2012 Black Ale - Stevens Point Brewery

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

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

tdm168

North Carolina

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

A - ruby black with a big, thick, frothy, brown head that has good retention

S - nutty, caramel

T - nutty, caramel, some faint roast, light citrus, faint coffee, light bitterness

M - medium bodied, well carbonated, smooth

This is a nice, full flavored brown ale. It's nutty and very malty with a very balanced hop character. I recommend this beer to all fans of the style.

Serving type: can

11-15-2012 01:18:34 | More by tdm168

WJVII

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I was lucky enough to be one of the 2000 participants of the 2010 Point Bock Run and as a reward they had a bunch of brews on tap, one of which was the newly released 2012.

This brew was a deep dark chocolate brown color with a nice light brown 2 finger head. The aroma was strong of roasted malts, deep chocolate, mild coffee, and some subtle nuttiness. The taste was right on track with the aroma. Strong roasted malt presence with coffee and chocolate tones. There was a wonderful hop balance to this brew and the thick and creamy head went well with the moderate carbonation. This was a tasty treat after a 5 mile run! Very surprised with this brew and am happy to have it brewed in my backyard!

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2010 20:15:18 | More by WJVII

tim9887

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a slightly viscous dark brown from the bottle, and about a 1/2" of tan head arises and quickly fades. Aroma is sweet and malty. In the flavor I get quite a bit of roasty coffee and slight chocolate/toffee notes. Mouthfeel is good - nice and smooth. A very easy-drinking ale. I like.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 03:27:40 | More by tim9887

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out an opaque, deep dark brown (almost black) color with a thin, caramel colored head of bubbly foam. It left minimal lace.

S - It smelled of roasty malts, chocolate and mild coffee notes.

T - Nice chocolate flavors with toffee, roasty malt and subtle coffee flavors. It had a nice bitter hop bite.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium-bodied ale that drinks really easily.

D - This is a very fine dark ale. It really seems more like a porter than a brown ale but it was quite good either way.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 01:44:51 | More by zeff80

BigRedN

Nebraska

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

Appearance: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass. The beer is black (I guess what other color would a Black Ale be?). My pour produces a nice brownish head about 1/2 thick that fades to a small dollop on top of the beer.

Smell: Roasted malts, chocolate and coffee aroma on the nose. Scent of a little sweet maltyness somewhat like a bock.

Taste: In line with the scent. Some burnt chocolate/coffee flavoring with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Nice flavoring with a little alcohol kick.

Mouthfeel: Somewhat light in body (compared to other "dark" beers such as a stout or porter) with a light carbonation giving it a little prickly feel on the tongue but finishes smooth.

Drinkability: A nice easy drinking beer. A decent offering from a brewery whose beers I have found to be just adequate. I'd buy this again at the price I purchased this 6-pack for ($5.99).

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 06:11:29 | More by BigRedN

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

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

2012 Black Ale pours a black, stout like color, with a very small white head. The smell was malty, and nutty. The taste was full, malty, with a bit of a nutty flavor. Very typical to a brown ale. Good full taste, no watery flavor that some brown ales might have, good carbonation. Overall this beer delevers on the most important factor taste, different for a brown ale in other catagories, but a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 03:01:52 | More by vette2006c5r

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

BierFan

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Thick tan head. The body is black with some red around the edges. Head retention and lacing is decent.

Smell: Roasted malts with a little chocolate.

Taste: Smooth carbonation with sweet chocolate and some coffee. Dark chocolate and roasted malts in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 01:02:40 | More by BierFan

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This ale pours black with a moderate, but quickly diminishing tan head with a little lace. The aroma is moderately roasty with subtle caramel and bready malts. The flavor is moderate-high malt -- mainly nutty and chocolate with some roast and finishes dry. Nothing overly complex, but still tasty. The hop bitterness is medium-low, accented by the dry finish. The hop flavor is low but noticeable, slightly spicy. The carbonation is moderate and body medium-thin. Overall a flavorful ale with great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 00:55:51 | More by uwmgdman

TheSarge

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks great! Pours well with a three finger thick tan head, and has a clear dark ruby red colored body

The aroma is bready and husky along with mild fruity almost plum like hops aroma.

Taste wise it has a dark fruit, maybe watered down fig juice flavor. There is a bready graininess to it.

Feels well carbonated, a little on the creamy side, and finishes with a refreshing wetness to the palate.

Overall this is a well balanced brew and a nice warm day kind of brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 00:04:08 | More by TheSarge

Redrover

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz brown longneck poured into a Leine’s version of the perfect pint glass. The beer is dark brown with garnet highlights. There is slim of brown foam and some lacing.

The beer has an aroma of earthy malts, some coco and a bit of roasted coffee.
The taste is mildly toasted malts, more coco, some nuttiness and there is a bit of balancing hops at the end of the sip. The roasted malts show-up at mid glass. Becomes more integrated as it warms.

The mouth is adequate with sharp carbonation. This is a nice, easy drinking black beer. Glad to see it added to Point’s line-up.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 01:21:56 | More by Redrover

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another To The Point success! Stevens Point Brewery has continued to impress me with their lineup. Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: like blackened earth after the apocalypse. Tan, one finger head with little staying or lacing power.

Smell: rich toffee and coffee overlap with a pleasant malt feel

Taste: Yum! The malt shines through with a slight coffee aftertaste. Better than what I was expecting.

Mouthfeel: medium

Overall: a good alternative to the lighter summer beers. Dark, effective, with portents of the end of the world from the Mayan calendar. Drink up: the end is near!

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 15:47:43 | More by brewskifan55

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

Strix

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown, decent head, some lacing.

Smells of roasted malt, hints of toffee and coffee.

Tastes of roasted malt, with caramel, toffee, and stale coffee. A bit of hoppy taste, but also some metallic aftertaste.

Mouthfeel a little on the thin side, medium carbonation.

This was one of the better beers I've had from Point, and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 02:26:27 | More by Strix

CalhounJohn

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It came in a glass from tap as a very dark beer with a nice head and a very appealing look. It had a very nice, sweet smell and had great substance. It hit the mouth with a nice, sweet bite and went down very nicely. The depth of flavor wasn't as deep as expected and was the only thing missing from this beer. It was a pleasant surprise and I hope to drink it again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2010 19:00:38 | More by CalhounJohn

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The bottle says Black ale, the style here is listed as brown ale. What gives?
To me it resembles and tastes more like a brown ale.
It is although a very black looking beer with a smallish foamy head that fades fast real fast.
Thin light aroma of roasted malts maybe some espresso.
Tastes of roasted burnt malts coffee and espresso. Hops can't be tasted butr has a measure of bitterness at the end.
Has porter and stoudt qualities to it.
Medium to thick mouthfeel. Watery around the edges with some grit and astringency to it.
A good middle of the road beer no matter what it's called.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 18:44:29 | More by micromaniac129

dstc

Florida

3.78/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours completely black with small tan head. Head falls to a small one but stays. Decent lace.

Aroma is sweet malt that has a roasted quality. Some fruits too.

Roasted malt flavor that is slightly burnt. Some bitterness and not too much else.

Medium to full bodied and quite smooth mouthfeel.

Average brew. Another decent Point offering.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 15:40:32 | More by dstc

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an effervescent ruby=tinged mahogany with 3 fingers of rocky mocha colored head, good looking brew! Good head retention & lacing

S: Toasty malt, a faint whiff of nuttyness

T: Toasty malt, with a touch of licorice?, brown bread & faint herbal hoppyness up front. Grainy notes, coffee & a hint of caramel are all there as this warms, along with some mineral dryness & a kiss of licorice. Finishes dry, nutty, with mocha & toasty grain

MF: Light/medium bodied, a touch of stickyness. fairly controlled carbonation, & decent balance

Drinks pretty easy, not on "point" for the style, but close enough. Far better than most offerings from these guys. I look as this a pretty solid release from these guys & worthy of future purchases when hankering for some coffee/ licorice flavor, especially for the price

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 23:52:33 | More by russpowell

wheatyweiss

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a twelve ounce bottle into a czechvar glass.

Pours a cola black, almost opaque. Decent sized head is slightly fizzy.

Aroma is dark roasted malt, sweet with a dextrose aroma. Smallish coffee and dark cocoa aroma.

Flavor is of dark roast malt. Slight flavor of tannin and coffee. Middle brings an aggressive bitterness. Astringent grain comes on the fish with a molasses and burnt coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel is very bubbly, not thin but the carbonation is aggressive. The carbonation cuts the swetnes of the grain slightly.

Not a bad beer, crisp and full of flavor, just a little thin.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 01:31:23 | More by wheatyweiss

Chaz

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A firm pour into my favorite bulb produces a full two-fingered head which recedes rather gradually, and leaves plenty of lace. The head is a medium-tan, perhaps even closer to a light brown.

The beer itself is a very dark brown, almost impenetrable in the 60 watt glow of the ceiling lamp (no doubt it would be a bit closer to a ruby-amber when held up to full sunlight : )

Nose is sweetish and tangy, with notes of dark fruit (rasp/berries, date, plum) and lighter cocoa, even a bit of an espresso astringency. No hop presence or spiciness that I can detect . . .

Sweet and tangy on the first sip, followed by a billowing, rich, chocolate-y character: this one is full of roasted, dark malts, gah... Some bitterness brings up the rear and lingers throughout, but this is hardly an RIS -- it's much, much closer to a porter.

Sweetness seems to be the dominating characteristic, and a bit more bitterness would go a long way, particularly in adding to the drinkability of the beer (and especially when considering our modern, hop-centric tastes as beer advocates).

Licorice notes come through and flit about before becoming lost in the roast and lighter, lingering bitterness, but make for a nice surprise nonetheless. Definitely porter-like in that way. There's also a mild nuttiness (pecan!) here that I find intriguing.

Over all there's a fairly good mouthfeel and drinkability going on here, and this is the kind of beer that I can really go-in for. It's almost a session-able beer. Almost ; )

Definitely one that improves and opens-up as it warms.

A fairly fresh bottle -- code is 1130.
Hell of a deal at $5.99 a six, too!

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 01:57:34 | More by Chaz

Airedoggie

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Deep black color with a weak light-tan head and moderate lacing.

S:Sweet fruit notes with a touch of caramel

T: Burnt caramel maltiness with hint of coffee. Sweet and the bitter.

M: Lighter than expected, nice carbonation and yet feels like a stout

O: Very pleasant flavorful beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 01:27:29 | More by Airedoggie

SykDoc

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. It pours a nice dark brown and forms an 1/8 inch mocha colored head that quickly reduces to a light lacing. Almost opaque when held to the light with a ruby tinge around the edges.

The aroma is coming out as it warms including solid caramel malt sweetness with some roasted nut and coffee hints.

The taste is solid as well with a primarily roasted malt flavor and some mild hoppy back notes with some almost wheat-like spots.

The mouthfeel is light bodied with a pleasant and balances level of carbonation which may take away slightly from the taste but improves drinkability. It goes down crisp with a very mild coffee-like dryness at the end.

Overall, this beer is very drinkable. It is like a combination of light and dark beers with reasonable components of each making it pleasant, refreshing and worth a trial if you can get it.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 23:44:25 | More by SykDoc

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Mild semi-sweet roast with a bit of toast and a brushing of hop that blends quite nicely with an earthy quality.
Small brownish head covers a very dark beer with only hints of light showing brown on the edges.
Roast flavor, a mild sweetness temporarily. Soft hop flavors reminiscence of the aroma. Mild extended dryness that seems both from the hops and malt.
Too carbonated and too thin of body. I shouldn't feel an urge to belch after on the first couple of sips. Too bad. Semi-soft feel to the carbonation.
Ya' know this is a reasonable flavorful beer. Nicely hopped over a mild roast body. I'd drink this again. Probably try to find a way to flatten it some.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 03:27:44 | More by garymuchow