Jamaica Stout - Big City Brewing CO LTD

UCLABrewN84

California

3.35/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Best by 2/2013.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small streaks and dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and some slight dark fruit aromas. Taste is much the same with a slightly sour bittersweet cocoa flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a slightly above average beer that is drinkable but I am not really enjoying the sour aspect I am getting in the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:25:44 | More by UCLABrewN84

allanpano

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

12-10-2012 21:21:11 | More by allanpano

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, very dark red-brown almost black with a short dark tan head that quickly dissipated leaving light lacing, clear
S: coffee, cinnamon spices, molasses, extremely sweet
T: sweet up front with notes of cane juice, burnt malt middle, finish dries
M: surprisingly not syrupy, good carbonation lightens the feel
O: the 7.6% ABV is noticeable, not a bad stout from a country that I mostly associate with Red Stripe and red hair but doesn't stand up to the more traditional European or more creative American stouts, perfectly acceptable though if you are in the islands and tired of lager

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 01:03:45 | More by M_C_Hampton

harpus

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

10-18-2012 17:20:54 | More by harpus

DarrellK

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +27.3%

08-22-2012 21:11:51 | More by DarrellK

Stevez455

4.5/5  rDev +20.6%

08-19-2012 02:08:57 | More by Stevez455

DruC4

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

06-18-2012 20:58:25 | More by DruC4

bigeyedfish89

Maryland

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-29-2012 01:57:53 | More by bigeyedfish89

Vylo

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

04-26-2012 22:30:12 | More by Vylo

mrfreakybig

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

04-03-2012 14:56:02 | More by mrfreakybig

Billolick

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle, with freshness info that can be deceifered.

Pours very very dark brown, approaching black. Dark tan head, leaves minimal lacing.

Dark chocolate nose, with some burnt grains.

Sweetish stout. With vanilla notes up front and decent base of darker malts, dark chocolate and a hint of burnt smoky embers.

Enjoyable stout that packs a punch at over 7 percent. Nothing amazing but still worth a try

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 02:11:59 | More by Billolick

herman77

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -19.6%

03-12-2012 00:18:03 | More by herman77

McNealc31

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Completely black underneath a giant, frothy, khaki head. Smells pretty good, too, with lots of toffee and some bit alcohol notes. Mouthfeel is surprising light and slick, but there are a lot of flavors here to like. Toffee, rum, brown sugar, big alcohol bite, and at 7.6% ABV, that’s not surprising. The hops are kind of funky, and not necessarily in a good way.

I didn’t have big expectations, but this is unique and pretty tasty. Worth giving a toss

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 02:48:38 | More by McNealc31

mrcarterxxl

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Jamaica Stout-

served in a single bottle chilled, in a english style beer mug.

A= pours a motor oil black hue with a medium dense head about the size of one finger.

S= smells of coffee malt, dark fruit, bourbon barrel, mostly fruity.

T= coffee right off the bat, with chocolate.

MF= the mouth feel is lighter that a Guinness , disappointed in that.

Summery=
my first impression is a good one, jamaica stout would make an excellent beer to share with your buddies a stout that non-stout drinkers can enjoy. it's more like a dragon stout with coffe and a little bit of chocolate added to it.

Enjoy
& cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 20:03:23 | More by mrcarterxxl

LJWalker

Alabama

2.5/5  rDev -33%

02-06-2012 16:55:50 | More by LJWalker

Stoffel

Texas

3/5  rDev -19.6%

12-31-2011 23:28:27 | More by Stoffel

jondeelee

Massachusetts

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

Has a fruity, malty aroma, with definite chocolate malt notes, as well as black cherries and a hint of coffee.

On the tongue, the beer comes across as a nice mixture of, again, fruits and malts. The fruity notes are mostly present in the first half of the mouthful, revealing dark fruit esters with such flavors as dark cherries and hints of prunes. These sugary layers fade quickly, exposing the darker belly of the brew. Here expect to find many of the typical stout flavors: deeply toasted grains, toffees, coffee, and a smidgen of tobacco. As well, vanilla and caramelized brown sugar make their way into the latter stages. The aftertaste is dominated by almost-burnt grain flavors.

Overall, I find this to be a nicely-balanced stout, full of excellent flavors and obviously the result of careful craftsmanship. The beer doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table--yes, there are fruity notes here, but those same notes are found in other stouts--but it does bring all of the flavors together excellently.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 15:51:33 | More by jondeelee

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ptich black (even when held up to the light), thick, creamy head.

Coffee, dark chocolate, raisins and noticeable alcohol in the scent. A bit of creaminess to it.

Roast malt flavour, mild alcohol. Slight sweetness to it, with a dry coffee finish. A bit of chocolate in there, and raisins again.

Nice thick feel, but noticeable carbonation that eases as it warms. Really well done, I quite like this.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 05:16:15 | More by BDTyre

Chaz

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a pitch-black to the eye (ruddy cola-brown when held to direct sunlight), and topped with a good two-fingered head. The head is a dark-tan in color, and most-closely resembles the crema atop a shot of espresso, especially as the head quickly subsides. Solid lacing around the glass. So far so good -- this one looks to be about average for the style . . .

The nose is malt-focused and fairly sweet, but has rather a bit of depth to it: it's bitter and somewhat acrid (espresso notes) as a good strong stout should be, but is also tannic and vinuos in the manner of a sour or some renditions of British old ale. The roast/coffee espresso character is complemented rather well by broader notes of milk chocolate (cocoa) and a still more-subtle note of vanilla. There's a bit of yeast in here, too, but it is -very- subtle. Overall this reminds me of a milk chocolate shake made with a dollop of vanilla, a shot of espresso, a drop of molasses, and a hint of red wine. Sounds a bit like a culinary trainwreck, but it work here : )

Sweet/tangy and roasty on the first sip, covering the palate with a lightly-scrubbing carbonation and smooth, malty character, and only the hint of a bitter finish. The hop-and-malt bitterness lingers very nicely throughout the drink and reminds me of one of my favorite baltic porters. The notes of chocolate and cocoa are most prominent at first, but the vinuous character and a slowly-warming alcohol emerge more fully in the mid-palate, especially as this warms.

My lasting impression here is of a dry yet bitter-sweet, silky-smooth and warming beer, and at 7.6% it's a great sipper in any weather: reminds me favorably of a subtler and more-refined "Dragon Stout".

Solid rendition of the style, and worth a try.

Served chilled, in a bulb.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 23:07:10 | More by Chaz

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Black body with a tan tight bubbled frothy head that stays awhile.

S - Chocolate, hazel nut coffee, sour dark fruit, sweet dark malts,

T - Dark fruit, tangy and slightly acidic raspberries, dark chocolate, notes of powdered dairy, has a muted smoked citrus tang, iron/minerals, hazel-nut flavored coffee, hops provide a bitter bite on the finish.

M - Moderate carbonation, medium bodied.

A descent export here. Nothing simple about this beer. Hops come through nice without taking away the other flavors. Exports are a fun style with odd characteristics. This would be really good in the winter. Although it's even good in 99 degree weather.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 00:16:13 | More by StaveHooks

drpimento

Wisconsin

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

Mmm, not bad. Not quite a sweet stout and drinkable. I let it warm a tad before pouring and then it had a nice, thick, creamy, foamy, frothy, tan head that mostly faded fast and a little lace. Color is opaque dark brown except in the bottom of the glass where it's narrow and there I can see it's a clear garnet. Aroma isn't too complex, just basically what I'd expect to find: roasty, malt, toffee, cocoa, caramel. Flavror's more or less the same with a little sweetness balance by the roasty burnt and carbonic acids. Body is good, ditto carbonation. Finish is balanced too with a little booze and of medium length. A slow session so I don't get wasted.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 22:58:49 | More by drpimento

rsdaugherty

Colorado

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

Bottle into pint glass
A – 1 finger plus dark khaki head, slow drop minor lacing , black brew 3.5
S – Predominately coffee, with roasted malts and some caramel 3.5
T – Nearly identical to the smell, coffee forward but what I believe is a bitter hop finish surprises me. Molasses I didn’t find in the nose is in the flavor also. 4
M – Medium body with nice carbonation, lighter mouth feel than expected and very good drinkability 4
O – A very interesting and good stout, and worth a try for any stout lover, a quality stout from Jamaica! 7.6 ABV was not discernable at all dare I say sessionable. More fruity as it warms. 4

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 04:21:29 | More by rsdaugherty

PokerGod

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance- Black. like motor oil. Even held up to the light, it is completely opaque. The little bit of head there is, is a dark tan color.

Smell- roasted chocolate, maybe a bit of anise?

Taste- Very, very complex. Chocolatey, fruity and without a doubt an intense taste of anise.

Overall- a pleasant drinking experience, I can feel the 7.6% ABV from this beer. But I think one is enough for one sitting of this complex beer. Drinkability is challenging.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 03:28:17 | More by PokerGod

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz brown twist off.

It pours a dark brown with a nice looking tan head. The head is fluffy and sticks for a bit.

The smell is reminiscent of malt liquor, but in a good way. It has that nutty alcoholic scent along with a hint of cocoa.

The taste is interesting to say the least. It has a nice bit of that roasted malt flavor that has almost a chocolate/cinnamon/wood character and a blast of sweetness. The malt liquor notes come through a little bit with the alcohol not being completely hidden, but compared to a malt liquor this is one smooth brew.

Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 04:46:00 | More by crossovert

emerge077

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Single from Uncorkt in Racine WI. Never have seen or heard of this, so naturally I was curious about it. Bottle says 7.6%.

Pours like dark cola, reddish highlight in direct light, but otherwise black. Thin finger of foam, settles down and leaves a nice crown of lacing around the rim. A wispy skim remains for quite awhile, with concentric rings forming after a few sips.

As it warms up, cocoa, brown sugar, plum, and raisin notes surface. Slightly sweet and not especially roasty.

Flavors of coffee, dark fruit, bitter roast, and a slight hint of alcohol. Lightly bitter and roasty aftertaste. Surprising not as sweet as the nose let on. A little thin and light on carbonation, but it's decent overall. Probably the best Jamaican beer i've had.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 00:53:43 | More by emerge077