Hell's Black Intelligencer - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

Skull40

Indiana

3.7/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at FFF. Served in a glass mug. No more plastic cups during the brewpub renovations.

Nice blackness to it with a thick, creamy, oatmealy head.

It smells and tastes of mostly coffee and dark chocolate. The taste includes a nice malty backbone and a very slight toffee flavor.

The mouth feel was thinner than I expected.

Overall, this is a pretty tasty beer. I wouldn't say that it was great, but certainly worthy of a try. The low abv makes for a more sessionable stout. It would have been more enjoyable if the flavors that already exist were just more powerful.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2012 20:16:35 | More by Skull40

Motladiwa

Indiana

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This review is via my notes when I had it for the sixth week in a row in late December at FFF. I loved it so much that I drove from South Bend to get growlers of it 6 weeks in a row. It was served in a 10oz glass coffee cup and it took me an hour to drink, each serving that I had of it that is.

A- This beer is black! It reminds me of stories people have of going to Hell and not being able to see their hands in front of their faces. Great color and what you would expect of a beer that is an oatmeal stout brewed with rich coffee.

S- My God! It's like an intelligent Juan Valdez farted the best coffee in the universe! As it warms it gets better.

T- So lovely. I begin my day with coffee and end it with beer. This is exceptional as it makes the two worlds collide without chaos. Roasty caramel with a perfect blend of smokey, malty sweetness.

M- Very smoothe. Low carbonation. Rolls through the palate leaving me confused as to what time of day it is. The bitterness of the coffee and the sweetness of the oatmeal and malt are very well balanced.

D- Sip it like coffee. That's all I have to say

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2011 20:18:03 | More by Motladiwa

TapeDeck

Illinois

4.93/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer can not be stopped!

Even in a disposable solo cup, it's perfect. This is the standard by which all breakfast stouts should be judged. Oatie, bitter, massive coffee kick in the face... It's not sweet at all.

The beer has a tan foamy head with continued lacing as long as you allow it to exist in your delivery vessel.

Totally black and opaque. If this were bottled, it would be the every day beer during Bears season.

Pairs really well with loud music and a desire to be left alone for some pensive beer snob moments!

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2012 19:33:53 | More by TapeDeck

sportscrazed2

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: Dark brown to black with a low to medium head.
Aroma: Smells like a very concentrated coffee.
Taste: Tastes very much like coffee. Might be slightly more acidic than coffee but overall this beer tastes so much like coffee that if Starbucks told me this was iced coffee I might believe them.
Conclusion: If you like iced coffee that is very rhich in flavor you will love this beer. I could drink this all day long. Just be careful you might not realize how much you drink and end up completely drunk

Serving type: growler

12-10-2010 00:52:33 | More by sportscrazed2

lookitsmp

Illinois

4.95/5  rDev +12%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had on tap at Three Floyds Brew Pub on 5/1/12

I had been wanting to try this beer for a long time now and it did not disappoint.

Appearance: Poured a black, dark coffee-like color with some dark brown to red tones on the edges where the light hits. This beer looks like a cup of black coffee, and I mean black. Very nice looking beer. Even the consistency looks like coffee.

Smell: When I smelled this beer, I turned to my friend and just let out a blissful sigh. This is one of the best smelling stouts I've ever had the pleasure of inhaling. HUGE (the all caps is an understatement) coffee. Not just your ho-hum folgers either. This beer smells like great coffee. While you can mostly detect the awesome roasty coffee notes, there is a faint sweetness hanging out on the sidelines.

Taste: I can die happy. (again...) HUGE coffee notes. Roasty, bitter, with a touch of sweetness. Then comes the dark chocolate, that sweetness I smelled in the background. The coffee and dark chocolate create a perfect medley of roasty, bitter, and sweet flavors that had me smiling the whole time. This beer made my day.

Mouthfeel: If there's one thing I can knock this beer on is the mouthfeel. It felt a little thin. Not in a bad way, though. In comparison to other oatmeal stouts it could be said that it is light bodied. However I think that adds to the experience and enhances the coffee flavors. It's sort of thin and very smooth...like coffee.

Overall: This beer had me smiling the whole time I was drinking it. It has a place in my top 10 beer list now. I hope that Floyds ends up bottling and distributing this soon because it is hands down one of their better beers (and that's saying a lot!). If you can get to the pub, if you like coffee, or are in the mood to try something different and new you have to get this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2012 02:27:45 | More by lookitsmp

lloyd83

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Blacker than black...Literally not a bit of light coming through when held up to the light. Not very much head on my pour, but what's there is a nice, inviting brown. Can't wait to dig in!

S- Straight coffee. Has some hints of something else hiding in there, but the coffee is clearly dominant here. Sorry, I'm new :)

T- Yum. To clarify, I love the smell of coffee, just not the taste. That said, to me this tastes like what a good coffee bean smells like, not what a 'good coffee' tastes like. Make sense? I remember going to the mall and walking past Gloria Jean's back in the day, and always noting how absolutely fantastic it smelled, and how I always wished that's what coffee tasted like; that's what HBI reminds me of--what coffee should taste like. Finishes with a hint of bitterness.

M- Would have expected this to be a bit thicker given it's looks, but it nonetheless, it all works.

D- Alas, I've got a Sunday to myself full of playoff football and a kickass Stout. Please, contain your tears, I know it's a sob story. Totally going to kill this growler on my own!

Serving type: growler

01-09-2011 18:05:24 | More by lloyd83