Redhook Double Black Stout - Redhook Ale Brewery

tkeHijacker

Maine

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not an official review as I did not have my notebook with me. Had on tap at the Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH.

A: Black opaque with a coffee colored thick head. Head was present for most of the beer on the way down. some slight lacing.

S: Coffee and Dark roasted malts. Smells like espresso roasted coffee beans (which I found out later were cold brewed into this beer, go figure).

T: Theres that dark roasted coffe/espresso beans mixed with lots of roasted barley (possible some black patent in there?) great hop bitterness that backs up and balances the malty roastedness that is obviously the showcase for this beer.

M: Smooth and full feeling in the mouth. Lasts a long time after you swallow.

D: Could (dangerously) drink a few of these without realizing how powerful they really are. They go down so well I could easily have 3-4 in a row without thinking about it until I stood up and then I may end up on my butt.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2009 11:12:23 | More by tkeHijacker

dnichols

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was served a chilled pint glass at Brick House Pizza in West Richland, Washington.

A: It poured a dark body that was ruby red when back lit. It had a one finger coco colored head composed of large sticky bubbles. The head receded to a light cover over the surface. There was a dense and lingering lacing.

S: It had a sweet roasted malt aroma with a chocolate and espresso back aroma.

T: It began with a burnt roasted malt flavor that was diluted and slightly sweet. The chocolate was bitter and dry and the coffee was bitter. The alcohol was well hidden. There was a lingering aftertaste that lasted long after the drink was done.

M: It was medium bodied and somewhat watery with very light carbonation. It had a bitter aftertaste.

D: It was a decent brew but fell short of an Imperial Stout. It's body was thin, the flavors were diluted and not well balanced and it was on the short side of being a strong, bold stout.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2008 05:58:07 | More by dnichols

czechsaaz

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(New batch, no longer with Starbucks but Lighthouse a local roastery.)

Big roast malt notes almost smokey. Light coffee aroma in the background. A little fruity fermentaion esters too.

Black with a thin tan head that leaves a ton of lacing.

Big rich stout flavors of roast malt and deep fruit like prunes. Nice bitterness level but a good sweet base malt too. Coffee flavor is really light but it is there.

Smooth carbonation level and kind of thick in the mouth which is good for a big stout.

Nice beer. Good approachable stout. Lots of flavors and strength but not a huge sipping beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2008 08:05:43 | More by czechsaaz

BigPlay1824

New York

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2008 bottle into a tulip glass

A: pours a deep deep black with a finger of coffee mocha brown colored head that is very frothy and lingers just a little while before leaving a nice amount of lacing on the glass 4
S: very nice malts, pure mocha and coffee with just the slightest milk chocolate at the end 4
T: begins with a nice mocha taste which slides into chocolate notes, the end is where the money is made, it finnishes just slightly sweet and then, after a few seconds, an incredible coffee taste slides back in which is very nice and lingers on the palate for a long time. 4.
M: smooth, very gentle carbonation, creamy and just slightly thin 3.5
O: a nice drinking imperial stout, alcohol has leveled out with time and the coffee notes have really pushed forwards which really makes it alot better, quite happy I let this one get some legs on it 4

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 01:33:50 | More by BigPlay1824

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Vintage bottle given for free at Beer Geek Christmas. Pours a dark brown/black color with a slight tan head that collars around the glass. Mocha chocolate in the nose with some minimal residual coffee notes. Surprised how much chocolate is in the nose. Medium mouthfeel. This reminds me surprisingly like a weaker version of ST Chocolate but with more bitter roast notes in the end. LIght chocolate notes upfront with a roast coffee finish that isn’t too overpowering. Overall, pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 23:19:51 | More by kbutler1

emmasdad

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Added from an older notebook. Picked up at BevMo for 5 bucks or so. Poured a medium black color with a decent tan head. Supposedly brewed with Starbucks coffee, and coffee is present on both the nose and on the palate, along with roasted malt and dark chocolate. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 21:18:35 | More by emmasdad

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Found a bottle of this at Russell's in Amherst, bottled 10/9/08 for $4.99. Poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a deep dark brown/black colour with a nice mocha one finger head that leaves a fair amound of lacing and hardly fades over time.

S - Big, bold coffee notes as well as some roasty sweet malts and light chocolate. Interwoven throughout the nose though was some odd dark fruits. Interesting.

T - Not really the typical stout. Theres some coffee and sweet, roasted malts and very light chocolate notes. The dominant flavour for me though is dark fruits. Tastes more like a quad.

M - Not nearly as thick feeling as a stout should be. A bit fizzy/thin.

O - This stuff is okay. Not sure if age has killed this or if it was always this mediocre. Still though for the price I suppose it wasnt bad. I wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 03:14:34 | More by rudzud

Mdog

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Very dark brown, ok head.

Smell: Coffee, some molasses.

Taste: Hits with bitter black coffee like chewing on some coffee grounds. Later drinks the stout roasted sweetness makes a token appearance.

Drinkability: I finished the bomber but it's not one I'll return to.

Picked this up on sale, probably should have looked at the bottling date before purchasing since it says Oct 2008. So this was distributor-warehouse aged. The coffee flavors didn't fade over time in this, but they may have shifted to a more bitter/astringent tone.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 00:10:25 | More by Mdog

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: really dark brown. fluffy, dense latte colored head. appears to be some sediment/yeast on the bottom of my glass.

S: milk chocolate and sweet figs move into roasted premium coffee.

T: slightly acidic, slightly lactic. starts with the acid from the roast as well as the coffee, moves into a middle ground of solid delicious roast, and finishes with a solid coffee backbone and a touch of alcohol. chocolate milk resides on the palate after consumption.

M: a touch too fizzy. actually distracts from some of the nuances in the flavor.

D: brewed 10/08/2008. bottle looks through it was dragged through a pile of shit (btw this was a straggler bottle in a mystery box). not entirely sure of the conditions this puppy has been through, but i cant notice any discernible defects. overall a tasty brew (im a sucker for the style), but there are others that i find better.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 01:29:52 | More by Jimmys

BigMike

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a dark brown with some red around the edges. A light tan head of a finger tops it off.

S: Lots of roasted malts. Some dark chocolate and dark roasted coffee.

T: Coffee in the forefront. The roastedness and chocolte kick in. There's a bit to much acidity from the coffee. Tons of bitterness.

M: A bit thin on the feel. Definitely not imperial. Decen carbonation. Somewhat difficult to drink with the acidity.

Overall: An average coffee stout. Definitely alot better examples of the style out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 23:18:33 | More by BigMike

biglite351

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - a good bit of red around the edges, more than I expected. Tall creamy off-white head leaving some lacing.

S - roasted malts with a little coffee and some bitterness.

T - malts with coffee, a good deal of bitterness in the mix.

M - solid coating with a medium amount I'd tingle on sides and under tongue.

D - Not bad, but better options out there.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 02:09:25 | More by biglite351

brdc

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks garlicfire for this one.
Large capped bottle poured into a snifter.

Nearly pitch black, some faint highlights on the edges. Thin head, minimal retention, almost no lacing.
Faint aroma, mostly roasted, some burnt. Coffee, chocolate, but nothing particularly comes to mind other than burnt malts after a while.
Medium bodied, well below what I had hoped for on the palate. Flavors are not particularly substantial, lacking depth and yet offering too much burtn flavors and not enough cooffee or chocolate. Disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 23:02:39 | More by brdc

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to garlicfire for this beer.

22oz. Bomber
Batch: 08-0410
Oct 09 08

Poured into a chalice a nice black color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger fizzy light tan head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some nice chocolate/coffee notes, slight vanilla, slightly roasty. The taste is malty, sweet, nice chocolate/coffee notes, and some vanilla. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 22:41:11 | More by Wasatch

thetomG

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark brown (almost black) pour with a very impressive & large bubbly foamy tan head that dissipates quickly leaving behind good lacing all around the glass. Nose has a slightly acidic/chemical scent to it - not one of the stronger points of this beer.

Flavor is much better with some tasty bitter cocoa notes on top of the malty & sweet backbone. Slight bitterness in the finish.

Could be a bit more smooth and creamy, but good drinkability overall.

A little disappointing in that I'm not really getting any coffee flavors here, but overall a very solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 03:33:30 | More by thetomG

Ego

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

eyes...
crackling semi cocoa head roils to a finger and a half but settles down rather quickly, the head recedes into an o-ring within a minute, lacing is good, as far as hue, well... it's black! huge surprise there, I was expecting straw yellow... I picked the wrong week to stop huffing glue...

nose...
somewhat chemical cocoa tone, dark roast, some chocolate notes, the coffee becomes more assertive over a few minutes of quaffing.. pretty nice.

taste etc...
medium bodied, easy drinking, king of more like a stout-light, it has the flavors you would expect but they seem "light", there is just nothing that "pops" here, just sort of pedestrian, not bad by any stretch... the nose and taste are pretty much in sync.

verdict?
coffee stout? I suppose, this isn't bad, it isn't great, if you are a coffee head you probably will be dissapointed, but for stout fans this offers a smidge more flavor than some stouts, worth a try for the price.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 03:20:43 | More by Ego

Bookseeb

Washington

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance as it says is black with a thin creamy dark tan head with minimal lace. Smell of sweet lightly roasted malts, prunes and light coffee. Taste has a somewhat mellow in flavor with the dark malts and fruits, mellow hop and considering the alchohol it's hidden very nicely. Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. Not a whole lot of character, but a good stout, where as for me the aroma stands out the most.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 02:14:01 | More by Bookseeb

dtivp

West Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a very dark brown nearly black with a small mocha head that dissipated very quickly with some lacing.
Aroma of dark coffee, roasted malts and some dark chocolate.
Taste was dominated by coffee almost espresso with roasted malt.
Very smooth and creamy with a bitterness at the end
A very nice stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2010 01:41:29 | More by dtivp

pastradul

California

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this in the fridge for a bit and decided to pop it open.

Poured into a tulip stout glass. Pours very dark, held it up to the window and couldn't get a ray of light through it. Has a fantastic head on it Very thick and creamy in appearence.

Smell is more of a sweet porter then an imperial of double stout. Good amount of coffee and chocolate come through.

Taste is much sweeter then I would think it would be. Again this is becuase itis labels as an imperial stout. A light amount of malt and a small hit of coffee and chocolate.

the after taste is mostly coffee, very nice in the middle of a slow relaxing afternoon.

For the most part this beer is a great beer. I would classify more along the lines of a coffee porter then an american imperial porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 23:22:10 | More by pastradul

KTCamm

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber purchased at the NH brewery into a pint glass.

Pours jet black, complete darkness. Nice building brown head. Laces.

Smells initially more chocolately, though darker, than coffee. Roasted notes. Smell matures into espreso over time.

Taste is a really nicely balanced malt with a hop that builds as the beer progresses. Taste morphs into black coffee over time - starts like a stout, warms to a coffee, if that makes any sense.

Smooth and creamy in the mouth. Bitterness builds.

Solid stout, good drinkabiliy.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 10:12:29 | More by KTCamm

Flashsp2

New Mexico

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Redhook double black coffee stout

A pretty hard pour produced a short lived mocha head with nice sticky
lace. Served half a bomber into a snifter.

Nose is big time roasty malts, rich espresso, and some hop flower.

Taste follows suit. Very roasty malts, iced coffee, faint powdered
cocoa, and some floral hop at the end. Finish is long and robust.
Alcohol is not noticeable even as the beer warms.

Feel is actually a little thin, but its not watery. Its a little oily
when swallowed, likely due to the coffee.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 21:47:20 | More by Flashsp2

glaze0101

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The Double Black Stout is a limited release beer. It was originally created in 1995, but Redhook stopped making it in 2000. Then, in 2008, they brought it back as a limited release.

The aroma is malty with... you guessed it, coffee. Smells great. Many people have stressed the coffee part. True, it has coffee in the aroma and flavour. There is also a hint of toffee and chocolate. As an imperial stout is true to style, full bodied with a good mouthfeel. It is not creamy, it is big. There is a bitterness, almost like bitter chocolate, in the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 02:22:27 | More by glaze0101

kimcgolf

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours from the bomber to a dark brown color with thin to no tan head and absolutely no lacing. Fortunately, appearance was the only negative. Aroma is a very hearty and pleasant malt chocolate-toffee with a hint of nuts, though I can't detect coffee. Mouthfeel is just a tad on the watery side, but still tingly and pleasant. Taste takes the malt chocolate and toffee of the mouth and accentuates them, adding a hint of alcohol at mid-glass aas the beer warmed. Rounds to a nice long, smooth finish. Good job on a winter warmer by Redhook

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 03:01:58 | More by kimcgolf

Minotaur

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Oily black with a billowy white head. This beer is nearly opaque and even with a substantial pour has only minimal carbonation. There is no significant lacing and the head quickly fades to a halo.

The aroma is malty with a slight amount of coffee and chocolate. There is a predominant roasty sweetness.

The flavor is bitter with roasted malt, dense with java and and grainy notes. There is little hops but an ongoing bitterness from the toasted flavor. It is all counter-balanced by a very sweet milky aftertaste. The grains are somewhat dry but not mouth-puckering as are some coffee stouts.

It is very very smooth to drink and has a soft, satisfying mouthfeel.

A very drinkable and enjoyable coffee stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 02:37:53 | More by Minotaur

animal69

Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- batch 08-0410 dated 10/09/08, pours a dark reddish-black color w/ a thin lt. brown cap which has little to no life, very little lace as well

S- a chocolate and dark roasted grain smell, some subtle hints of coffee and vinous dark fruits present as well as some "assy" hops

T- taste is similar to smell with more chocolatey dark roasted malts in the forefront, some woody flavors blend w/ bitter coffee and dried fig, a strange almost "tangy" sour note to it all but adds instead of detracts, finish is bitter but balanced

M- a fairly dry version of an Am. RIS with a med. mouthfeel and nominal co2, kind of a thin feeling to it

D- a fairly drinkable brew, just not impressive

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 21:55:10 | More by animal69

JustinJTisdale

New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Sampled this at the brewery (portsmouth) at the end of the tour which is short but wonderfully informative (thanks Byron). I was completely blown away. It didnt hurt that I was a few pints deep from the restaurant already.

I ended up buying a case at the store there and bringing it back home (syracuse NY).

Its been 2 weeks and its almost gone and I have to say its great for a stout. A little weak at colder temperatures but once you hit the 50 degree mark it opens up into a sweet coffee tasting almost caramel flavor with a slightly bitter hoppy finish.

It pours thick and has little head retention so presentation isnt off the charts but taste makes up for it.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 21:49:19 | More by JustinJTisdale