Black Metal Imperial Stout - Jester King Craft Brewery

amcmaho1

New Mexico

4/5  rDev -3.6%

02-20-2012 19:57:37 | More by amcmaho1

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

05-22-2013 03:27:07 | More by SmellsofMahagony

pauldevay

Texas

5/5  rDev +20.5%

05-21-2013 18:42:31 | More by pauldevay

yamar68

Minnesota

4.31/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Big old thanks to Hugonaut13 for sending me this one. I've been longing to try the regz Black Metal for a long time.

Black? Yes, definitely. Creamy beige on top, Old Greg status.

I get a whole lotta plum right off the bat. Raisin, fig, mocha... all things that are nice. Booze is tame, well integrated. So far so good.

Wow. Smooth, silky fruit character followed by char and chocolate. Alliterations ta boot. This is off the chain. A bit of coffee bitterness. I'm not sure why they chose to nix this for the farmhouse version... this is plenty interesting just as it is.

Delicious. Literally. This is bomb, thanks Tom.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 03:02:49 | More by yamar68

sirsteve42

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

05-20-2013 03:04:03 | More by sirsteve42

OCdrummer7271

Texas

5/5  rDev +20.5%

05-19-2013 22:56:44 | More by OCdrummer7271

jakeox

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

05-19-2013 01:06:42 | More by jakeox

powz87

Illinois

3/5  rDev -27.7%

05-14-2013 03:08:52 | More by powz87

csfcmitchell

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

05-09-2013 17:11:57 | More by csfcmitchell

Auror

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.6%

05-03-2013 18:04:07 | More by Auror

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

not bottle date on this, so I cant say whether its really retired or not, but this was my first jester king brew, and ive decided its the best thing to come out of texas in the dallas stars won the cup in 1999. the pour on this is an inky black with just a small mocha head. it doesn't appear nearly as thick as some other Russian imperials. its got a wild nose on it, a little funk from the yeast, and a ton of burnt barley, char, bitter chocolate, and black licorice. it actually smells and tastes quite a bit like the uinta labyrinth black ale, without all the booze. there is indeed a lot of licorice in the flavor, and it goes well with the bitter malt complexion. I am amazed how thin the body of this is. I mean, its not thin at all, but for the style its much less viscous, and it lends to drinkability, as does its well hidden abv. in the finish I notice a lot of coffee, really picks up after the swallow. not sure of there is coffee in this or not, but it sure comes across like there is. this is a rare Russian imperial stout that I could drink regularly. its just interesting enough, and just easy enough to drink that I could handle a few of these per week. fortunately for my liver, this was the only bottle around, so I don't have to worry about that. already looking forward to my next jester king ale, this was a great introduction to their lineup.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 21:58:03 | More by StonedTrippin

Clonies720

Texas

4.73/5  rDev +14%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

10.4% ABV. 750ml bottle

Appearance: Pours like the blackest crude oil you can imagine. Small head with little retention.

Smell: Strong notes of coffee, chocolate, roasty malts, and somewhat of a floral bouquet.

Taste: Dark fruits, similar tastes of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, hop bitterness is present and makes itself known to balance out the sweetness of this beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, but surprisingly light. A pleasant, easy carbonation matches the body as I'm sure over-carbonation would absolutely kill this delicate beer.

Overall: Reading the ingredients list provides some insight as to why the body is so thin. Dextrose is listed on there. Dextrose boosts the alcohol content since it completely ferments out, but leaves a thinner mouthfeel. Even with the light body, this beer certainly has it's place as a great pairing beer to a heavy dessert.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 22:07:29 | More by Clonies720

pokgye

California

4/5  rDev -3.6%

04-12-2013 18:33:11 | More by pokgye

Lucho

Florida

3.81/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to CuriousMonk for the great trade. Cheers!

Appearance: Pours a beautiful thick black with a one finger medium body cherry soda head that dissipates in a minute or so with a ring of carbonation around the rim

Smell: Chocolate malts and some coffee with an astringent smell, maybe anise or cardamom.

Taste: Very lively on the tongue. lots of carbonation and malts up front. In the middle there some sweet characters maybe dark fruit but mostly malts and chocolate. The end finishes slightly acidic and astringent with some coffee and maybe that anise or cardamom. Finishes clean with a mild coffee aftertaste. correction, after 70 mins of drinking with the bottle sitting out and cork stopped, there are some sweet notes that come out more. there are berry notes, maybe blueberry with sweet malts.

Mouthfeel: medium body with lots of jump on the tongue because of the carbonation level.

Overall: This is a good stout but not my favorite for the style. Too much coffee and chocolate malts and not enough dark fruits. The astringent quality is also not desirable.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 04:59:53 | More by Lucho

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

03-31-2013 22:35:56 | More by mikeincharleston

RandyKemka

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

03-30-2013 17:38:12 | More by RandyKemka

Dope

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

No bottle date, guessing a few years old.

A: Pitch black pour with a large, dense but frothy dark brown head. Head fades fast with zero lacing. Nice persistent head though.

S: Lots of black patent malt. A heavy char with a touch of chocolate. Anise. A surprisingly mild aroma for a 10.4% RIS. Just pure mellow roasted malt.

T: Whoa. Pure, unadulterated roasted malt wonderness. Up front there is plenty of semi-sweet chocolate and char. Just a hint of dark fruit, buried way down - maybe pomegranate. Black patent malt through and through. Lots of anise in the finish. Hint of smoke too, just a touch. Finish is just slick roasted malt with some milk chocolate. No sign of alcohol at all. Exceptionally smooth and mellow. Touch of lingering smoke and char between sips.

M: Very heavy, thick, high viscosity. Velvety and smooth. Wonderful.

O: Seriously good RIS. I tend to go for stouts with big roasted malt character. This one is way up there. It is pure roasted malt from start to finish. Huge yet mellow flavors. Very well-integrated; they all run together like a blanket of darkness. No alcohol, no harshness. Mouthfeel is like drinking velvet, which further enhances the smoothness of the beer. Great beer. Exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 01:33:23 | More by Dope

afluentturtle

Texas

5/5  rDev +20.5%

03-25-2013 22:52:48 | More by afluentturtle

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.91/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

750mL bottle from SeaOfShells. No bottle date but I think the #0004493 printed on the barrel logo is some sort of batch number. Served in a Terrapin snifter.

Pours deep, near black brown with three fingers of tan head that leaves no lacing.

Mild nose with cocoa and earth.

Tastes of chocolate, coffee and dirt/earth. Booze is all but completely hidden.

Creamy full body, lightly carbonated. Chocolate and dirt in the aftertaste.

A well done imperial stout. I like the interplay of cocoa and earth. I'm glad I was able to score a non-farmhouse bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 02:41:14 | More by ThickNStout

jbeezification

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

03-22-2013 15:05:08 | More by jbeezification

laituegonflable

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours with a ridiculously generous head that neverthless looks wonderful - so dense, beige, soft and inviting. Body is quite dark brown; almost black. The mocha-tinge is just what I look for in a stout head. Yeah, looks great.

Smells light, really - lots of vanilla, bourbon and a hint of banana coming off that. Plenty of booze, with a decent belt of thick roasty grain as well, but not quite enough to ground it. I like that, but I don't really love it.

Taste has far more of the roasty character. There's odd touches here and there of natural ale esters, including acetyldehyde for some apple notes. Chocolate late, caramel, some toasted grain and just dark, boozey characters. Sweet, roasty, boozey. The foil lies in the fact that it's one of those beers I just "like" and yet it doesn't really grab my attention.

Fairly full body, with a big noticeable alcohol grip. Quite like the texture, but it's really rather hot.

Drinks big, drinks well. It's complex with a lot of pleasant characters here. It could use some kind of unusual twist or something to make it stand out from the pack of quality-made American imperial stouts.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 11:03:41 | More by laituegonflable

frogfan

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

03-15-2013 19:09:04 | More by frogfan

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

03-14-2013 18:38:58 | More by vicsju1991

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

4.73/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

I need to thank my buddy Josh from TX for sending this to me. I'm drinking this one after a Fulton's Worthy Adversary. I thought it wouldn't compare as a runner-up, but boy was I wrong. Two words: Holy sh*t. 2011 bottle poured into a Duvel snifter.

A: Despite being named "Black Metal", this beer is mildly transparent. Honestly, not what I expected, but still opaque enough to live up to its name. The head, oh god the head. This is one of the most gorgeous heads I've ever seen in a beer. Mocha / khaki colored, pretty good carbonation given that it's a 2011.

S: This is the best smelling beer I've ever smelt. Without the head, this beer is boozey and malty. However, once the head kicks in, you can definitely get a taste of the roasted malts, and sour fruits. There's a slight apple-back, but it is dominated by raisin and prune.

T: Once the head sets in, there's no way of knowing that this is a 10.4% beer. Once again, there's a strong fruit backing - raisins (as per usual with a RIS), prunes, plums, and a SLIGHT hint of vinegar-y sour apple. Also, I feel as though there is slight apricot flavoring in this, perhaps attributed to the farmhouse yeast. Honestly, my buddy and I also agree that there is a slight straw backing. The aftertaste is primarily toasted malts and roasted coffee. There is MILD dark chocolate backing as well. *keep in mind, I drink my stouts at room temp., and you may need to wait at least a half hour before you get these hints*

M: The more I drink this beer, the more I can appreciate the mouth feel. The best way that I can describe this is as drinking a glass of skim milk (I can't explain this, try it if you need to understand). At first the mouth felt dark and heavy, perhaps unappreciated. However, the more you drink it, the less 'thick' it becomes, and the more drinkable it feels. It almost seems like it is on nitro-tap.

O: I traded some nice beer for this, and I couldn't have been any happier. Although this beer doesn't compare to the Fulton's Worthy Adversary I drank about an hour ago, it is a close competitor. I hope I can land my hands on some more, given that it is retired. PS, all you Texas locals, if you find the right store, it's still on the shelves (shelf turds anyone?). I hope this inspires more people to crack this beer open, if it's cellared. I'm not sure it gets any better than this.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 08:02:33 | More by Phillyz

tvl89

Texas

4.74/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Wow this beer its truly amazing. The appearance is really nice, pitch black with a two finger head. Taste its really creamy, sweet, smokey, with s presence of dark fruits. Mouthfeel isb nice. Overall this is a great imperial stout from our friends at jester king. By the way this beer is still available! ! Not retired

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 17:58:39 | More by tvl89