Black Lightning - DuClaw Brewing Company

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - A fairly dark pour some brown around the base of the glass. Head is minimal with just a 1/4 inch pulling back to a sticky lace ring.
S - Mild roast coffee, some chocolate malts hints and a touch of oatmeal.
T - Pretty smooth the flavors are not too roasty from the coffee, it has a mild hoppy bite mid palate, and the finish is rather sweet with soft hints of chocolate flavor. It would be perfect but the finish also houses a acidic note which is somewhat easy to ignore.
M - Light to medium, silky body, somewhat creamy.

Overall its not a bad black ale but I prefer Dark Horses version better. Easy to quaff back though!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 04:11:05 | More by DrDemento456

Jeffreysan

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle, poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Very dark brown, almost black, with one/one and a half fingers of oatmeal colored head, that stayed around for a very long time, leaving rings on the glass as drunk, noting where previous levels of beer was located. Gorgeous.

Aroma: Very interesting and pleasing. Floral, yet also a lot of roasted barley; dark bread like pumpernickel, and some rye notes, caraway seeds. Faint hints of chocolate.

Taste: Very hoppy up front, which at first made me think that I wouldn’t like it, as I’m not a hops fan, but then the hops gives way quickly to TONS of BIG roasted malt and slight hints of coffee, but mostly roasted malt, that lasts forever. VERY long finish on this beer.

Mouthfeel: There’s quite a bit of carbonation in this beer, which gives off something of a cola mouthfeel, very effervescent, but not at all unappealing. Not smooth, but not cloying. Refreshing.

Overall: I liked this beer quite a lot. Like I said earlier, the hops forward flavor threw me for a second but I really, really liked the long roasty, malty finish that this beer has. Another winner from DuClaw, which is fastly becoming one of my favorite local breweries.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 04:07:13 | More by Jeffreysan

harrymel

Washington

3.59/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled: unk

It's black, nice loose light tan foam. Smells like dark toasted malts, licorice, graham, some molasses, some bits of lighter hops. Nice malt nose. Flavor is graham, soil, lots of malts, sweet, some bits of smoke and vanilla. Full bodied with a sparkly carb and a dry finish. Overall, I feel this beer is miscategorized as a Black Ale, the hops are nearly nonexistent, but the base beer is a really nice stout - a little confused by this aspect, but a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 05:39:12 | More by harrymel

notchucknorris

California

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a deep brown/nearly black color with a monster tan head that lasts a long time.

S: Roasted malt, some faint earth, a touch of bready yeast and some faint earthy hops. A little bit of aftershave too.

T: Not really a whole lot going on. Some faint watered-down coffee, some roasted malt, a hint of espresso and some earthy hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 01:43:05 | More by notchucknorris

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.66/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer is poured a nearly pitch black color with a one finger tan colored head floating atop the brew after pouring. The head fades over a moderate amount of time to leave a nice level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is on the sweeter side overall with a decent presence of chocolate mixed with a caramel and molasses smell. With these aromas are some lighter notes of darker fruits and some nut.

Taste – The taste begins with a sweeter roasted malt flavor with some dark fruit and molasses sugar. As the flavor advances some tastes of chocolate and pine hop come to the tongue. The hop is never too strong with the pine soon being replaced by a citrus hop flavor. This citrus hop is joined by some flavors of coffee and heavily roasted/burnt taste to leave a sweet and moderately roasty flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is average in its thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is rather average. Not bad for the roasted and slightly hopped flavors of the brew, but also nothing too exceptional.

Overall – A tasty darker, but very drinkable and lightly hopped brew. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 01:59:30 | More by Darkmagus82

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

An unusual black ale in that it seems more porter than anything else. Roasted tone with minimal spice influence. Smooth feel but with a carbonation that somewhat nibbles at the tongue. Easy to drink. Not really what I want out of the style, but good enough I suppose.

I have to wonder if this is a fresh sample. With that in mind, I'll probably try this again if I know for sure that it's fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 03:39:18 | More by RblWthACoz

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

a dark brown pour with 2 fingers of tan head.. seems to be slightly overcarbonated. smells of roasted grains, chocolate, toffee, grassy hops. again in the flavor, grassy hops up front, followed by slight oxidized taste, chocolate, dark roasted grains, very earthy flavors. almost like a hoppy black bitter coffee. very high carbonation which doesn't really work well with the medium body and dark flavors. not that impressed by this one. like all the other duclaw beers i received, i think this one was past its prime. i emailed them about bottling dates, and they said they are currently working on putting freshness dates on their bottles, as well as distributing to nj within the next year so hopefully i'll be able to taste these fresh soon enough.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 08:14:20 | More by facundoCNB

GiantMidget

Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Variety pack from Bryn Mawr beverage.

Poured into a tulip glass, about 1 inch head that remains while drinking.

Scent of coffee and slight mocha, with some breadiness.

This is a good black IPA, it has the characteristics on point with the hops and dryness. However it almost has more of a stout feel to the body to some degree as it's not quite as dry as I would like. But it is very balanced and is a smooth drink.
I can not complain whatsoever.

The mouthfeel is definitely full bodied as the flavor remains well after.

A good effort by Duclaw.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 02:46:46 | More by GiantMidget

Florida9

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Black color. Forms a ridiculously large, bubbly, over-carbonated, tan-colored head on a minimal pour. Some light lacing.

S: Aroma is full of dark roasted malts, carbonation, deeply roasted coffee, and char with just a hint of citrusy hops in the mix.

T: Taste is much of the same with a heavy dose of deeply roasted (borderline burnt) malts, char, dark chocolate, and some citrus hops on the finish. Finish is dry with a light, but persistent char flavor.

M: On the heavier side of medium. Mild to moderate bitterness though some of the bitterness is from the roasted malts. Over-carbonation is annoying distraction for this beer.

O: A decent beer with good potential. I liked the use of deeply roasted malts on this one, but the over carbonation really ruined it for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 00:42:36 | More by Florida9

beer2day

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Near opaque black pour with barely 1-finger of cream head, highlighted ever so lightly with hints of mocha. No retention and medium lace.

Chocolate, black patent, roast and light citrus hops define the nose. Getting a little cola as well. Very nice.

Light up front, roast malt and chocolate come in strong and dominate the finish. Citrus hop bitters underneath the chocolate. Very nice again.

Feel is right on for the style. Just heavy enough for the rich flavor, but keeping to style.

I'll look for this again on my next trip to VA.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 01:52:30 | More by beer2day

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very dark in color-bordering on black but not quite there. Light, fizzy head on top that is quickly gone. Ok aroma-some roasted grains and a moderate amount of hops. Decent roasted grain flavors up front. Strong hop bite as well. I am used to more of a floral hop flavor in the black IPAs I have had. Mild chocolate notes. Decent enough body. A pretty good example of the style but theres better out there for my money.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 01:31:17 | More by lackenhauser

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a black body and a tan, one finger head...the head fell quickly to a thin cap and left only light lacing

S - Roasty aromas fill the glass...some smoke and charcoal notes can also be picked up...piney hops are in the background

T - The roast is the star of the show in the beginning...first sip brings a full on assault of dark roasted malts...they provide some chocolate notes towards the finish...the middle of the beer has a milky smoothness to it...the hops are not shy as they provide a lingering bitterness at the finish

M - Medium bodied...smooth and creamy...bitter hops and a bitter roastiness

O - I found this Black IPA to be rather enjoyable...roast up front, hops in the finish...pretty balanced...only complaint was the dead looking pour it produced

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 14:20:41 | More by thain709

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Lives up to its name pouring black in color with a khaki head to it. Some faintly citrusy hops with a bit of sweet pineapple type fruit to it. A bit of pine and herbal hop character is there in addition to some molasses type sweetness and roasted malt. There is a light citric character to the flavor. Somewhat strong on the roast with maybe even some licorice. A mild sweetness, maybe molasses. Not quite as hoppy as the aroma. Medium in body and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 08:40:25 | More by womencantsail

kevinv

Virginia

2.7/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a globe. No dating noted.

A - Pours a deep black with only the slightest bit of light coming through when held up to a light. About a 1/2 finger light mocha colored head formed, but dissipated fairly quickly. Lacing is non-existent.

S - Roasty and bready malts with a caramel undertone. A slight coffee note is present, but it's very light. Smells like a stout to me. No presence of hops in the nose (*See note).

T - I'm getting a dry bitterness up front, almost like what you'd get from old coffee. A light roastiness precedes a dry, citrusy resin. I expected this one to be more hop-forward given the description on the bottle. No signs of alcohol in the taste.

M - Medium bodied with a low carbonation. Oily finish.

O - Overall, I was fairly disappointed with this one. The hops were lacking, the bitterness at the front of the taste was....off. I picked it up just to have something different than what I normally drink. Can't say that I'd recommend.

*The "notes" on this beers profile says that it's available in the Spring. It's January right now, so I have no idea if another batch was brewed recently or if this is leftover. The weird thing is that the shelf at the store was completely full. Either other people know better or a mysterious case was found in the stockroom and thrown on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 00:08:33 | More by kevinv

Minkybut

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was really black with a tan head. The beer ended up with good lacing but the head went away pretty fast. The smell of the beer was like coffee. The beer had a bit of a bitter finish but all in all I liked it and would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 15:03:21 | More by Minkybut

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked tis up at State Line a couple of weeks back.

A-Dark, opaque, dark brown to black, huge frothy mocha head quickly dissipates.

S-A bit musty, moderate roast, a whiff of dark chocolate.

T-Nice. Good roast character without going overboard in the bitterness. Hop character is a bit lacking, which is the only shortcoming in the flavor.

M-Medium bodied, dry.

O-A nice black ale. Above average for the style in my opinion.

HV

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 01:25:58 | More by sholland119

MikeB20

Delaware

3.3/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P: 12oz bottle poured into a perfect pint glass.

A: Nearly completely black with dark brown highlights and a two finger brown head. Head retention is okay but lacing is fantastic.

S: Slightly sweet but assertive roasted malt with a hint of toastiness and caramel.

T: Mildly astringent intensely roasted malt. A good bit of bitterness, probably as much from the malt as the hops with the slightest citrus hop finish. Some charred flavors as well that I believe add to the astringent flavor. The bitterness lingers.

M: A little heavy on the tongue with moderately high carbonation.

O: I like the intensity of the roasted malt flavor but I think the malt has added a bitterness that isn't all that pleasing. A decent beer but not the greatest black ale I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 17:50:04 | More by MikeB20

Jayli

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured in to a pint glass

A: This beer pours an opaque black with a 1/2 inch of light brown head. Head recedes at a moderate pace. Minor wisps of lacing are left on the glass.

S: Nose is roasted malts, coffee and citrus hops.

T: Taste starts with big roasted malts, some minor charred notes that hang in the back. Bitter baker's chocolate and coffee hit in the middle before moving in to a more prominent burnt malt flavoring that is accented by nice grapefruit, citrus hops.

M: Lighter side of medium body, medium to higher carbonation, crisp and clean at first with a touch sticky finish.

O: Goes down easy, very tasty, not too filling, nice kick, very good representation of style. More and more Black IPA's are just hitting the spot for me. I had never heard of Du Claw before, but this is a fantastic offering for those who enjoy Black IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 15:41:58 | More by Jayli

vandemonian

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

DuClaw Black Lightning is a delicious black IPA with hop and coffee characteristics.

A: Black colour and a 5 mm head that fades pretty quickly. 4

S: Roasty, earthy malt with some pleasant hop characteristics. 4.5

T: Roasty malt and sharp hops into an earthy coffee finish. The finish is dry and very slightly bitter. Delicious. 4.5

M: Silky. 4.5

O: 4

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 02:51:14 | More by vandemonian

Viciousknishs

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours dark brown with a finger of light tan head. Retention is ok. Spotty lacing.

S- Predominately roasty nose with notes of dark molasses and espresso. Slight fruitiness and a hint of smoked meat. finishes with the utmost whisper of wintergreen hop. Black IPA? I think they forgot the IPA part.

T- Again largely roasted malt flavor with a touch of bakers chocolate and brewed coffee. Slight leafy hoppiness with an indiscernible combonation of roasted malt/hop bitterness. Finishes with a grainy malt flavor with some great longevity into the aftertaste.

MF- Smooth slick mouthfeel with a solid viscosity to the body. Average carbonation

D- Very drinkable

Overall this is a very solid slightly hoppier porter. As far as American Black Ales go I think they missed the mark.

Three words: ADD MORE HOPS!!!

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 01:00:06 | More by Viciousknishs

ckollias

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Almost pitch black in color with a hint of amber highlights around the edge. Thick dark brown 3-finger head after a violent poor that quickly dissipates and leaves a gorgeous trail all the way down the glass and ends in a wispy lace.

S: Strong hoppy IPA aroma and hints of roasted malts in the background fill the nose.

T: Smooth rich hoppy flavor. Hints of pine and toasted malts cross the palate.

M: Medium body and carbonation

O: I normally have Duclaw beers on tap – but tried this bad boy in a bottle and wasn’t disappointed. Great smell and flavor – excellent balance between the hops and malt.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 00:25:54 | More by ckollias

mdfb79

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 05/07/11 notes. Got a bottle of this at RFD in Washington, DC. Poured into a pint glass.

a - Pours a very dark brown color, with two inches of tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, citrus hops, and toasted malts.

t - Tastes of coffee, roasted malts, chocolate, and citrus hops. Also some toasted malts, and a tiny bit of bitterness in the taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a pretty good Black IPA from Duclaw. Lots of roasted notes in the nose and taste, as well as some coffee in the taste. Would give another shot.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 15:29:05 | More by mdfb79

JohnnyS17

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an extremely dark black, no light is getting through this puppy! It is accompanied by a gorgeous, foamy, deep-tan head. The retention is great and there is nice lacing throughout the tasting.

The aroma smells like an un-enhanced black cup of java with hints of dark, bitter chocolate. I sense hints of barley and maybe a subtle hops aroma hiding behind the stronger scents. Those hops that were hiding in the aroma, come out a lot more in the taste. Also, the bitter chocolate is a more prevalent taste than the coffee. It finishes with a nice burnt roast flavor.

The body is a medium/full body. It is very smooth with lingering carbonation. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. The deeper I got into it, the more my taste buds warmed up to it. Quite an enjoyable beer that acts as a calming agent. Give me another!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 19:06:44 | More by JohnnyS17

Rickythejeweler

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Jet black, 1 finger off white head, not much lacing going on.

S - Suprisingly hoppy, espresso, roasty.

T - Coffee bean, strong piney hops, dark chocolate, roasty malt.

M - Alot of carbonation, a pepsi cola-like burn/tingle, great dark chocolate aftertaste with coffee beans lingering.

D - I could only drink 2, it fills you up, very heavy, decent beer from DuClaw, Devil's Milk is still their best brew though!

P.S. - The ABV on the bottle is 6.4%

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 19:34:48 | More by Rickythejeweler

tugdriver7

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

DuClaw is bottling now. They'd done large bottles, but they've got 3 varieties in 6 packs now. Black coated, lightweight screwtops that really keep things fresh.

Still getting used to the "black IPA" craze, but this one was definitely the best so far. Deep, rich black with mahogany highlights from the bottle. Tan leather-colored creamy head that laced the glass nicely. Rich smoky malt in the nose with a stout-like smokiness and a roasted sweet malt flavor in the first sip, balanced nicely with a bitter hops bite that stops short of "spicy" or "fruity." Very nicely balanced, making it easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 23:48:51 | More by tugdriver7