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Peak XV Imperial Porter
Black Diamond Brewing Co.
- From:
- Black Diamond Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Porter
- ABV:
- 8.5%
- Score:
- 76
- Avg:
- 3.3 | pDev: 25.45%
- Reviews:
- 56
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Mar 26, 2020
- Added:
- Aug 01, 2010
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 15
A smooth drinking, dark porter brewed with raw cacao nibs and hand-cut Madagascar vanilla beans. Balanced between a coffee-like bitterness and a rich malt character, this ale is deceptively drinkable for an Imperial.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Impetuous from Montana
3.48/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.48/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep opaque brown with medium to small head which vanishes and leaves no lacing.
Taste is... convoluted. Vanilla and hops with a bombastic alcohol and hops finish. Malts are present but muddled by the cocoa and vanilla. Taste improves after warming up.
Good but flawed.
Nov 30, 2016Taste is... convoluted. Vanilla and hops with a bombastic alcohol and hops finish. Malts are present but muddled by the cocoa and vanilla. Taste improves after warming up.
Good but flawed.
Rated by acmurphy696 from Georgia
4.38/5 rDev +32.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.38/5 rDev +32.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
This is a tasty porter. I have no complaints.
May 14, 2016Reviewed by BirdsandHops from Oregon
4.04/5 rDev +22.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +22.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Not for sure why this beer has such relatively low scores, but I enjoy it. Nice mix of vanilla and bitter cacao. The body is a little thin, but that's about the worst that I can say about it.
Sep 24, 2015Reviewed by BottleConditioned
2.7/5 rDev -18.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.7/5 rDev -18.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Look: nothing special. Weak head.
Nose: hints of over ripe plums. Malty.
Taste: hits up front with a Burnt start. And the after taste evaporates and it feels like water in you moth. Your still left with a burnt taste in your mouth.
Could be great as a cooking beer, less so on the palet.
Jun 21, 2015Nose: hints of over ripe plums. Malty.
Taste: hits up front with a Burnt start. And the after taste evaporates and it feels like water in you moth. Your still left with a burnt taste in your mouth.
Could be great as a cooking beer, less so on the palet.
Reviewed by Jeffreysan from Virginia
4.34/5 rDev +31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
4.34/5 rDev +31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
22 oz bottle, poured into a goblet
Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color with an eighth of a finger of caramel-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin halo of foam that gripped the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Awesome! Massive, rich, complex, earthy, inviting aromas of dark chocolate and roasted malt, bready and a touch musty, as well as strong aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, dark molasses, licorice, and candied sugar. There are also quite a lot of aromas of woody, boozy bourbon. Seductive, really.
Taste: Wow! Absolutely delicious! Strong, massive really, flavors of rich, complex, earthy, bready, roasted malt up front, imparting touches of smoke and a hint of licorice, followed by tons of dark chocolate, brown sugar-like sweetness, hits of vanilla, touches of oak and quite a bit of boozy bourbon, which imparts a slight harshness that is just a touch off-putting, but doesn’t take away from the rest of the beer’s incredibly awesome flavors!
Mouthfeel: Chewy and surprisingly, nicely effervescent, as there is much more carbonation that I’m used to with an imperial porter. With an ABV of 8.5%, there is a pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.
Overall: This is an awesome beer! Almost World-Class, in fact. The only thing keeping it from being World-Class in my opinion is that slight bourbon/alcohol harshness that accompanies the other awesome flavors. I’m sure that I find it harsh because I’m not really a bourbon fan as I find most bourbon harsh. However, I’m sure fans of bourbon will really like this and consider it a World-Class beer. Highly, highly recommended!
Jun 20, 2015Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color with an eighth of a finger of caramel-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin halo of foam that gripped the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Awesome! Massive, rich, complex, earthy, inviting aromas of dark chocolate and roasted malt, bready and a touch musty, as well as strong aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, dark molasses, licorice, and candied sugar. There are also quite a lot of aromas of woody, boozy bourbon. Seductive, really.
Taste: Wow! Absolutely delicious! Strong, massive really, flavors of rich, complex, earthy, bready, roasted malt up front, imparting touches of smoke and a hint of licorice, followed by tons of dark chocolate, brown sugar-like sweetness, hits of vanilla, touches of oak and quite a bit of boozy bourbon, which imparts a slight harshness that is just a touch off-putting, but doesn’t take away from the rest of the beer’s incredibly awesome flavors!
Mouthfeel: Chewy and surprisingly, nicely effervescent, as there is much more carbonation that I’m used to with an imperial porter. With an ABV of 8.5%, there is a pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.
Overall: This is an awesome beer! Almost World-Class, in fact. The only thing keeping it from being World-Class in my opinion is that slight bourbon/alcohol harshness that accompanies the other awesome flavors. I’m sure that I find it harsh because I’m not really a bourbon fan as I find most bourbon harsh. However, I’m sure fans of bourbon will really like this and consider it a World-Class beer. Highly, highly recommended!
Reviewed by archyquaffer from Montana
4/5 rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is just a plain old bomber with no goofy, faux-elegant wax seal. A moderate pour from a bomber into a schooner glass produces a short but sticky and creamy looking pale brown head. The beer is a very dark ruddy brown that barely admits a beam from a Mini Maglite. It is not highly carbonated and has a very subdued head.
Lots of dark fruit, chocolate and vanilla in both the aroma and flavor. The vanilla is especially noticeable in the flavor, while the chocolate is more apparent in the aroma. A very nice melding of the chocolate and vanilla with dark cherry and plum flavors and plenty of residual sweetness evokes a chocolate covered cherry. There's a bit of coffee, and some earthy hop bitterness there as well and perhaps a little smoke along with some very mellow roasted flavors. The mouth feel is creamy and fairly heavy, but appropriate for the style. The alcohol is well hidden (though the effects may not be upon reaching the bottom!).
Judging by past bad reviews, they must have improved this beer. This particular version is borderline excellent provided you like a good dessert beer. The chocolate covered cherry flavor would be very appropriate for Christmas Eve. I'm enjoying this one on New Year's Eve 2014, while the bubbly gets cold on the porch.
I purchased the 22 ounce bomber for about 7 bucks at the Hennesey Grocery in Butte, Montana.
Jan 01, 2015Lots of dark fruit, chocolate and vanilla in both the aroma and flavor. The vanilla is especially noticeable in the flavor, while the chocolate is more apparent in the aroma. A very nice melding of the chocolate and vanilla with dark cherry and plum flavors and plenty of residual sweetness evokes a chocolate covered cherry. There's a bit of coffee, and some earthy hop bitterness there as well and perhaps a little smoke along with some very mellow roasted flavors. The mouth feel is creamy and fairly heavy, but appropriate for the style. The alcohol is well hidden (though the effects may not be upon reaching the bottom!).
Judging by past bad reviews, they must have improved this beer. This particular version is borderline excellent provided you like a good dessert beer. The chocolate covered cherry flavor would be very appropriate for Christmas Eve. I'm enjoying this one on New Year's Eve 2014, while the bubbly gets cold on the porch.
I purchased the 22 ounce bomber for about 7 bucks at the Hennesey Grocery in Butte, Montana.
Peak XV Imperial Porter from Black Diamond Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
76 out of
100 with
120 ratings
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