Dark Element - Element Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

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

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #46 (Nov 2010):

A heady start, with a shade of ruby clinging to the brown darkness. Spicy with candied fruit, minty hops and cake-like maltiness, as a powdery yeast awakens the nostrils. Smoothness burrows in for the duration. Malt jumps from bitter dark chocolate to brown sugar to biscuity to dried grass, with a yeast flavor that does not let go. Hints of exotic fruit, papaya, star fruit and unripe mangos come to mind. A bit of broth and yeast in the roasty semidry finish. Yeah, complex no doubt. A slow sipper ... a sleeper brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 02:13:47 | More by BeerAdvocate

ebarnesster

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-22-2013 20:14:08 | More by ebarnesster

boonejag75

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

05-18-2013 21:34:25 | More by boonejag75

jayhunter357

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2%

05-17-2013 23:00:03 | More by jayhunter357

In_Control_Mike

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2%

05-17-2013 22:59:33 | More by In_Control_Mike

gdub

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2%

05-16-2013 14:25:08 | More by gdub

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

04-29-2013 06:23:43 | More by Kelp

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.56/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Really A shwartz beer, a black beer and not a black IPA, freshly acquired by Peter FM. Roasty but not a black IPA, some hops but also some sourness in the finish. Lagerish in texture. Lacy on dark body.OK drinkability. Roast over hops is the smell.A little disappointing for the marketing, with a nicely wrapped bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 12:19:02 | More by northyorksammy

sirjobin

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

03-23-2013 01:18:34 | More by sirjobin

Teddy-Pickles

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

03-22-2013 23:06:07 | More by Teddy-Pickles

muskiesman

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2%

03-02-2013 02:06:00 | More by muskiesman

dphillips

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -2%

02-16-2013 01:56:05 | More by dphillips

dtx00

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2%

01-12-2013 22:52:34 | More by dtx00

TheLostGringo

Connecticut

3.03/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Seen some of these Element Brewing Co. Beers on the shelf for the last year and have for some reason yet to have one, so tonight is the night.

Poured into a wide-mouth tulip glass and served at basement temperature. Feb 09, 2012 bottle date.

A: looks fairly dark at first glance but held up to light reveals more of a mahogany color. A nice couple of inches of head that slowly disepates into the beverage.

S: Getting mostly toffee and Pumpernickel perhaps a hint of hops, but not a lot.

T: Overly sweet, very malt forward, perhaps some bitterness in the finish from the hops but not sure if I am imagining it because it is suppose to be there.

O: Drinkable I guess, tastes more like a strong-ale then a combination of a Schwartz/IPA. Not something I would seek out again but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 02:07:07 | More by TheLostGringo

innuendobrewskiman63

New York

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

12-10-2012 11:45:31 | More by innuendobrewskiman63

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: The fudge brown pour is capped by a rocky tan head; very nice persistance and some webs of lace linger on the pint glass

Smell: Black bread and chocolate in the forefront, with some piney hops in the back

Taste: Black bread and chocolate, building with caramel flavors; the hops arrive in the middle and, after the swallow, balancing out the sweeter aspect, though the beer ultimately tilts malt forward

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: This bottle had been in the back of the fridge for a while so I guess a fresher bottle would be hoppier; still, an impressive beer

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 21:25:40 | More by brentk56

kjfinnerty

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

11-19-2012 22:54:35 | More by kjfinnerty

cciquera01

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

11-18-2012 14:30:29 | More by cciquera01

shigg85

Japan

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

11-16-2012 22:07:20 | More by shigg85

duceswild

Maryland

2.5/5  rDev -38.7%

10-30-2012 04:58:34 | More by duceswild

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%

10-19-2012 19:26:29 | More by mendvicdog

smakawhat

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass at DC bottle share at Smoke & Barrel. Bottle dating April 20 - 2012.

A light tan head and somewhat creamy looking, with a kind of light red amberish brown body tinge. Somewhat clear also, quite nice.

Nose is strangely wood splintery oak. I am getting a weird sense of beechwood almost rauchbier going on. Not particularly hop forward either.

Palate is just a mish mash of things and all over the place. Hop front and mild resin, mixing with a good amount of pine, a soft clean and very crisp malt, with some off roast sense. Somewhat wet body seems to come through slightly, and doesn't highlight any of these flavors nicely.

I am not getting this brews angle here, this feels and tastes like a mess of things that just don't jive nicely with each other. Every flavor seems to be fighting for attention. It's not awful by any means just not digging it.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 23:15:35 | More by smakawhat

jacewg

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%

10-16-2012 17:45:45 | More by jacewg

Greywulfken

New York

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark Element, April 2012 bottling...

I can't resist the allure of an unusual beer, so seeing this beer wrapped in paper was too much for me to resist - thankfully!

A: black-brown body, slightly translucent around the edges, fat pale foam head; lid of foam persisted; no lacing

S: hoppy toffee and mild roasted malt

T: delicious: toffee, caramel, slight mellow roastedness, some espresso, perfectly bitter and sweet at the same time

M: excellent drinkability, wonderful aftertaste, no astringency; smooth and easy drinking

O: this might've just jumped to the top of my black ales - easily on-par with Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and Uinta's Dubhe (my current favorite black ales) - this beer demonstrates great craftsmanship and has a unique flavor that may veer slightly from the typical flavor profile of an American black ale, but I loved it.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 22:44:16 | More by Greywulfken

Gregwa

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2%

09-24-2012 03:25:48 | More by Gregwa