an old timey soda with flavoring added at the drive through. No hop or yeast smeel to be found.

T - Umm, sour and starchy. There is just a bit of chocolate malt but once again no hop or yeast to be found. The aftertaste is bearable.

M - Exactly like sugary soda-pop

D - Drinkability implies that is it is possible to drink. I guess this beer does meet that qualification just enough for a two. This beer is to stout what Shasta is to coke.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 06:03:07 | More by jeranbrews

getalife2k5

New York

2/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: like cola. clear brown. even light for a black lager...

S: watery, acrid, burnt coffee.

T: like fizzy, unsweetened root beer. how in the hell could this be called a "stout," even in Korea?!? some burnt coffee grounds, dark cocoa.

M: uhhh, not much. fizzy, stinging carbonation. watery and light like a light beer. is there such a thing as a light stout? some slight oiliness or starchiness...

D: this is more like a light black lager. i guess you gotta give Hite some props for making a brown-ish beer in a land of piss water, but calling it a stout is blasphemy. Nevertheless, i didn't spit it out.

Serving type: can

09-09-2009 01:56:47 | More by getalife2k5

jayfarley3

Nevada

2.2/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured a very dark brown almost black from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass, had a decent light tan head that dissipated into a thin ring pretty quickly. Smell is very faint, malt and grain. Taste is very watery for a stout and a little bitter. Overall this is probably one of the best macro beers I've had from a Korean brewery, It's not great but it's definitely more drinkable than the other Korean offerings.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2009 03:06:37 | More by jayfarley3

Albertv05

New York

2.2/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I'm in Seoul, South Korea right now visiting friends. This was in a their fridge. This is not not a stout, its more of a German Schwarzbier.

The beer pours thin and highly carbonated with no head, it looks like Coca-cola in the glass. Seriously. Very faint aroma but hardly detectable. It tastes better than I expected, but I expected a stout. Thin, not flavorful, and kinda watery. Though, not bad. If you think of it as a Schwarzbier then its not bad. As a stout, terrible at best.

Korea doesn't have good beer, but there are a few that are trying. We're headed out tonight to a local microbrewery here in Seoul, hopefully its decent.

All in all, I'm glad I tried this.

Serving type: can

03-20-2009 08:21:02 | More by Albertv05

froghop

Washington

2.28/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

out of all the local macro-brews in korea this was probalby one of the best ones that i have had, but that is not saying much.

pours a dark brown with a small off white head that dissaptes rapidly, some lacing.

smell is faint, malt, some caramel, and a touch of cocoa.

taste is watery, malt, some cocoa, and slightly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 03:22:57 | More by froghop