Black
Allagash Brewing Company

BlackBlack
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From:
Allagash Brewing Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 10.4%
Reviews:
762
Ratings:
2,792
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 04, 2021
Added:
Dec 14, 2007
Wants:
  182
Gots:
  619
Allagash Black is a Belgian style stout brewed with 2 Row barley, torrified wheat, oats, both roasted and chocolate malt and a generous portion of dark caramelized candi sugar. The silky mouth feel is a great balance to the roasted character, coffee and dark chocolate notes expressed throughout this beer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by mpenske from California

Aug 04, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Urk1127 from New Jersey

Dec 01, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by trocketsauced from New York

Nov 01, 2020
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bottled 12/11/19

"Belgian-style stout" huh? I can't say I've ever really had anything like that, and it seems to not fit into its' own style category. I'm sure this will be good nonetheless

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of brown head that quickly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose instantly veers towards a heavily roasted stout, maybe even a RIS, but there's some subtleties. I get roasted barley, drip coffee, and milk chocolate, but there's also hints of plum, cinnamon, and earthy hops

Despite the heavy roast, the flavor starts off with smooth malt and a slight general fruitiness. Post swallow, this gets a little weird trying to straddle the line between styles. Roasty coffee is offset by caramel sweetness and herbal hops. Strange, but certainly not bad

This has a full body and very subtle carbonation, leading to a smooth slick drink. It's always nice when a beer can be drying and super smooth simultaneously

So I wasn't floored by this. But I didn't really expect to be. It was not super fresh, but in a style like this I don't think it makes too much of a difference. Good stuff, but more just like a weird stout than a Belgian dark
Sep 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.75 by beerrat from Virginia

Sep 11, 2020
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Reviewed by artiefufkin from New Jersey

4.26/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Visual: dark brown, almost rootbeerish red tinge. no lingering head.
Aroma: roasted malts, bitter chocolate, burnt sugar, vsl vanilla
Taste: best part of the beer - nice burnt caramel, toasted marshmallow, roasted coffee, somehow the IAA still comes through.
Overall: if tasted blind i would've thought belgian strong, definitely not typical stout mouthfeel or aroma, especially with the lightness of the body and strong IAA. Another great beer from Allagash.
Aug 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.09 by Khaack from New York

Aug 23, 2020
 
Rated: 4.27 by Jut025 from Pennsylvania

Aug 17, 2020
Photo of Yaroslav
Reviewed by Yaroslav from New York

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Another happy Allagash mix up. Last week I noticed two Allagash White's in my usual four pack of their Tripel. This week I swear the same situation happened but two Allagash black's found their way into my presumptive 4 pack of Tripel. To be fair this time I noticed it at the register but went through with the purchase based on my discovery of their "white" as something I would never choose but happy to have had. Same goes for the Black. Even more so. Is this a marketing strategy? is a "mix up" really a mix up? Anyway when it comes to Allagash Brewery, it's all good! (except the bean and barrel, which is a total miss.)
Jul 29, 2020
Photo of KTCamm
Reviewed by KTCamm from New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
6/17/20...pours deep brown with a touch of brown foam sitting on top. Borders on black. Roasted malt nose, hints of coffee. Earthy. Chocolate/coffee malt flavor. Light sweetness spills into a bitter background. Both chewy and bitter. Solid.
Jul 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Jul 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.69 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Jul 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.98 by JDavidRice from Connecticut

Jun 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.16 by FakeDoctor96 from New Jersey

Jun 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.89 by Shan-man from New Jersey

May 22, 2020
Photo of TheHiddenHand
Rated by TheHiddenHand from New York

3.19/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
I don't get the hype. It tastes like a golden ale but it's black. It's no match for Founders Breakfast Stout. Not even close
May 10, 2020
 
Rated: 3.96 by JakerLou from New Hampshire

May 01, 2020
 
Rated: 4.37 by maxarvo from England

Apr 26, 2020
Photo of faraday326
Reviewed by faraday326 from California

4.09/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
"Belgian-style stout" which I categorized, in my brain, as a stout. The pour is dark and the head is exactly what I'd hope and expect. The nose, to be honest, wasn't as good as I hoped. I usually _love_ this style of beer on the nose but this was just OK. The taste is very distinctive.. it's a classic malty, chocolate stout flavor that quickly transitions into a very distinctive finish. The finish tastes almost like roasted nuts, perhaps, with a hint of sweetness. For me, the distinctive finish is really what makes this flavor quite good.
Apr 07, 2020
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottled 12-11-19, opened 4-5-20.
2 finger soft, fluffy and sand colored head. Dark brown "Belgian-style stout". Fantastic retention and early lacing. Almost a solid sheet of lacing left on the back side of the glass.
Light roasted malts, mild chocolate and dark fruit. Very subtle nose.
Richer notes of coffee, chocolate and roasted malt. There seems to be a substantial hop presence that adds a late bitterness and dries out the finish. Some dark fruit flavor but very subtle. This is very well balanced and just works. Seems more like a dark lager / Schwarz bier than a stout or Belgian Dark of any kind but regardless very tasty.
Light bodied versus what you would expect from the label (Stout) or the category here (BDA). Soft and creamy mouthfeel. Subtle, roasty medium length and off dry finish.
Very good.
Apr 06, 2020
Black from Allagash Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 2792 ratings