Black Bear XX Stout - Alameda Brewhouse

HiroProtagonist

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tasted at the Alameda brewpub, on nitro and on cask....the difference in enjoyment was pretty dramatic, and not as expected.

Appearance: Cask was black in color, with a weak, short-lived brown head. Nitro was also black in color, but the fine and creamy head was brown with a lovely reddish tinge, and was everlasting.

Nose: Cask sample had a sharp, powdery cocoa nose...like a dry chocolate cake mix, and thats it. Nitro nose was rich, sharp, and chocolately, but this time like a chocolate cake, complete with dark chocolate frosting. These notes were well-developed and yielded some intricate complexities.

Taste: Nitro sample yielded a rich and sharp raisiny-chocolate velvet malt base that opened up with complex bitter dark chocolate notes and subtle cherry esters in the transition to a sharp, roasty, lightly astringent dark bittered chocolate finish with strong lingering cocoa mass flavors.
Cask sample yielded similar but significantly attenuated flavors.

Mouthfeel: Cask sample was way too thin, almost watery! Carbonation was also a bit lacking, even for cask.
Nitro sample was wonderfully full and silky...working extremely well with the flavors and character of the beer. What a difference!

Conclusion:
Wow, the nitro sample was drastically better than the cask version in almost every way. The nitro stout was very enjoyable, complexly rich, and masterfully balanced with a nice sharpness that love in dark beers. Scores are based solely on the nitro version.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-22-2004 04:55:11 | More by HiroProtagonist

HKUSPC40

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.8%

05-13-2013 08:31:31 | More by HKUSPC40

Kyroqz

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

05-13-2013 06:17:04 | More by Kyroqz

sharpski

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

05-11-2013 20:20:40 | More by sharpski

MADPolo

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

05-07-2013 17:19:07 | More by MADPolo

elektronen

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.8%

04-26-2013 04:44:06 | More by elektronen

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap into a shaker glass

A- Poured black with frothy mocha head that left some splashy lace

S- Dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, roasted malt. Very balanced and pleasant aroma for a stout

T- Big bittersweet and chocolate chip flavors, blackberry and dark fruits, roasted coffee, light vanilla, and light vinegar notes. Incredibly complex stout with all the flavors I love in a stout, very balanced flavor profile

M- Very creamy and smooth, dry, medium body. Really nice silky mouthfeel and incredibly easy to drink

O- One of the best stouts I have had in the past year. Reminds me a lot of favorite, Lion Stout. I love the blackberry/dark fruit flavors I am getting out of this that compliment the chocolate and roasted notes.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2013 03:33:30 | More by Hoptometrist

ronbo5421

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

04-23-2013 03:26:11 | More by ronbo5421

WalterHeisenberg

New Mexico

4.81/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Aggressive pour into pint glass
A: Dark black coffee colored with thick espresso colored head nice lacing. Great head retention.Looks like an espresso!Looks just awesom!
S: Dark roasted caramel malty bready chocolate coffee. Smells as great as it looks!
T: Coffee caramel malted bitter cherry cholocate then bready malty then coffee very slight hop bitterness.All balanced super well. Tasty tasty. No hint of the 7% whatsoever ever!
M: Smoothsilky smooth.Thick and syrupy
O: A very tasty treat. Super rich Malty but not too sweet not bitter at all . Usually dont like overly sweet beer.being a hop head. Looks tastes smells just great. Really balanced no booze at all. Top notch Stout.Grab one quick if you can.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 00:38:11 | More by WalterHeisenberg

vcoggins

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

04-11-2013 13:08:15 | More by vcoggins

604growler

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

04-09-2013 13:13:38 | More by 604growler

spedprof

West Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

03-25-2013 22:07:59 | More by spedprof

rfreed

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

03-17-2013 22:20:59 | More by rfreed

tehmogue

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

03-16-2013 14:00:11 | More by tehmogue

nmann08

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

03-03-2013 00:57:01 | More by nmann08

Slammy

3.18/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Just bought this 22 oz. bottle at Whole Foods in Portland, Oregon for $3.99.

A: Noticeably syrupy as it is being poured out of the bottle, this deep, molasses colored stout is entirely opaque. The rich tan head was quite minimal - one cm at best - and foreshadowed an underwhelming experience. At 7 percent ABV, I was expecting a fuller head that lasted longer. This one, however, dissipated within 20 seconds. Lacing was minimal throughout the drinking, which, after seeing the pour, I was not surprised.

S - This was definitely the weak point of the beer as there was little aroma to discern. I got some nuttiness and a hint of alcohol, but - probably due to the lack of head (perhaps this is just a bad bottle?) - there was so little for my olfactory system to interpret.

T - The taste made me somewhat forget the underwhelming aromas. I was able to detect light hints of pistacho and molasses, the latter of which was surprisingly light.

M - This is definitely a creamy beer. After quick carbonation on the tip of my tongue, the beer was very smooth and syrupy, which was not unexpected after watching the pour. This aspect, to me, was the highlight of the beer.

O - Well, I can't say that I was thrilled with the beer, but I would drink it again. I'm guessing that it would be better on tap, which I will try the next time I am close to the brewery. Hopefully, it will be a better experience.

Edit: I just noticed the bottle date was VERY recent (12/21/12). Perhaps this beer would do better with some aging.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 21:44:24 | More by Slammy

fivetime

Idaho

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

02-18-2013 17:12:07 | More by fivetime

Birdlegs

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.8%

02-08-2013 09:30:01 | More by Birdlegs

london1o1

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-24-2013 04:49:52 | More by london1o1

leedorham

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

01-21-2013 16:34:26 | More by leedorham

anteater

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

01-18-2013 03:12:54 | More by anteater

woemad

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle purchased about 4 months ago at Huckleberry’s in Spokane for $4.49, and forgotten about until now. According to the just-noted freshness date, this was bottled December 6, 2011.

Poured a shade of brown so dark as to virtually be black. Holding the glass up to light only makes the absolute edge look a lighter brown. Decent sized tan head dropped after a few minutes.

The nose on this beer isn’t terribly strong. I get coffee and brown sugar, and that’s about it.

The taste is similar to the smell. Bitter, coffeeish notes balance the sweet, brown sugary elements in a competent, unspectacular manner. A subdued hop zap announces the swallow to the tastebuds.

Medium bodied, with a slightly coating mouthfeel.

A decent, unspectacular beer that I will try at least once more when I have a shot at a fresh bottle and if required, will amend my review accordingly. As it stands, it’s a good stout, not a great one that requires any kind of fevered search.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 22:17:04 | More by woemad

tiwee23

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

01-02-2013 23:44:53 | More by tiwee23

brentk56

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: A big, rocky tan head forms atop the black liquid and leaves quite a few strands of lace behind

Smell: Chocolate, licorice, pumpernickel, rye and a fruity aspect

Taste: Surprisingly fruity, up front, with a slightly tart black cherry character that complements the ensuing expected flavors of chocolate, licorice and burnt pumpernickel toast; while the hops add another dimension in the middle, after the swallow, some lactic sweetness slips in to offset the bitterness; the tart fruit flavor, however, lingers in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, somewhat creamy, with low to moderate carbonation

Overall: A lot of different flavors are packed into this beer; while the tart fruit elements have turned off some reviewers, I rather enjoyed that aspect of the flavor profile

Thanks, mdaschaf, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:03:21 | More by brentk56

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Looks awesome on the pour. Black as night, with a robust dark mocha head.

The aroma is roasty, with some chocolate and dark fruits.

A little sweeter taste, roasted malts, and more dark fruits. Pretty much mirrors the aroma, just a bit more complex.

Feel has a nice creaminess to it, medium, slick feel.

Quite nice, one of the better Foreign Stouts.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 02:24:03 | More by EgadBananas