Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout - Jester King Craft Brewery

elNopalero

Texas

4.72/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This pours black as night with some foam atop it. There’s big aromas of roast coffee, some smoke and fruit—not citrus or tropical fruits, rather dark fruits, stone fruits. I get roasty coffee and thick toffee flavors, some espresso and dark cherries, bitter chocolates, and a boozy finish. Flavors are sharp and focused, with a crisp, hoppy bitterness for any sort of imperial stout. A big boy and bad to the bone. I like it.

A farmhouse imperial stout? I’m not sure my palate is astute enough to detect the differences between this and their (um, regular?) imperial stout. More investigation is needed, as they say in research journals!

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2012 04:08:43 | More by elNopalero

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.64/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Best of the bunch here so and by far! Served with a llight brown head that lingered to the bottom and was superbly balanced. Color is an opaque black brown with a light brown head that subsided at the same rate as the glass emptied. Aroma is a pleasant roast, malt, slight fruit. Flavor's like malt, nothing out of sorts. Body and carbonation are perfect. Finish is like flavor, of a shorter length, and incredibly drinkable for, not only a beer of its class, but relative to all and just a work of art. All hail!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 02:35:51 | More by drpimento

acevenom

Louisiana

4.6/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a brandy snifter. Pours black with a two-finger length dark tan head that dissipates slowly. The is no lacing, but I do get some alcohol legs. The aroma is of farmhouse yeast, dark roasted barley malt, chocolate, coffee, anise, dark fruits, and maybe a little alcohol. The beer tastes of those classic RIS flavors from the dark roasted barley malt as well as coffee and chocolate. In the back end, you get some of that farmhouse yeast flavor. I get those dark fruits, cherries, and anise notes as well. It's sweet, but not too sweet. There is some alcohol as well. It all comes together to be well-balanced. The aftertaste doesn't linger long, but it is of mild chocolate. The body is medium with strong carbonation due to the bottle conditioning. The finish is slightly dry. It's an easy sipper. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 23:35:08 | More by acevenom

MEsquandoles

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750mL from Black Star Co-op Pub & Brewery. Poured into JK stemware.

Super dark body and head. Thick head and excellent retention.

Really chocolatey in the aroma. Some anise, dark spice, dark fruits too. Not a hugely powerful aroma, but all the other aspects make up for that.

More cacao than anything else, but dark fruits too. Very roasty, with some leather, and somewhat creamy tasting as well. Not nearly as English-y as the previous (non-farmhouse) Black Metal, but the farmhouse yeast is not nearly as present here as any of their other farmhouse beers.

Great mouthfeel, thick and creamy, but dry finish. Lots of subtlety and spice in the aftertaste. Peppery. Very drinkable.

Excellent vision, excellent execution. They seem to have figured out this farmhouse bottle conditioning thing. I like this better than the first batch of the farmhouse version. These guys are killing it right now.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 08:13:55 | More by MEsquandoles

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a rich dark black color with just a touch of brown creeping in around the edges and a thick frothy finger of chocolate colored head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of burnt chocolate and coffee, with some rich sweet dark fruits, black licorice, earthiness, and a bit of booze.

T - Starts off with some deep roasted and burnt chocolate malts with a touch of milky sweetness and some earthy flavors. Through the middle, strong coffee notes come through with some sweet dark fruits including raisins and cherries. The finish is a mix of chocolate and coffee beans with some earthy and lightly smoky flavors, burnt malts, and some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry, sweet, and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really nice big Imperial Stout. I like the strength of the burnt and chocolate flavors and the beer as a whole feels nicely balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 03:20:37 | More by ngeunit1

redcap45

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours obsidian black with a somewhat energetic dark tan head. There is a ton of yellow lace on the glass. Nose is chocolate, cocoa, some licorice, earth, and coffee with hints of toasty bitterness. There are hints of char and coffee bitterness as well. The flavor is deep and dark: roast, toast, char, chocolate, licorice, black coffee, earth, and bits of molasses. Liked a toned-down black Tuesday. Mouthfeel is thick and sultry, full of depth. Excellent imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 14:38:34 | More by redcap45

sukwonee

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Black with 3-4 finger mocha head (huge foam).

S: Roasted malt, chocolate, slight coffee, some sourness, dark fruits.

T: Yum. It's delicious. Chocolate, roasted malt, dark fruits (cherries), not much coffee as noted in the nose, belgium yeast adding some funkiness. It tastes like slightly sweeter Deschuttes Obsidian Stout with Belgium yeast added.

M: Very smooth, but not chewy or syrupy much. Relatively high carbonation.

O: Very very good. Note though that this bottle was probably about a year old, aged in my basement cellar.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 03:50:35 | More by sukwonee

DavidST

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a snifter. This pours a semi-thick pitch black color with a massive (especially for the abv) mocha colored head which has good retention and leaves a lacing. The smells are of dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, hops and a bit of alcohol. The feel is nice and thick. The taste is pretty good, a load of dark chocolate, roasted malts and a nice bitter finish. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 02:50:21 | More by DavidST

genitempo

Texas

4.29/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Jester King has been making waves in the Austin Beer scene for quite a bit of time now. Their Brewmaster, Jeff Stuffings, puts his creative edge upon a wealth of beer knowledge and it shows. Although Jester King's Black Metal is a year-round effort from the brewery, it seems that this beer doesn't receive as much recognition as some of the others. Let this not be a reason to discredit the artistry behind Black Metal. It's pour is rather weighty, showing it's 9.3% ABV, leaving a blackened body with foamy, tan head. Black Metal puts chocolate and roasted malts on the front-end, with a hint of that belgian yeast that Stuffing's loves to employ. The beer amasses a sense of fullness in your mouth, but due to the bottle-conditioning, we see that weight implore an element of creaminess that has a bit of a lift. Flavors are bitter and charred in the best way, giving the imbiber a comparison to Old Rasputin but honed down. The sip ends with a bright twist, pushing forward a spice with mild astringency (a quality that Stuffing's has conquered).

Don't let Jeff Stuffing's other masterpieces cloak this creation, Black Metal's got some talent.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 03:00:59 | More by genitempo

gtermi

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer pours a dark old motor oil black body with a HUGE dark tan head with a ton of carbonation. The head slowly fades and fades awesome to nothing and it doesnt leave any lacing on the glass.

S: I am picking up a decent amount of booze, some sweet malt, roasted malt and a little bit of coffee and chocolate.

T: There is a nice bitterness at first and then it turns to a chocolatey and roasted malt and there is also a bit of mineraly taste.

M: This is beyond smooth. There is a tiny bit of tingle on the back of the throat and has a nice smooth carbonation.

O: This is a fantastic beer and I would recommend this to anybody. I only wish that this was in 4 or 6 packs so I could just drink 12 oz at a time.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 04:49:48 | More by gtermi

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.23/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this from jbeatty in a trade a while back. The orginal version of this beer was terrible, so I'm hoping the farmhouse element has done something positive. We put this against Jolly Pumkin Dark Dawn Stout in the Saison Stout Showdown!

From a 750ml into a snifter

APPEARANCE: A black pour yields a two finger, medium looking, foamy tan head with good retention, eventually fading to a thick foam cap. Black body with higher levels of carbonation, though it calms relativel quickly. A foam cap remains with some falling dots of lacing down the glass. Good looking beer.

SMELL: Saison yeast, and some farmhouse and barnyard aromas. Cocoa powder and some light coffee notes as well. Pretty nice really, as the stout chocolate and coffee qualities are more than enough for the saison stuff.

TASTE: Some roasted malts with cocoa powder and vanilla, as well as some barnyard funk and hay in there too. Interesting blance between stout and saison. Bolder and lingering finish of cocoa, bitter chocolate, coffee and vanilla. A light funkiness lingers as well. This is definitely more stout than saison, though the farmhouse element makes this quite interesting as well.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. Creamy and sliky on the palate. Good stuff.

OVERALL: Holly shit this is way better than the original version. Either these guys have totally revamped the base beer, or the farmhouse yeast is a Godsend. This is a beer I'd gladly drink again. Lots of good flavor and a feel that supports the show. Try this one if you get the chance. Thanks again jbeatty. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 22:19:07 | More by Jeffo

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black Metal pours black into the glass with a medium sized, fizzy, dark brown head on top. The foam disappears quickly leaving only a few spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is rich with notes of chocolate, coffee and roast malt. Alcohol notes are present throughout.

Each sip of this medium to full bodied beer is slick, a little oily, smooth with mild carbonation. The rich flavor is a nice blend of chocolate, coffee, an earthy nuttiness and a little dark fruit. I'm not getting any farmhouse tartness like I thought I would. It finishes with a mild grassy bitterness. Once gone the chocolate and roast malt linger.

This is a very tasty beer that's easy to drink. You can smell the alcohol, but not taste it. I wasn't sure what to expect for a 'Farmhouse' stout. I didn't get any typical farmhouse flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 22:29:25 | More by WanderingFool

Durge

Connecticut

4.16/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Another magnificent brew found on tap at The Draught House Pub in Austin, this stout shows a pitch black color with a modest tan ring on top and no signs of lace. The aroma brings intense malt with pleasant grass charcoal. Clearly a quality brew is evidenced. The flavor delivers deep raisin and heavy charcoal malt with lemony edges. Beautifully blended, yet intense in its sensory reward! It's pretty much full bodied with an easy, velvety feel. It offers a very subtle carbonation but it's more than adequate for this style. A great imperial stout!

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2013 18:06:23 | More by Durge

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a beautiful opaque, heavy black with generous 3-4 inch french silk head. Absolutely gorgeous. Excellent retention.
S: Roasted caramel and chocolate malts, bitter chocolately alcohol note, hint of farmhouse funk and some dark dried fruit. Dark cherry and coffee, especially with warming. Very pleasant.
T: Medium roast coffee, bittersweet chocolate, chicory, peppery spice, and a hint of cream. Farmhouse funk in the distant background. Charred wood and dark cherry emerge with warming. Wood smoke and citrus emerge in the finish.
M: Creamy feel. Medium body (lighter than expected, but consistent with the ABV). Mildly bitter and dry finish.
D: The ABV makes this one quite drinkable. I love the style mash-up of farmhouse imperial stout. Nice solidly complex brew...seek it out!

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 04:31:05 | More by mwilbur

davey101

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into a tulip. Thanks a ton to gtermi for the bottle! Opening causing an initial gush.

A - Pours a pitch black body with an insane amount of dense mocha foam.

S - Crazy blast of farmhouse yeast. Sour and lactic acid, cherries, and spices. On the end is some light roast and intense coffee. One of the most interesting stout aromas.

T - Sour cherries, super bitter coffee beans, milk chocolate and roasted malts, coriander and spices. Becomes a bit too "mineraly" towards the end, but this is very unique and flavorful. Mouth feel is super creamy and silky, a swish in the mouth cause sit to foam up.

O - A very unique and delicious stout. Despite the mediocre reviews I really like this beer. Belgian yeast notes intertwined with traditional stout notes. Awesome stuff!

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 04:16:54 | More by davey101

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter at cellar temperature.

L – Black color with a 3-finger bubbly, frothy, brown head. Great retention and some nice patchy lacing.

S – Lots of coffee, licorice, molasses, and chocolate with touches of a yeasty, vinous, almost vinegary aroma.

T – It starts off sweet with molasses, caramel, chocolate, and licorice. Spicy phenols and tart dark fruit esters come through next. Interestingly, there isn’t as much of a bitter roasted finish here as the nose suggested – it’s mostly taken over by the vinous dark fruits.

F – Full-bodied with good carbonation, a somewhat sharp mouthfeel from the carbonation and mildly tart acidity, and a bitter, spicy, somewhat tart, and dry finish. A conglomerate of all of those flavors mixed with a bit of alcohol warmth lingers for a bit. The ABV is very well-hidden.

O – This is an interesting beer for sure. The marriage of a stout and a farmhouse beer is a very intriguing idea. They seem to pull it off pretty well here, but I’m just not sure that the styles fit together well. I don’t get much farmhouse funk but rather a vinous tart flavor that blends with the dark fruits that are sometimes found in some stouts – which, now that I think about it, sounds like the styles blend together pretty well. Anyway, this is a nice beer from Jester King. I’ll see another great example of the blend later on with Funk Metal.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 23:43:01 | More by BlackBelt5112203

dbossman

Nebraska

4.13/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Black with a dark, dark brown head--like espresso--with amazing lacing

S: Really roasty and boozy; so much roasty chocolate and coffee; dark fruits and something herbal and grassy and funky--the farmhouse yeast I presume

T: Really roasty and dry; some coffee; something funky; lots of dry, semi-sweet chocolate

F: Creamy and dry; this beer sticks with you--nice overall mouth feel

O: A really dry beer; it smells boozier than it is; fairly bitter with just a touch of funk--I like it

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 02:51:20 | More by dbossman

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into snifter.

Dark brown body with a tan fizzy head of 2.5 fingers. Nice retention. Small chunky lacing.
Smells of; black licorice, black cherries, smokey earth, charred oak, dried tobacco...

The flavor has all the notes from the nose-- and it works. I like it, I like it much more than the regular version. Very dry, smokey, charred finish with a light tart touch.
The dry tobacco and chocolate notes are really coming through as this warms.

Body is a little thin and very carbonated-- I'd actually be concerned about this turning into a bottle bomb if anyone aged it.

Overall-- this is much better than the regular... Not bad Jester King!

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 01:03:30 | More by AleWatcher

Bobheed

Texas

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a super dark, nearly black color, very little light coming through the edges. About a hand of a mocha head, largest head I've seen on a stout

S: Getting lots of dark chocolate, coffee, and a peanut butter kind of smell. A little smokey also

T: Follows the nose pretty well, but with the addition of some dark fruits. Dark cherries and dates, flowing into a smokey chocolate flavor

M: Medium-light body, very creamy, medium carbonation.

Overall this was quite nice. Definitely a bit different than most RISs, Has a real big taste and fairly high alcohol, but is really easy to drink

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 01:24:49 | More by Bobheed

ehammond1

California

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, Nathan!

Black throughout with a moderately sized dark brown head that eventually leaves the glass oily and spotted with lace.

Lots of roast and chocolate elements in the aroma, along with a hint of smoke. I don't pick up any particularly "farmhouse-like" elements.

The flavor too is bold and flavorful: roast, dark and bittersweet chocolate, and a bit of smoke.

Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Slightly chewy.

I like this quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 16:08:48 | More by ehammond1

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle poured into a wine glass as Immortal blasts blast beats out of the speakers.

A big fluffy brown head is produced; no doubt a product of the refermentation. The body is none more black.

Lots of chocolate and roast when cooler and seems to subside as it warms allowing cherry notes to pop out along with some peppery spice.

Less chocolate on the taste than the aroma. Quite a bit of roast. Dark fruit and cherry along with a woodiness even though it isn't barrel aged.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation to move the beer along the palette easily.

Quite drinkable for such a roasty stout. The farmhouse yeast adds a great component to this beer. With a little refinement this could be as ridiculous as running through the woods of Bergen with a witch hat and cape.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 04:44:27 | More by MattSweatshirt

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pretty solid beer here, been a want of mine for near a year now. To my surprise, found it in CA for $11.99 and thought it was the original but low and behold, it's the Farmhouse...

A - Damn. Jet Black. Three finger mocha head that receeds to about a 1/2 inch and never goes away. lacing is BeaUtiful.

S - Dark Chocolate and roast. A wee bit of funk but you really have to look for it. Semi-agressive swirl brings out cafe-mocha notes, complimenting the dark chocolate and roastiness. As it warms, vanilla shows itself and yes, this is very roasty to boot.

T - Everything in the nose. Mocha - Chocolate - Roasty with a wee bit of funk and peppery in the finish.

M - Not your typical Imperial Stout. Starts creamy with bold stout flavors, then finishes BONE-DRY. Not bitter, but DRY. Just how I like I like my Saisons to finish. Peppery Farmhouse finish.

O - Pretty good. Glad I was able to finally knock this one down. Not sure I'll pay for it again with Speedway being a whole whopping $1 less, but a good beer experience none-the-less.

Suggested.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 02:00:56 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

gford217

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle.

Pours pitch black with a huge dark mocha head that recedes extremely slowly and leaves great lacing.

Lots of heavily roasted malts, bakers chocolate and hints of coffee, much like he original version. But where it differs is in the spicy yeast and faint dark fruit presence. Still has a stronger impy stout character than Belgian.

Taste has a tad more of the Belgian character than the aroma with sugary dark fruits and light spices up front. But the underlying roasted black malts and dark chocolate still dominate, especially in the finish, which is really roasty.

The mouthfeel is highly carbonated and much drier than the original version.

A really nice Belgian version of an already good beer. Not sure if it's better than the original but I do like it better than most Belgian style stouts I have tried recently.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 03:10:50 | More by gford217

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

How do you make the best Belgian stout? The answer is to create a massive imperial stout and inject just enough yeasty spice and fruit character to add a kiss of complexity but not to rival the roasted malt. Jester King has figured this out and displays it well in Black Metal.

The inky black pour sells the "stout" appearance, and does so with enough of a yeasty haze to not allow any passage of light. And then there's the billowing pillow of foam that engulfs the snifter and signals notions of Belgian character that lies within. Its slight tan color proves to be rocky and frothy as it laces the glass intricately as the beer falls.

Robust aromas of roast, cocoa, molasses, and char rise from the glass with a ton of confidence. Filled with espresso, other fruity and spicy scents merge into the malts with mild aromas of grape, apple, and berry that versus alcohol, pepper and smoke.

The bold roasty character continues and even elevates in taste. Sharp espresso, cocoa-heavy chocolates, walnuts, burnt embers, and slightly scorched caramel are dominant on early palate, but then fold in vinous tart notes of cherry, berry, grape, and apple. Where any hop taste would appear woodish and blend into the charred taste, the beer relies on spicy peppercorn, toast, and tannin for balance instead.

Full bodied without doubt, but the Belgiany characer seems to lighten the body by pulling the beer from the tongue with its abundance of carbonation. Resulting in a semi-dry finish with slight powder and ash, the creamy upstart takes quite the journey across the palate. Certain alcohol warmth, slowly fading sweetness, and dry roast closes the beer with a delightful lingering aftertaste.

Black Metal isn't for those who are repulsed by coffee or chocolate. But even for those who have an affection for the taste, the unexpected fruit and spice notes pleasantly surprises the taste buds and evokes excitement, although the character is moderate at best.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 18:14:54 | More by BEERchitect

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Whip In in Austin.

The beer pours a very dark brown to black color with a small tan head. The aroma is full of chocolate and roasted malt, with a little bit of leather and a few assorted spices mixed in.

The flavor is similar. The chocolate and roasted malt notes are very strong and dominate the initial flavor. As the beer warms up a bit, I start to get a little bit of Belgian yeast and a little bit of brett mixed in to the flavor. There is also a little bit of anise and pepper mixed in.

Thick mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2011 04:08:55 | More by Mora2000