Black Boss Porter - BOSS Browar Witnica S.A.

pixieskid

France

1.6/5  rDev -58.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Poured from 16.9oz bottle, to an english pint.
pours an unusual mahoganny brown/black.
smell was sweet with slight coffee hints.
taste was very sugary (molasses) which I found to be the definitive taste with little depth. I found the sweetness to be very overbearing and not very enjoyable.
drinkability was low for me, as i disliked the taste, but the high alcohol was not noticable whatsoever.
Mouthfeel was also very thin for an imperial porter.
One attribute I did enjoy was the great roasted malt flavor that was throughout, very strong and enjoyable. Besides the roasted malt flavor, I found this to be a rather unenjoyable beer. As a big fan of imperial porters and stouts, I was very dissapointed.
Honestly I am suprised so many people like it, but to each his own.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2009 21:36:17 | More by pixieskid

RedDiamond

Oregon

1.85/5  rDev -51.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Obviously, I had a spoiled bottle. The reasons I’m bothering to review Black Boss at all are because I purchased it from a reputable merchant, the beer is 9.4% ABV, and it’s not bottle conditioned. What does this mean? It means that even reputable merchants can sell you a stinker, the high alcohol content will not serve as an effective preservative, and the lack of bottle conditioning forecasts a limited shelf life. All of this is to say that it’s not unreasonable to expect a similar disaster next time, so a consumer warning in the form of a bad review is appropriate.

As for the properties of this beer, I noted every bad, funky beer chemical on the shelf: lots of sulfur, rotten eggs, butterscotch, fusels, etc. There were also some heartening threads of coffee and licorice and no inherent flaws in the appearance or mouthfeel. But the beer as a whole was a hand grenade of failed expressions. Stay away.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2005 01:55:16 | More by RedDiamond

boyessen

Pennsylvania

2.17/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Received the as part of beer of the month delivery. 12/27/2011 Tasted malt but extremely sweet, too sweet for my taste especially as it gained temperature. Hints of coffee and chocolate.
I didn't notice the scent or taste of alcohol.
The mouthfeel is almost as weak as the nose...thin and watery with a small amount of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 23:17:06 | More by boyessen

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

2.2/5  rDev -42.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Appearance: Just a bit darker than Coca-Cola, deep brown with ruby highlights with a creamy beige head with decent retention and fancy lacing.

Smell: Loads of dark brown sugar, with subdued aromas of rum, burnt coffee, Oreos, and red delicious apple skin.

Taste: So... distressingly... sweet. This is just a brown dumptruck full of sugar, that's what this is. Virtually no coffee, no dark chocolate, no roasty notes, nothing to provide any balance like a good porter should have. Beyond cloying, this is like drinking rum mixed with pure cane sugar, half a spoonful of Nescafe, and a splash of Pepsi.

Mouthfeel: Heavy and slick, slightly puckering and syrupy.

Drinkability: This is hard to drink. It might be okay in a recipe, though... maybe to flavor a mousse or ice cream. At any rate, after having this and the Boss strong lager, I do not think I will be returning to this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2006 05:22:46 | More by soulgrowl

avalon07

South Carolina

2.3/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a brownish color and a surprisingly clear consistency. There was an inch of creamy, fairly long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: The smell was oddly muted, with some malt, coffee, and hops in there.

T: Tasted of roasted malt, a hint of coffee, and a little chocolate. All of this is overwhelmed by a burnt quality that is terribly off-putting. Even if it didn't have the burnt aspect to the flavor, it's a thin, watery mix, not even close to the best Baltic Porters.

M: A decent amount of carbonation with a slick finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is just a poorly made, hard to drink beer. Not a good effort.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 14:49:26 | More by avalon07

Erdinger2003

Iowa

2.5/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a nice little head that falls right away leaving almost no head, but with a little lacing. Color is black, jet black. Smell is sweet and slightly roasty/sour (I think sour). Taste is sweet with a roastiness that's almost soapy or soy. Yeah, really big soy flavor. The aftertaste is a nice balance of roastiness and soy. The mouthfeel is ok, a little carbonation nips at you, but not horrible. Overall, it was nice to try, but I wouldn't have this again without stipulations.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2007 05:42:58 | More by Erdinger2003

ruinationation

Arizona

2.7/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dark almost pitch black pour, with a half finger head that fades quick and little lacing.

Strong malt smell with coffee coming through and what to me is burnt bananna. Many things that I can't put my finger on but has a spirit smell to it.

Sweet malt taste, to sweet. Chocolate, coffee and a little molasses.

Too thin for me, this type of porter isn't my usual.

Again not my beer style of choice so one and done.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2007 03:36:40 | More by ruinationation

MrVisegrips

Wisconsin

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

The pour is a very dark black with a deep red hue. The head is dark tan, about a finger. The aroma is very sweet with notes of molasses, dark malts and coffee. Taste follows the aroma, but is even sweeter. The high ABV come through in the flavor as well. Mouthfeel is a bit watery and over sweet and the drinkability is average at best. Overall, this brew leans to far to the sweet side for my taste. There are better examples.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2006 23:00:42 | More by MrVisegrips

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Black body with purple when held to direct sunlight. The head is moderate and a medium tan color.

S - For some reason I can't get away from the worchestershire aroma today. I wish I could. Especially in a Porter.

T - Breakfast coffee in a porter with a bit of astingency.

M - The feel is watery, yet smooth enough to be worthwhile. However, I would not say it feels as it should when it comes to this style.

~ I'm going to go with, no thank you. A good friend recommended this brew but I have to say this is not one to offer to a pal.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 20:02:44 | More by cdkrenz

scootpolute

Washington

2.9/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

1 Pint 0.9 ozs bottle poured into a pint glass.

Look: black body with a thin, light tan head that doesn't retain for very long and doesn't leave much lacing. When its closer to a light, it looks closer to brown than black. Some brownish, reddish highlights at the edges. Looks good.

Smell: strong alcohol,heavy in roasted malt aromas, chocolate, fudge, a little coffee and some alcohol soaked currants. Smells quite good and inviting.

Taste: heavy alcohol from the start, chocolate stands out, with some espresso, a bit of currant and anise, with a bit of bitterness that seems to come more from the roasted malt than the hops...finishes with more strong alcohol flavor...

Feel: full bodied, a little chewy but thinner not much carbonation, the heavy alcohol is a turn-off.

Overall: I didn't care for this one...many of the chocolate/espresso flavors were OK, but the over the top alcohol (yes, 9%) is too much and kills this one. Chasin' Cheers :~)

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 05:19:45 | More by scootpolute

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.95/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Reviewed 1/9/2010 (Bottle):

Pours a dark brown color body, somewhat see thru held up to the light. Some small dark tan colored head. Dark almost dirt smell, heavy roasted flavors. Strong grape aroma too, purple grape juice. Some alcohol. Not too heavy, somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Odd flavor. A little better as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 03:20:11 | More by jujubeast6000

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Black ruby. Smells and tastes a lot like prune juice mixed with cheap coffee, the kind you get at an AA meeting or in a hospital waiting room. Mouthfeel is medium to full and obnoxiously dusty. There is an appreciated slight woody character to the beer but otherwise I’m not much of a fan. On the plus side, I will admit that the price is right and the 9.4% ABV is very, very well covered. I would not have guessed this beer to be anywhere near that strength. They’ve done a few things right with this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2006 21:44:49 | More by DaPeculierDane

musicforairports

New York

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

16.9 oz bottle split with a friend, into a tulip.

Dark brown, bits of ruby hues when held to the light. Small head that leaves a bit of lacing.

Smell is of molasses, some dark fruits...a bit off-putting, lacks a roasted malt character.

Tastes the same. The ABV is amazingly hidden, for which I give this props, but it lacks the smooth, coffee-chocolate character that I love porters for. There's not a lot of dark malt going on. It's more like an imperial brown ale.

Hits the mouth a bit watery, I think, but nothing offensive.

This is really not my kind of porter. The ABV is hidden very, very well, but it lacks the characteristics I like in a porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 05:13:16 | More by musicforairports

brdc

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

"Medium" sized bottle, present from a non BA friend. Nice to see other people getting interested.
One shade below pitch black, average dark brown head with little retention, minimal lacing.
A little too much alcohol on the aroma, and later on, the taste shows the same problem. Besides the predominant alcohol, some roasted malts, raisins, chocolate. And more alcohol.
A bit too thin on the palate, and the taste starts again with too much alcohol, followed by some roasted malts, fruitiness, a little bitterness, but way too much alcohol to actually notice the other flavors.
Perhaps a bit of aging, but right now, ridiculously hot.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 00:49:11 | More by brdc

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours a light black ruby color with a small tan head.

S - Dark fruits, licorice, prunes and plums. Some sweet malt is also present.

T - The taste of this one diminishes after the nice aroma. It starts out sooty which reminds me of being outdoors around a big campfire. Licorice, dark fruits with a slight hint of chocolate and coffee. The campfire taste diminishes slightly as the beer warms.

M - Smooth but slightly on the watery side.

D - The 9.4% ABV is well hidden but this beer is rather unimpressive.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2006 22:17:12 | More by brewcrew76

mntlover

Tennessee

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a ruby tinted brown that's clear with a nice two finger brown head that falls to a ring with some decent lace.

Aroma is lots of molasses light licorice and peat notes. Some light fruitiness also.

Taste is mostly molasses lightly burnt with some peat notes and fruit mingled in. Mostly just lots of lightly burnt molasses. Not the best tasting porter actually would of never guessed this as a Baltic porter.

Mouthfeel seems a little light for a brew this big, carbonation is medium.

Overall always willing to pick up something knew when I see it in this case not enjoying it much. Maybe close to old world porter but nothing like the new Baltic Porters.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 01:32:47 | More by mntlover

Winter

Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark brown/ near black with a creamy tan head. Auburn highlights visible in the body. Vinous aroma of roasted malt and coffee. The mouthfeel borders between medium and full-bodied. This is a vinous, alcoholic porter. Husky grain flavor upfont. There's an understated flavor of chocolate that follows. Alcohol emerges in the flavor in the finish and is not hidden very well. Virtually no bitterness in a very non-dry baltic porter. One of these gets the point across. I downgraded the drinkability not so much because of the high alcohol content, but this this isn't a very interesting baltic porter. Still good enough for a night cap.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2006 20:29:52 | More by Winter

brentk56

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a coffee brown color with a rocky beige head that sticks to some extent and leaves a few shards of lace

Smell: I hate to say this but I am picking up some acetone busting through the licorice and charcoal

Taste: Opens with an overly sweet roasty flavor that has those acetone elements to it; becomes quite roasty by mid-palate; after the swallow, the molasses/brown sugar dominates and becomes quite cloying, although there is a nice coffee flavor underneath

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Just too many flaws to be enjoyable; the sweetness becomes overbearing after a while

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 03:48:17 | More by brentk56

BigBlacke

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very strange one. First thing I noticed as I poured this beer was a black opaqueness that looked very inviting. Very little head, and it dissipated immediately. I had a hard time distinguishing anything other scent than merlot. Yep this beer smelled exactly like merlot to me. I barely pick up a little raisin it it. Taste was were I lost some enthusiasm. I found this beer to really have no body to it. Low carbonation and not much taste at all. Pretty disappointing. I dont understand how a so called "Baltic Porter" could have no backbone to it. Drinkability I found to be quite high the 9.4abv was hidden quite well.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 12:44:02 | More by BigBlacke

chilly460

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-Pours a medium chestnut brown with one finger of tan head. Minimal retention, decent lacing.

S-Predominantly dark sugars and fruit, comes in as molasses and figs. Some booze in the aroma as well.

T- Felt like this was a thin tasting beer, just not a big flavor profile as expected. Some dark fruit at times, coffee, a bit of molasses as the nose indicated.

M- Quite thin for the style.

D- Had a hard time finishing this one, bit boozy as it warmed.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 17:10:21 | More by chilly460

wowbagger

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On advice from my brother, I gave one of these a try over the holidays. Very dark, with some hint of ruby. Almost no aroma apart from maybe some hints of coffee, maybe should have served it warmer. Malty, sweet, chocolatey with hints of spice and a burnt edge to it. Really no hop flavor or detectable alcohol which was unexpected. I'm not a huge porter fan, but this is probably the best I've had. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 17:45:45 | More by wowbagger

SteveO1231

Connecticut

3.13/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My bro gave me this bottle, never heard of it before. Fat, Half liter, brown bottle, black label, no freshness date. Pours a dark, dark brown, almost black with lighter copper highlights. Huge foamy tan head that settles to a thin layer of foam. Nice lacing sticks to the glass. Very complex aroma, caramel, molasses, marsh mellow, chocolate, walnuts, oak and a hint of bourbon. Full bodied with a slick mouthfeel. Complex flavors here too, a large malt sweetness, tastes of caramel & prune, molasses, bready, roasted malts and some earthy undertones. The finish has a smokey/ earthy oak aged dryness to it with an aftertaste of bourbon. This is definitely an interesting beer. A bit too sweet for my taste. Pretty big ABV warms up well, be ready for a head change.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 03:32:21 | More by SteveO1231

oberon

North Carolina

3.18/5  rDev -17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Baltic Porter is probably my favorite dark variety and when I can find a good one I grab it,I was thinking this would fit the bill but honestly it wasnt.Poured a deep cola color with a nice creamy lighter mocha colore head,the aromas were very light for the style,mainly I picked up hints of molasses and sweet alcohol.Body seemed really thin to me almost watery,flavors were mild with some mollases and brown sugar standing out most,a mild alcohol infused dark fruit element comes through as it warms as well.I had higher expectations for this beer but it kinda fell flat.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 12:30:53 | More by oberon

jsdunlop

North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This is a big beer...pours out pitch black with a faint red hue when held up to the light. huge fluffy, tan head that simmers down fairly quick, then patiently sits around for a while. Reeks of alcohol, has a fermented brown sugar aroma and a strong scent of bakers chocolate and overripe plums. The alcohol is up front in the taste and dominates the beer, while the sweetness of this one is almost too much to handle. It leaves a sweet aftertaste on the tip of the tongue after each sip, not too pleasant though. Slight bitterness going on as well Not much else really happening in this one, the sugars and alcohol cover up the malts, leaving a fairly light feeling beer, and the carbonation in this bottle is raging, not what I expected for this baltic porter and I likely won't be seeking this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2010 00:50:25 | More by jsdunlop

TheBungyo

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

This pours like a can of coke on steroids ... minus the head. Nice and black, with ruby edges. Head is smaller than I'd like. I can smell black licorice, and molasses. Taste is pretty much the same, with nice body. I'm not much of a fan of black licorice, and like molasses ...
I can't see drinking more than one of these 16 ounce bottles.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2005 07:40:30 | More by TheBungyo