2012 Black Ale - Stevens Point Brewery

Minkybut

Virginia

3.46/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was certainly black. The beer had a fair head and good lacing. The beer smelled pretty much like a Guinness with its taste being chewy and very coffyish with a bit of a burnt or roasted hit. Not burnt in a bad way. I would certainly purchase this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 15:29:21 | More by Minkybut

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

3.18/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Coffee-ish brown/black without much head. Black olives, licorice, Whoppers, Milk Duds... it smells dark, but not really black, if that makes sense. Weirdly like a milk stout or a mild when I was expecting more like a black IPA.

Pleasant and light, like a mild or a mix of milk stout and black lager. Cola-ish, with a touch of dark caramel and a little chocolate nougat. It's nice, but nothing more than that. Possibly a good partner for spicy Szechuan, Thai, or Indian food.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 23:16:13 | More by soulgrowl

barczar

Kentucky

3.51/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque deep brown/black with garnet highlights and a frothy one inch malted milk colored head that dissipates a little quickly, leaving spotty lacing.

Roast malt, chocolate, and nutty notes form the initial aroma. Caramel sweetness and a bit of a metallic tang surface. Hops are earthy, if anything.

Flavor reveals extremely sweet caramel malt and toffee initially, with significant dms, becoming roasty at the finish. There's an acrid character that is unpleasant. The dms don't linger, but a metallic tang does. Nutty notes are more obvious than the chocolate flavor.

Body is a tad watery, with carbonation a touch on the low side. There's an astringent bite.

Very malt forward, with good roast, toasted malt, and chocolate character, but the metallic flavor is offputting.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 02:19:51 | More by barczar

homebrew311

Illinois

2.46/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into pint glass. Appears a dark cola brown with no head whatsoever. The nose has some roasted barley, notes of caramel, some artificial sweetener, and tootsie roll chocolate character. The taste has a heavy bitter roast, sweet caramel, minimal hops. Something is odd here, this tastes thin and artificial. Mouthfeel is thin and fizzy. Overall, this one needs to be passed on.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 22:49:00 | More by homebrew311

TheSSG

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a nice, dense, tan head. Acidic, fruity, coffee-like aroma with toasted malt. Black. Starts with a bright, almost fruity, caramel/coffee acidity. Medium-low bitterness. Finish is toasted malt.

This isn't too bad. A bit more pronounced flavors of caramel than I remember. Not a bad combination of sweet and toasted.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 02:19:09 | More by TheSSG

beergoot

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very dark brown, nearly black (in certain light) body topped with a thick, foamy head. Decent roasted malt aroma with a bit of a charred grain hint. Smooth, velvety feel; clean with a roasted dryness to the finish; hint of malt sugars. Taste is rich and smooth with a soft, pleasing light cocoa flavor permeating everything; gentle bitterness complements the malt sweetness.

All-in-all, a really nice black ale. Plenty of soothing malt sweetness abounds, not overpowering at all. Well-made and a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 01:30:18 | More by beergoot

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - black with a thick brown head poured from bottle into pint glass

S - nutty, caramel

T - nutty, caramel, some chocolate notes,faint coffee, light bitterness

M - smooth with some body

Great brown ale. It's nutty and very malty, well balanced. I recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 00:07:23 | More by Damian74Shensky

albertjr21

New York

3.7/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed in a pint glass, pours the deepest brown you can get (black) under a thinning but well preserved head. A moderate aroma of roasted malt, light licorice and deeply roasted nut timidly calls to the nose. An overall smoky flavor highlights a crisp and roasted malt dominated body. Vanilla, roasted caramel and ground coffee are coming in on my palate. With regards to the smokiness in the flavor, this may be the only time I've been able to appreciate it because of how well balanced it is with the other flavors at play here.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 00:06:18 | More by albertjr21

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours pitch black with an amber hue on the edges, thumb of head with some retention and no real lacing.

S - Scent is rich with cocoa and hints of espresso, a unique graham cracker note and hints of honey.

T - The cocoa flavours resonate with hints of espresso, black licorice and sugary caramel. The finish has burnt cane sugar and toffee notes that linger alongside a leafy green note.

M - Medium, smooth and wet.

O - This one was a pleasant surprise boasting loads of flavour in an unsuspecting way. For a brown ale this will certainly please any fan of the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 00:04:06 | More by andrenaline

CreamCity

3.38/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into 12oz pint glass.

S - Picking up chocolate, fruit, sour.

A - Very deep dark brown, dark tan head, little to no lacing.

T - Chocolate malts, a bit of a charred flavor. Pretty subtle flavors going on.

M - Very light body, surprisingly. Otherwise it is smooth with good carbonation.

O - Not a very memorable brew. Seemed rather typical or ordinary. Don’t think they were going for this.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 05:23:00 | More by CreamCity

chilidog

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up some point 2012 on sale in Wisconsin . I'm glad I did.
Poured very dark,black. Tan head that disapates quickly. Little on lace.
Aroma of dark malts.
Taste comes through with dark malts, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, black hard candy and chocolate .
Mouthfeel is smooth, not overly sweet.
Overall a good surprise, candy like finish. Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 17:15:26 | More by chilidog

schoolboy

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This black ale has a slightly offensive aroma. It could be that it just doesn't go well with my neighbor's stinky mulch, but I think part of the nasty grassy smell is this.

It looks decent in the glass, though, and it has a characteristic for the style, if mild, taste and aftertaste. won't go out of my way for this, but it was worth a try. I think there are better examples of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 18:40:38 | More by schoolboy

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from MilwaukeeCrusher so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains caramelized malts, nuts, maple and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of maple, caramel and honey. Then some breadiness comes in from a hearty malt character. The hops presence is mild but complementary and a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid beer but there are others in the style that I would pick first.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 01:28:40 | More by TheManiacalOne

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours black, period. There's a thin tan head and no lace. The aroma is toast, nuts, and a hint of dark cherries. Mild maple and molasses shows as it warms. The flavor is bread crust, nuts, and a hint of anise with Root Beer Barrel candies coming through as it warms. It's mouthfeel is medium and mildly warming. Stevens Point 2012 Black Ale is a very good, complex brew. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 00:54:15 | More by B967ierhunter177

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.38/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a three finger khaki head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Black color, no highlights. Light carbonation and light-medium bodied. Malty chocolate nose, flavor is roasted malt and caramel. $1.95 for a 12oz bottle from Bert’s Better Beers Hooksett, NH.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 21:58:11 | More by jdhilt

Bierman9

New Hampshire

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

Bought two 12oz bottles of this a while back ($2.50 ea). No better time than a raw, dreary March Saturday to partake... Didn't find any freshness info on the label.

Poured into a nonic, it was a dense, opaque black, with a thin, wispy trail of bubbles posing as head. Had minimal lacing, too. Had a decent nose, with some rindy hops and a touch of roastiness. It was fairly smooth, though the body was a slight touch on the thinner side of medium.

A little sweetness alights on the palate, along with some caramel and a hint of nuttiness. Has some mild bitterness, with the hops exhibiting a bit of citrus and florality. No too bad at all; somewhat of a decent session bier. Prosit!

3.5/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1445

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 19:14:11 | More by Bierman9

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

A. Very dark brown with a two finger brown foamy head that receded back to a collar in about two minutes with medium levels of lacing left behind.

S. Exceedingly faint roasted aroma, ghostly cocoa powder appears only once it has had time to warm up to room temp.

T. Gentle roasted malt, some faint nuttiness, and that's about it. I wish there was some amplification in place here.

M. Lighter side of medium body, good carbonation levels, nothing out of the ordinary here.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 02:15:53 | More by WastingFreetime

RobinLee

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had both bottle and can, a privilege reserved for Stevens Point area residents. The can is a little less of everything compared to the bottle, I think. This review's of a bottle poured into a glass.

A: Nearly black. When lifted up to a light, very deep red shows at the edges. Nice white head, but it doesn't stick around.

S: Roasty, malty, and almost fruity, slightly chocolatey.

T: Roasted cocoa and malt. Swish it around a bit, and the fruit comes out nicely.

M: Very pleasant mouthfeel, not quite stout or porter heavy, but then again, it is a black ale.

O: Smooth enough for easy drinking, yet has enough body to be satisfying. One of my favorites from Point.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 07:52:44 | More by RobinLee

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

1.85/5  rDev -48.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Coal Black with no type of color differentiation at all when held up to the light. The head has a pretty brown color to with no lacing retention to speak of. Had I not known this was supposed to be a brown ale, I would've mistaken this for a Porter or a Stout, but then again, it is called "Black Ale" for a good reason.

Smell - Very subtle Chocolate & Cocoa and some roasted malts with an overall slight sweetness. The smell just isn't there! I had to double check just to be sure that it was the beer that had no scent and not because my seasonal allergies were returning, which usually causes my sense of smell to vanish.

Taste - The taste sadly doesn't change from the smell. You have the subtle sweet chocolate, roasted malts and barley taste to it, which also has very little flavor to speak of. For a dark beer, the taste is just not there.

Mouthfeel - Body feels average which expected out of darker beers, but at the same time there's a slight thickness to it. The carbonation, compared to other Stevens Point Brewery beers I've had, is alot more subdued here.

Overall - Stevens Point Brewery, you have really creative ideas when it comes to marketing your products but your actual beers come off as disappointing because there's little to no flavor at all. I'm pointing this out in particular because this would've been an absolutely phenomenal brown ale had there been more flavor, but right now it just comes off as a good idea for a brown ale executed poorly.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 22:54:08 | More by NuclearDolphin

jleslierogers

Tennessee

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured Point’s 2012 Black Ale from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass and enjoyed it at an approximate 42 degrees F.

Appearance: The color is very dark. Not brown, but as close to a true black as you could ever expect to find in an ale. Held up to the light, only the edges take on a dark amber. A thin, light-tan head forms after pouring but quickly dissapates.

Smell: There is, at first, the tang of fruit blossoms, sweet and sharp, but this is quickly joined by a light dusting of cocoa.

Taste: The mildness of the carbonation compliments the lightly roasted malt that is present upon first taste. Then there are small doses of sweet caramel and bitter hops, the hops holding out a little longer than the caramel. These do not last long, however, and are soon replaced by an encore of the cherry and chocolate smelled earlier, persisting a pleasantly long amount of time after each swallow.

Mouthfeel: 2012 is medium-bodied and the flavor is complimented quite well by its smell. Its weight is less than you would expect such a dark beer to be, though this could be due in part to the relatively short list of contributing flavors.

Overall: This beer is smooth enough for consecutive drinking yet flavorful enough to hold your interest. It’s what I’d call a “yummy” beer. Though I drank this without food or smoke, I would imagine it would be quite good with a steak and baked potato or some dry-rub barbeque like ribs or brisket. 2012 is good enough that I would drink it again, and good enough that I would recommend it to a friend, especially those who enjoy nationally distributed brown ales like Newcastle or 1554.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 02:50:53 | More by jleslierogers

Winter

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The appearance is near black in color with a tan head. The nose is fairly light with a vinous aroma, along with that of soy, feint chocolate, and alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium in body with soft carbonation. The taste starts off with a light, roasted maltiness. Caramel emerges midway, followed by some soy flavor toward the back. Very lightly hopped, with a low bitterness. In fact, according to the brewery’s website it’s only at 9 IBUs.

2012 Black Ale is pretty smooth drinking and very mild. I recently had a few pints of this at a local downtown cigar bar. They didn't have any stouts on tap, so I opted for this at their only "darker" option, something I would hope would hold up to the mild cigar I was having. It didn't pretty decent job.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 18:31:10 | More by Winter

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle tried 22 Oct 2010. Served in the 0.5 L Adambrau becker.

Medium sized brown head. Well carbonated. Black, nearly opaque. Aroma is light, roasty and sweet. Lightly roasted and light chocolate to start. Touch of mocha. Becomes a bit more roasty towards the middle and finish. Some molasses and dried fruit in the aftertaste. Lingering roasty bitterness. Light body, light ethanol.

Not bad, but not clear exactly what style was the target.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 05:04:10 | More by htomsirveaux

billyzoom666

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours black as night, not a bit of color in this one. The head is a chocolate, nice solid lacing. There's just a slight malt scent, it's subtle, tempting. I like that in women and in the smell of my malts. This has a little bit of a chocolate flavor to it. Nice smoky wooden taste kicks in the back. Almost porter like, but doesn't quite have the right texture to it. This is a perfect winter sipping beer. 2-3 of these is probably enough. It might be the best thing Point's ever done.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 23:14:35 | More by billyzoom666

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Stevens Point's 2012 Black Ale shows a first impression of Brown Ales, primarily American, but also the more tame characteristics of Schwarzbiers and German Dunkels.

The pour of dark brown exhibits highlights of ruby and garnet while establishing a creamy but thin lightly tanned head that leaves behind spotted islands of lace and fair head retention. All is par for the course though a froathier and more verbose head character would have impressed more.

slightly scorched caramel, malted milk, light chocolate and coffee play into the savory but understated aroams. Slight apple yeasty notes emit but don't interfere with the malt focus. Only a mild grassy hop note balances the promise of caramel sweetness. Fresh and toasty, the beer carries an overall appealing scent.

Moderate malty sweetness of caramel and toffee- both in a semi-burnt kinda way set the stage while true malt gives a lightly starchy taste that provides the base flavor for specialty malt flavors of caramel, toast, coffee, chocolate, and wanlut. Again, grassy hop flavor starts in mild fashion at mid palate and morphs nicely into a mild earthy bitterness in finish. Only a grainy flavor outlasts the malt and leads to a somewhat unsettled flavor in finish.

Medium bodied throughout, the beer carries a malty/creamy early palate that holds its structure well into finish where lightly warming alcohol, mild grain astringency, and hop dryness rise but never really close the beer with much confidence.

Expected from American Brown Ales in a bolder hop presence of citrus, pine, and/or grass. But those lack, whereas the fairly neutral yeast character and moderate malt dryness come through nicely if not timid. Very drinkable and enjoyable- if now underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 06:01:15 | More by BEERchitect

tvv375ia

Iowa

4.22/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

first review for 2012 poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass

A-nice dark ruby colored with about a finger of head that faded to a small cap with some lacing

S-faint chocolate with some carmel malt and a little hops

T-sweet carmel malt with a little bit of some nuttiness before the hops on the finish

M-light to medium body with good carbonation

O-easy to drink and well balanced

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 21:27:41 | More by tvv375ia