Black Helicopter - Flat Earth Brewing Company

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Draft into shaker pint glass.
A: Pours pitch black with a hint of blackish-tan head. Appetizing.
S: Nice medium-dark roast coffee wth background roast malt.
T: Nice true coffee flavor (again medium-dark roast). Follows aroma well. Not complex, but a good straight-forward coffee stout.
M: Surprisingly light and smooth. The oatmeal softens this nicely. Many coffee beers have a bitter acidic bite that this avoids. Creamy feel. Medium body. Excellent for style.
D: Highly drinkable especially for style. Highly recommended for you fellow coffee lovers out there. A very satisfying brew with red meat: paired amazingly well with the filet mignon with blue cheese crust at the St. Paul Grill.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2009 23:35:24 | More by mwilbur

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this at Stub and Herbs

Served in a goblet

Came with no head. Color is a deep black.

Aroma: Strong coffee, very strong coffee aroma. Chocolate. Earthy hops. Awesome.

Taste: Dark roasted strong coffee. Wow, this tastes almost more like coffee then it does beer. Very sweet.

Mouthfeel: Rich, creamy, smooth. Nice carbonation with a full body. Leaves a dry coffee flavored aftertaste.

Overall, this beer is coffee. Awesome drinkablility and I will probably get more of this. If you like coffee, you have to try this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2009 21:57:31 | More by mothman

Mistofminn

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

ad this as my third and final beer at Stub and Herbs Darkness Day Eve celebration. It seemed the popular beer of the moment, and I've had it in bottle form, but didn't get around to reviewing it.

A 16 oz pour in a pint glass, this is served black with little to no head. Doesn't leave a ton of lacing around the edge.

The nose on this is more coffee than beer. This is insane. This has to be a very fresh beer, because the you couldn't get a fresher ground coffee smell if you jumped into a silo of Dunn Bro's ground coffee. Literally, this is insane coffee. It smells amazing. I don't remember the bottle I had smelling this great...

Unfortunately, the taste doesn't quite live up to to the lofty expectations I made from the nose. This is more like the bottle I had and remember. Light coffee taste with a nice stout base. Kind of muted, but most beers would seem muted when put up against that nose...

Mouthfeel is medium to light, with a nice carbonation and a cream feel. Drinkability is awesome. The only way to make this beer better is to find a way to consume it through smelling it...A great session beer, this is for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

10-26-2009 18:45:08 | More by Mistofminn

tavernjef

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Bulldog Lowertown: served in a clear coffee mug as a solid black liquid with a slimming cap of light tanned foam lapping at the edge.

Pleasingly quite yet blooming coffee nose that is fresh with a perculating mocha roastability and a tender oaty sweetness underneath.

Taste is more of the same with a nice tender crispness of freathered roastyness and a clean profile allowing some nice coffee flavors to produce over its soft oat sweetness. Well balanced with a nice little touch of chocolate mixed in. Gains a heavier oatyness as it warms.

Feel is clean and just under a medium body with a slightly bold and tender smoothness. It maintains its hold and length pretty well and seemingly gains a slightened thickness as it sits. Making for a solid sipping coffee experience.

Pretty solid stout with a nice balance of fresh coffee and sweet chocolate and oats.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2009 02:37:24 | More by tavernjef

CHSLBrew

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass at the Muddy Pig, St. Paul, MN.

A-Deep black and opaque. Scary black. Like scary secret black helicopters scary black. Arrived to my table with only sparse bubbles, but some good swirling elicitted some almost dark brown bubbles.

S-Roasty malts underneath a blanket of fresh roasted coffee (judging by a label on a bottle I saw, Dunn Bros. coffee). The coffee aromas are hearty and rich and mostly overpower the more subtle malt aromas.

T-An initial roasted malt is overtaken quickly by coffee flavors, both from the malts and from the coffee. There is a very present bitterness which seems to be mostly coffee-derived. As the beer warmed, I could pull out some roasty choco-malts smoothing over the coffee. At times, the malt seemed to approach sweet. The beer finished clean, crisp, and with a slight residual coffee flavor and bitterness.

M-Medium-high carbonation, it seemed just a bit too high, slightly detracting from the coffee flavor. Overall, a lighter mouthfeel than it looked sitting in front of me. However, this light slick/silky character is likely attributable to the oats in the recipe.

D-Good. Coffee is front-and-center in this beer, but it also allows the malts to shine through.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2008 19:02:38 | More by CHSLBrew

zeff80

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Pracna on Main

A - Poured an opaque, dark, dark brown color with a small, cappuccino-like head. It left moderate amounts of lace.

S - It smelled of coffee (java), sweet chocolate and floral notes.

T - It tasted of coffee, rich roasted malts. The was a nice sweet chocolate flavor that balanced out the bitter hops and coffee.

M - It was soft and smooth. A medium-bodied beer that was fairly easy-drinking.

D - This is a very nice oatmeal stout with coffee. Delicious on tap and a look forward to trying more Flat Earth brews.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2008 02:18:11 | More by zeff80

tempest

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Blue Nile, ordered after dinner.

I don't like cold coffee, but I like a good coffee beer like this one. The java is pretty overpowering, but notes of the roasted malts still show through and add the total flavor. The mouthfeel is very smooth with a balanced bitterness at the end with a long coffee aftertaste. Worth a try if you dig coffee.

UPDATE 11/25/10: I wasn't a huge fan of this year's coffee used from Dunn Bros. This is the only coffee beer I've tried, where I felt the beans could have been better. The coffee character was more burnt than anything.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2008 00:51:43 | More by tempest

edbeered

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First off, a disclaimer: I don't drink coffee. I like the way it smells, but for me the taste has never remotely approached that heavenly aroma. Well apparently the answer is to add it to beer and serve it cold. What an idea! Served on tap in a tulip glass, this pours an opaque black color with a small brown head and initially some fine lacing on the glass that eventually dissappears. The smell is terrific-roasty coffee and chocolaty oatmeal sweetness. The taste is much the same, with an added earthiness that gives this beer real depth, along with a hint of balancing hops. The flavors blend beautifully together. The mouthfeel is rich and smooth. I'm finding it difficult to drink anything else while this limited release is available. This is a style I will have to explore further. Well done!

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2008 01:20:14 | More by edbeered

beerkittycat

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance is deep black, brown with some ruby hints if you hold up to a light. Frothy brown head lingers for only a moment then disappears. Aroma has layers and layers of subtle coffee and roast malt with some oatmeal cookie lurking in the background. Taste is....WOW. I've never had coffee beer with such complex coffee flavor which pairs amazing with the oatmeal stout. Medium bodied but finishes dry with coffee still delicately dancing on your tongue. Interestingly, I actually taste the beer and the coffee but their flavors marry to make an extraordinary experience . I taste something different with each sip and look forward to the next. They definately didn't use your average Folgers for this one. A very complex and wonderfully layered brew. What a treat.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2008 17:40:35 | More by beerkittycat

mnstorm99

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beatiful black opaque pour, almost looks like a black marble as the nice tan head settles on top and stays for the majority of the experience.
Beatiful, dark roasted coffee aroma, on top of a touch of roasted barley and aromatic malts.
Taste is real nice and balanced, there are hops there, but just enough to let you know they aren't alone, nice mellow coffee flavor to balance out this malty beverage.
Mouthfeel is as well as it should be with a smooth, chewy feel from the oats. Man, I could replace my morning coffee with this one, Very well done beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2008 19:30:33 | More by mnstorm99

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"Black Helicopter is a coffee oatmeal stout made with locally roasted Columbia coffee beans from Paradise roasters in Ramsey, MN. What makes this coffee beer different you ask? This is the first beer of its kind made with coffee brewed on a Clover machine, which uses a unique mechanism for extracting the subtle and complex flavors of a coffee bean. Don't miss this chance to taste this one of a kind brew."

Is it an oatmeal stout, or a coffee stout...or a "breakfast stout"? Maybe it's all three?

Murky black, roasty brown, slim head.
rich, earthy coffeeish aromatics.
Coffee right off the bat, rich and flavorful, but not overpowering. Silky smooth on the palate, oatmeal doing the trick. Very easy-drinking, and energized. Gets better, and mellower as we get further in. Smooth and snappy!
This is the coffee stout to beat. It's the Goldilocks of the style, not too big, not too small, ...ju-ust right!

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2008 23:04:31 | More by feloniousmonk

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a snifter glass.

A: A jet black color with a light brown head. Not any lacing that I could see.

S: Loads of coffee, some roastiness, licorice and some doughy smells.

T: Roasted coffee jumps out and then...not much else. If I really try, I can get some chocolate and roasted flavors, but this is really a thin one dimensional beer. Did I mention coffee? This tastes like a weak cup of coffee, exactly. No alcohol, no roasted flavors, no fruits, nothing. Bitterness? Um, no.

M: Do I really need to spell it out more? Very thin mouthfeel that leaves you wanting more, a whole lot more.

O: Wow, not impressed at all. There is so much more that could be done with this beer, but it just seems like the brewer wanted to settle for a safe, non offensive beer.

This is my first Flat Earth beer and with a name that sounds so bad ass, "Black Helicopter" left me expecting so much more. Damn.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 18:30:06 | More by Kadonny

augustgarage

California

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a pint glass. This batch is 4.9% ABV.

The black malts are doing their job in the appearance, as this is an impenetrable midnight brown liquid capped by a dense creamy desert sand collar and a swirling maelstrom of surface bubbles. Pasty lacing and good retention.

French roast coffee in the nose - somewhat delicate, and by no means dominate. Hints of molasses and crystal malt as well as low black pepper notes.

Chocolate, coffee, and charcoal on the palate - a subtle complexity unfurls in layers. The oats seem to smooth out the astringency and faint roast-y sourness. The Kent Goldings contribute sufficient bitterness and a little spiciness. Dark earthy finish with a touch of fruit (from the coffee) in the aftertaste.

Medium-bodied, creamy, and astringent, with good carbonation.

The roast barley, black malt, and coffee add substantial roast notes, though the use of pale malt and English hops keep the drinkability fairly high.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 18:07:51 | More by augustgarage

jsprain1

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A- Very dark brown, nearly black. Head is very thin, and dark cocoa, retention mediocre.
S- Aroma is charcoal-y with some coffee ground aroma as well. Just a little bit of chocolate.
T- The flavor has a noticable coffee presence but it's not as strong as I would like. Just a touch of smokeyness.
M- Body is a bit lighter than I would like. Carbonation is also to high for an oatmeal stout. Not as smooth as I'd like.
O- It's ok but the mouthfeel is just too far off where it should be.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 04:50:08 | More by jsprain1

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From 22oz bomber to Bruges hybrid glass on 5/2/12
*From notes

-- Another prime example that trading with brydeen is the best decision you'll ever make. --

A: Pretty dark for a low ABV Stout like this. It's certainly richer then I'd hoped for. A good pour yields a two finger bubbly mocha head.

S: Lots of coffee on the nose. Green, unroasted coffee at that. Maybe a bit of dark malt, but if it's there, it ain't much.

T: Imagine you just made a full pot of coffee with half of the needed grounds. Like ordering a coffee with a gallon of water back. This isn't as intense as I'd like it. It feels like the brewmaster wasn't willing to push the limits, that he'd rather appeal to the masses.

M: Much too bubbly for a Stout of any kind. I guess, considering it's meager ABV it's alright, but I'd really like a little more body and depth.

O: Meh. If I'd ordered a cup of joe from Dunkin' Donuts and gotten this, I'd probably send it back. Merely ok at best. If you're looking for a coffee fix, or heck even a Stout fix, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 22:40:50 | More by Rhettroactive

brydeen

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: pours jet black, with a thin, quickly diminishing tan head

S: Massive dose of roasted coffee punches you in the face. Toasted oats with bittersweet chocolate present as well

T: Roasted coffee, much like the nose, with a slightly burnt/scorched coffee ground taste. Sweet chocolate, similar to a milk stout.

M: Much lighter body than it appears. Was hoping for a much creamier texture

O: fantastic aroma, but lacking a little in other areas. Definitely not a bad beer, just not particularly noteworthy

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 01:45:27 | More by brydeen

DovaliHops

California

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pitch black color with a medium-large tan head that diminishes quickly. Scent is...wow...great nose on this one. Tons of oats and a bit of biscuit aroma. Some butter as well. I have never really been able to smell oatmeal in an oatmeal stout before, but I get it in this one. Some chocolate, coffee, and a ton of roasted malt. A bit nutty as well. Taste is not nearly as good as the nose, but still tasty. Immediately, I get roasted malt and a bit of coffee. The coffee is a bit stale actually. A bit of oat and chocolate. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side. Drinkability is fairly high. Overall, the best smelling oatmeal stout I've ever had, but not the best overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 04:55:26 | More by DovaliHops

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass. 2012 Bottle.

Appearance: Pours a dark oily black with lots of bubbles. About two fingers of tan head that holds up well. Moderate amount of lacing hanging to the sides of the glass.

Smell: A nice vibrant mix of coffee and chocolate in the aroma. Dark roasted malts with lots of sweet chocolate, coffee beans, oats, caramel, nuts, and some sugar. Also a pretty noticeable burnt bread aroma. Smells pretty roasty and sweet.

Taste: As the nose leads, a lot of dark malts and coffee. Dark roasted caramel malts with milk chocolate, lots of coffee, oats, nuts, burnt bread, and sugar. Nice sweet roasty flavor. Not much bitterness. Tastes kind of like a sweet milk stout with more coffee.

Mouthfeel: Body on the lighter side of medium and carbonation is moderate. Creamy, slightly sticky, and very smooth.

Overall: A pretty good oatmeal stout. Not as robust as the typical coffee stout but pretty good for the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 05:55:19 | More by MattyG85

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber served in a tulip glass

A: Completely opaque and pitch black. Nice 2" tan frothy head, fades but maintains a nice presence.

S: Cocoa bitter over coffee and dark malt. A slight metallic bitter (hop) aroma.

T: Rich malty profile carries coffee flavor. Coffee is slightly bitter and hop bitter keeps it going. Toasty grain.

M: A bit thin on the palate for the style. Maybe a bit astringent.

O: Very smooth, fun coffee brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 15:43:33 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

syrupjoe

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

1 Pint 6 Fl. Oz. bottle into pint glass. Enjoying at home - talked to one of the owners while he was dropping it off at a liquor store so this baby is fresh!

Pours a very dark brown with slight amber tint. One finger greyish tan head that dissipates quickly. Sparse but present lacing.

Nose: Dark roast coffee explosion, burnt popcorn, roasted malt, toasted bread.

Taste: Roast, burnt popcorn, caramel, slight sweetness.

Moderate carbonation with thin, watery, slightly slick mouthfeel.

Overall it's a drinkable but unimpressive beer. Almost more of a mild than a stout. Burnt popcorn flavor gets in the way of anything else this beer should be presenting. The nose isn't that bad but the taste is thin, watery, and boring. Will definitely finish this serving but won't pursue in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 23:08:34 | More by syrupjoe

yamar68

Minnesota

2.93/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 22oz bottle to snifter:

Pours jet black into the glass with a soft edge of black coffee. Small latte head fades within a minute to a thin ring. Nose features all the notes of a fresh light roast plus some basic caramel characteristics typical of a full-bodied stout. The taste, honestly, is too heavy for me on the coffee. Almost like drinking an unsweetened coldpress. The stout notes are there, but barely. I could probably drink this on ice before breakfast. Not nearly as complex as I’d hoped. Mouthfeel also fits the coldpress description. Overall, good for what it is, but I’d really have to be craving this specifically to buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 18:49:50 | More by yamar68

Tballz420

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On the bottle theres a picture of an AH-64 Longbow Apache. +10 Points.

Jettest black body you can get, no amber hues. Fairly substantial light brown head. Lighter chocolate malt nose. Pretty well balanced oat, kind of bready, chocolate, almost a sweetness, just a hint of roast if any. Theres a coffee element to it, but its actually not as dominant is it could be. Which i think works very well in this case; the coffee i almost didnt notice for a little while. Nice blend

Its on the thinner side of fat, fairly sharp on the tongue.

The more i taste it the more i like it as a solid oat. Certainly not overpowering, but very well blended. B+ for the beer which is bumped up to A- for the AH imagery.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 08:44:45 | More by Tballz420

soze47

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Review from notes, consumed late 12/10 or early 01/11

Appearance: Black color, fizzy and fading brown head. No lacing.

Aroma: Coffee, but not robust. Roasted malt stands out almost just as much on the nose.

Taste: Um, a little muddled here. Not bad, but roasted malt and coffee flavors are there, but neither distinguish themselves apart from each other. Could use a little more bitterness. Definitely some chocolate notes here.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Too light and loose for the style. Body almost can't carry the flavors. I find this one not unpleasant to drink, but if you enjoyed it enough, it could be more drinkable than I rate it here.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 00:11:42 | More by soze47

FreshmanPour77

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 12/23/10
Reviewed cold but let warm to room temp. From a bomber to a glass

A - Poured a dark brew with three fingers of foam. Nice lacing ring, can't tell if you if there is any carbonation present

S - Malty blended with coffee, some hints of chocolate present. Nothing noticeable in the hops department

T/M - Big coffee malt taste, thick and creamy at first but smoothed over time. More chocolate flavors came through

D - I really good brew. I have had it a couple of times on tap and in bottle form. I brew that I can come back too. I recommend picking brew up!

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 18:37:56 | More by FreshmanPour77

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bomber coutesy of markhvizdak into a Duvel tulip.

A: Black body with mahogany highlights; a finger of light brown foam shows good retention and lacing. Nice.

S: Big, rich, fresh coffee. Awesome. Once the initial rush of coffee goodness passes, there's a nice touch of burnt sugar/molasses sweetness. Great.

T: Coffee is still dominant, backed up by a bit of generic maltiness, and finished with a nearly sour coffee finish. A bit too astringent, but still pretty tasty.

M: Very light-bodied with moderate, super-fine carbonation. Delicate; perhaps too much so.

D: I'm loving the complex coffee flavors that dominate so completely, but the bitter astringency of the finish keeps it from being the most drinkable of stouts.

Notes: Great beer. Excellent job keeping the emphasis on the coffee throughout, which is really all you can ask for out of a 5.2% beer. I'd gladly drink this any day.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 00:05:20 | More by woosterbill