Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout - Jester King Craft Brewery

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

ottomark

2.43/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer is strong bu the flavors are mushy. There's no clear body to this beer. No purity to it. No clear flavors working together to make what I consider a good stout flavor. I looked hard for this beer, particularly on tap. But I was disappointed when I found it. The main feature here is the strength of the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2012 23:13:51 | More by ottomark

brandoneast

Texas

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

Black Metal Farmhouse.

Appearance: Poured very black, mocha and inky around glass with a very dark thin head.

Smell: Nose was crushed Whoppers candy, peaty and earthy (almost like a highland scotch) roasty, nutty, nose is hot (like a cheap sugary rum), freshly made toffee, and burnt campfire marshmallow sans the vanilla. A very fresh and young (obviously) smelling imperial stout.

Taste: Bitter coffee, blackberries, still quite hot, getting the earthy almost scotch like flavors coming through maybe it's the yeast. As it warmed, it finished with a flavor of walnut or pecan brownies.

Mouthfeel: a lot thinner than expected

Overall: I was suprised how similar or rather how quite indistinguishable this Farmhouse yeast Black Metal compared to the original Black Metal with the English ale yeast. I think this really needs some age to settle down the heat and build upon the yeast complexity. Still, a very nice imperial stout!

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 02:45:04 | More by brandoneast

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

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

metter98

New York

3.99/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a finger high dark tan head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of dark roasted malts and chocolate are present in the nose, although these are subdued a bit by the presence of farmhouse yeast.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of chocolate malts along with notes of earthy yeast and roasted malts. A light to moderate amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied and somewhat airy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The yeast and roast make your mouth a little chalky and dry.
O: I really enjoyed this stout because it offered some of the qualities you would expect from a Russian Imperial Stout but was significantly easier to drink because it wasn't as full-bodied. The use of farmhouse yeast adds some interesting qualities.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 19:30:16 | More by metter98

MarioM

California

4.21/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

750 ml poured into SN snifter.

A: Pure black opaque with a huge dark brown head. Creamy bubbles floating on top of larger bubbles, dissipated after a min with good lacing.

S: Hint of dark fruits with a toasty character with some booziness. There's a strange aroma, most likely from the farmhouse yeast, but slight citrusi and licorice like. Definitely different but interesting.

T: That strange aroma comes through at the beginning as yeasty fruitiness mixed with roastiness, coffee and a little chocolate. I also want to say citrus but prolly confusing it for yeast hard tee coming through in a style, RiS, which I would not normally expect. Also get a lot of dark fruits from the large amount of roasted malts, which explain the ausome hugely brown head.

M: Medium body from the high attenuation, a bit dry and bitter. Medium carbonation and small hints of alcohol considering the 9% abv tag. Also, a big roasty coffee aftertaste from all that dark roasted malt dominates at the end and lingers for a while, which I'm enjoying quite a bit, yum!

O: A must have brew by Jester King. I really like the creativity of using a farmhouse year in an imperial stout. Very interesting and will have more.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 05:04:33 | More by MarioM

ADZA

Australia

4.09/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours the blackest dark as night hue with a chocolate laced three finger head and lacing everywhere,the smell is dark chocolate,roasted malts,booze and Irish coffee,the mouthfeel is full bodied with moderate carbonation and has tastes of dark chocolate,toasty roasty malts,Irish coffee,a touch of funky tartness and finished choc dryness and overall very nice for a night like tonight and would buy again cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 12:38:32 | More by ADZA

Immortale25

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Saint Somewhere wine-style glass.

A-Pours as black as a thousand midnights with a 3/4 inch brown head that retains a long while before gradually descending to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a full sheet of surface foam. Resilient lacing slides slowly down the glass.

S- Very glassy aroma with some strong underlying chocolate tones and just a bit of funk.

T- A bright tangy flavor comes on at first before a heavy dark roasted malt presence washes over bringing notes of milk chocolate, caramel and vanilla. The flavors clash though and bring about an awkward profile.

M- My biggest problem with "dark saisons" is the chalky and endlessly dry mouthfeel. The high carbonation just does not go well with the highly viscous nature of a stout, porter, black ale, what-have-you. I definitely prefer my farmhouse ales to have a light body.

O- While I admire them for their risk-taking approach to brewing and their labels' sick artwork, the folks at Jester King just have not done it for me yet. An example of when a brewery is just a bit too extreme.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 23:58:54 | More by Immortale25

Claytonbrewsby

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is an interesting one... Especially the farmhouse/stout combination. I was expecting this brew to be heavy as hell since it is called metal and all. But upo pouring it, it did come out very brown, almost black with a tan head. It has a mild spicy smell about it. The mild spicy smell does follow in taste, slightly. It definitely has farmhouse characteristics with a light stouty taste behind it. It's hard to describe, it's worth a drink so give it a try!

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 21:57:52 | More by Claytonbrewsby

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

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml split between 3 of us.

A - Pours a heavy metal black, with 2 fingers of espresso frappa head. Rounded patterns of vertical lacing.

S - Rich and roasted black malts, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, berry fruit, allspice, nutmeg, unknown spice.

T - Dense and creamy chocolate, almost astringent, heavy roast, acidic coffee, raspberries, star anise, charred vanilla, spicy hops. The Belgian yeast is present but mellow.

M - Moderate carbonation cuts through the density lifting the body creating a super creamy feel and light/medium body

Black metal is a good name for this brew. The Belgian yeast takes a back seat to the full on stout components. Lots of chocolate and roast. Light feel for such a big brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 03:23:48 | More by StaveHooks

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

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

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

Black and diesel-oil consistency, big brown head and sparse lace.

Nice aroma, burnt and darkly roasty, coffee and dark chocolate, a little bit of dark fruit.

Flavor is wonderful, roasty and burnt flavors are up front, then comes just a touch of dark fruitiness, then chocolate and coffee.

There's a bit of a Belgian note to it, presumably from the yeast, which actually seems to lighten the body just a touch. Although full bodied, I find it surprisingly drinkable.

Definitely a tasty one, RIS and farmhouse ale lovers alike might enjoy this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 19:41:13 | More by AlCaponeJunior

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

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

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

t420o

California

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Jester King Farmhouse Black Metal

A- pour produces a massive 3 finger dark mocha colored head resting on a black body. Head recedes to 1/2 finger and stays around. 4

S- dark chocolte, cocoa powder, espresso, some slightly funky yeast, light hop presence. 3.5

T- a little better than the nose. The balance of the farmhouse yeast to the stronger imperial stout flavors is done quite well. Chocolate, some espresso, light hop presence, cream, slightly smokey, and farmhouse yeast. 3.5   

N- slightly light in the body for such a beer. The carbonation is good. 3.5

O- this one must be allowed to warm up. A good sipper that is quite enjoyable but nothing exceptional. 4

B   

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 22:32:50 | More by t420o

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

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Frank (fbc24) for bringing this to the Nov. '12 Philly burbs bottle share.

Love the bottle art, first off. Black as a heathen Nordic soul, with a moderate tan head that sank to a ringlet, leaving spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of dark malts, roast, unsweetened chocolate, ash from a burnt church. Taste reflected the nose, dark roasty malts with a touch of char, chocolate, slightly bitter, a subtle Belgian yeast character that never really came through significantly. Mouthfeel was a bit on the thin side for a stout, but maybe not for a "farmhouse stout," about medium-bodied. Decent, but not as great as the label had me believe.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 09:42:25 | More by Rifugium

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Jason, 750ml into a tulip.

Black with a massive brown head - persistent retention and OK lacing. Nose of dark chocolate, farmhousey yeast, metallic, brown sugar and caramel. Taste of dark chocolate, heavy roast, coffee grains, light sourness and a hint metallic again. Some tar. Mouthfeel is too light for my liking in the style, and carbonation is almost fizzy. Interesting roast character but just a weird concoction overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 03:47:46 | More by liamt07

VaTechHopHead

California

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours your typical stout black but the head develops quite quickly from the carbonation

The aroma is slightly acidic and sweet from the farmhouse yeast. Not a lot of roasted aroma or rich stout smells

The flavor is alright but the carbonation takes away a little from the flavor and fills the palate with foam. There is a nice roasted flavor on the back end but pretty dull throughout

Lighter body for a stout and a gratuitous amount of carbonation. The palate is left dry and the aftertaste doesn't linger around too much

Honestly, this tastes extremely similar to a home-brewed chocolate stout I once made and I accidentally over-carbonated it. It's a good beer but nothing working seeking IMO.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 06:42:28 | More by VaTechHopHead

cvm4

Mississippi

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Whoa! With a slow pour the light brown head still billows out of control. It widdles down & leaves little lacing.

S - Roasted malts, dark chocolate, bits of licorice and light coffee.

T - Comes off slightly sweet with cocoa nibs throughout. Roasted malts and that farmhouse element are pretty evident as well. I'm picking up some dark fruits running through the nose. The taste is really great, although there's a slight alcohol burn as well.

M - A very light body for an RIS along with high carbonation. It doesn't load you down with a thick beer, but I miss that part.

O - An odd element of blurring the lines. It has stout characteristics along with farmhouse characteristics. I tend to like the former and the latter separated and not combined. The original Blackmetal is leaps and bounds better.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 00:08:38 | More by cvm4

brentk56

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A very Belgian-looking pour, with a huge tan foamy head that caps the black liquid; the head fades quicker than expected, only leaving a clump or two of lace behind

Smell: Chocolate, charcoal and a tart, yeasty character

Taste: Chocolate, charcoal and subtle tartness that builds a bit, in the middle, along with a hint of fruit; a touch of spicy yeast, after the swallow, that cuts through the stout flavors and leaves a Belgian impression

Mouthfeel: Way too foamy and over-carbonated; medium bodied, underneath

Overall: Such a disappointment when compared to the original version, the choice of the farmhouse yeast strain really doesn't work very well with this base beer - the only disappointing beer I have had from Jester King, however

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:26:45 | More by brentk56