La Negra
La Cumbre Brewing Co.

La NegraLa Negra
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From:
La Cumbre Brewing Co.
 
New Mexico, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #424
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,527
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 11.17%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
48
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 04, 2023
Added:
Mar 11, 2014
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  10
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CraigMack61:
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Rated by CraigMack61 from New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +14.3%

Oct 22, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Walking on fantasy, I am reminded to be. Just to be. To simply live and do my best for those that I love. And when I sip on La Negra, I feel fortunate to have been given this gift. Somewhere, someplace, it’s not as good for someone. But here I am (Raul), sipping on glory. And I am thankful.
Jan 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.99 by WDJersey from Colorado

Nov 25, 2022
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.44/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to Vurt for this one. 22oz bottle poured into 16oz Willi Becher. Poured a solid black color with just a thin cap of tan head that had light-moderate retention and lacing.

The aroma had a nice hit of roast at the front of the nose, supported by nice base grains. There was a solid dose of bourbon and barrel as well.

Similar on the tongue, just bigger and more defined.

The body was the typical for the style; full, smooth, and coating the palate. The bber did carry a bit of heat on the back end.

Drinkability was good, a pleasant quaff.

Overall, a solid and enjoyable brew. Certainly worth trying if you see it.
Jan 15, 2022
 
Rated: 4.22 by deereless from Colorado

Nov 25, 2021
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Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.62/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
At 54 degrees the pour presents one finger of tan mousse-like foam atop an inky black body with ruby edges; very good cap retention; heavy ring with heavy bands of sticky lacing; thin legs on swirl. Nose is baker’s chocolate, oak, and a whisper of bourbon; roasted malt; more bourbon as it warms. Taste is bittersweet dark chocolate; oak; dark fruit - raisins/prunes; hint of bourbon on the backend; bitter dark roast finish. Smooth silky feel; medium plus body, moderate minus carbonation; very little warmth from 10.5% abv; dry oak barrel tongue coating. Awesome RIS; enough malt sweetness to balance the bitter roast; sufficiently chocolate to be tasted, but this stout is not chocolaty - the bitter roast is front and center; the BBA adds layers of flavors and drys the finish; pleasant long bitter roast linger; reminds me of Marshal Zhukov’s RIS but elevated by the BBA notes which add to layers of flavors and dryness to the finish.
Sep 19, 2020
Photo of eppCOS
Reviewed by eppCOS from Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
L - Dark as, well, the name might suggest. Very little head on our bottle from 11.17.18 and very little lacing. Huh.
S - Whiskey a-roast-go smell to this; fabulous, but a little one-dimensional. Still, smells like mole stored in Kentucky.
T - Fabulous taste on this: burnt, whiskey marshmallows, bitter chocolate, and some Cuban cigar on the tongue as it warms.
F - So, not carbonated, but talk about a full palate jacket in the mouth. Fabulous again. Still needs long-term carbonation solution; probably something that Cumbre could can easily (*awkward cough*) and make a killing. But I do like the long-term storage of a bomber.
O - an amazingly overlooked barrel aged stout that produces few lines, but is completely deserving of lines. Fantastic. HIdes the booze, but not the sweetness.
May 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.09 by MJSFS from Florida

Nov 28, 2019
Photo of lordofthewiens
Reviewed by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

4.09/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Black, really black. No head, just a little bit around the circumference of the glass.
Roasted grain aroma. Chocolate, hint of coffee.
Dark chocolate taste, hint of coffee, a little bourbon.
Not as heavy as expected.
Will buy it again.
Nov 23, 2019
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Jet black body; one-finger thick head, dense and creamy, light tan in color. Very nice sweet, roasted grain aroma; some cocoa and a suggestion of coffee; baker's chocolate. Sweet malt base, dark fudge with a boozy edge; cocoa. Heavy body; slick and oily; alcohol heat tempering the sugary heft.

This beer delivers some rich and tasty goods. I'm guessing the barrel-aging is with some type of bourbon whiskey (the bottle label doesn't specify and there is nothing on the brewery's web site). Deep and balanced with fair complexity.
Nov 07, 2019
Photo of AZBeerDude72
Reviewed by AZBeerDude72 from Arizona

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: Pours black with tan head and lacing.
S: Boozy with burnt malt, some barrel, vanilla, and coffee.
T: Follows the nose, ABV bite upfront with subtle flavors, sort of missing something.
M: Medium
O: It was just ok, flavors were not as full as I hoped and the bite was a little much for the ABV. Seemed to miss the mark.
Dec 28, 2017
Photo of andrewh995
Reviewed by andrewh995 from Arizona

4.31/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark black with a brown head. Smells of licorice, coffee, and roasted malts. Tastes of chocolate, licorice, roasted malts, light coffee, vanilla, and a little booze. Medium-heavy body with medium-light carbonation. Overall this is a delicious RIS. I don’t understand why the ratings are too high in this, because it’s amazing.
Dec 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by Ristaccia from Nebraska

Nov 20, 2017
 
Rated: 2.5 by ADTaber from South Carolina

Oct 08, 2017
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Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.79/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
good beer, but as the style goes, this wasnt a standout in any significant way for me. its dry and bitter, almost chalky textured, without the richness i prefer in the style, and while i get the char of the barrel, i get very little oak or spirit flavor of any kind, and that is a let down for a barrel aged stout, i want to taste it! i also think the alcohol is a little exposed here in the absence of some more body or malt sweetness, it comes across hot, especially when it warms up a little bit. i know these guys a lot better for their hoppy beers than this sort of thing, and its not a total miss by an stretch, but it doesnt reach the quality level established by the other beers in their portfolio. there is some nice dry cocoa powder and dark chocolate aspects to this that i think are a nice foundation, but it doesnt build up much from there. the barrel adds seemingly more bitterness than anything else, and while we drank this one fireside with a bottle of whiskey nearby, which i would reckon would be pretty near a perfect setting for this one, it didnt quite live up to the moment, at least for me. still a huge fan of what these guys do, but this was less impressive than most of the rest of the field...
Jul 18, 2017
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Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.09/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
"La Negra."

BOTTLE: 1 pint 6 fl oz format. Brown glass. Purple label with uninteresting label art. Pry-off crown cap. Bottled 11/04/16.

"Barrel-aged imperial stout." 10.5% ABV.

Served chilled into a Guinness goblet and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption.

HEAD: ~1-2cm in height. Tan colour. Somewhat creamy, somewhat soft, fairly frothy. Robust, with a nice complexion. Light lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Head retention is average - ~2 minutes.

BODY: Predictably for the style, the body colour is an opaque ink-black. No yeast/lees are visible within.

Appears well-carbonated. Not unique or special.

AROMA: Vanillin from the bourbon barrel. Buried oak. No toasted coconut or barrel sugars.

Dark malts, chocolate malts, cream, Hershey's syrup, subdued hazelnut syrup, walnut, faint char.

No overt hop aromatics or yeast aromatics. Not boozy. No off-notes.

A bit reticent, but generally appealing. Aromatic intensity is average.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Matches the aroma, more or less. More in terms of the vanillin (artificial vanilla from the barrel), less in terms of any evocative/expressive or deep flavours. There's reticent dark and chocolate malt in the backbone, bland oak as an undertone, and hints of Hershey's syrup throughout, but it's muted as all hell and couldn't be more shallow.

Flavour duration is above average. Flavour intensity is low for the style.

Unbalanced, not imbalanced. Each shallow flavour sits alongside each other. Not a gestalt or harmonious build; the parts do not sum to excess of the whole.

Texture is gooey, syrupy, and thick, but all that isn't justified by the (lack of) depth of flavour. Smooth, wet, unrefreshing. Viscous. Not soft or approachable. Overcarbonated.

OVERALL: A swing and a miss at a barrel aged imperial stout from La Cumbre. Not a beer I'd get again or recommend to friends, and not particularly drinkable or enjoyable. Throwaway fare in an oversaturated style...why brew and release this when there're so many superior expressions of the style out there available at far better prices? It's above average, sure, but will that cut it for discerning consumers in a style as heavily brewed as the barrel aged imperial stout?

C+ (3.09) / ABOVE AVERAGE
Feb 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3.9 by crobinso from Colorado

Jan 22, 2017
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Reviewed by ArrogantB from Colorado

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bottle $16.99. Solid black with a decent head. Aroma is booze and licorice but less barrel than I expected. It's only 10.5% but its not thin at all and also doesn't taste very hot or boozy. Flavor is mild notes of barrel, sort of sweet, and really tastes like a traditional Russian imperial stout. Tasty.
Dec 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by jaydoc from Kansas

Oct 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.34 by Lagerquestrian from Texas

Jan 22, 2016
La Negra from La Cumbre Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 48 ratings