Black Mtn Ale
Pisgah Brewing Co.

 

22oz bottle. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It smelled of pine, orange peel and roasted coffee. Piney and bitter with a nice roasted coffee and chocolate finish.

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown / black color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, tan-colored, fairly long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A fair aroma of hops, roasted malt, pine, coffee, and chocolate.

T: Tasted of a moderate amount of roasted malt (mostly in the finish), light coffee notes, some pine, a bit of citrus (grapefruit), some dark chocolate, and a fair amount of hops. Not quite as fruity as it could be, but the flavor does has a solid hops content. The chocolate brings out the best of the taste.

F: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth and dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: An uneven beer, to be sure, but it certainly has its charms. Worth a try.

 

A 22oz bomber with a bottled on date of January, 2018

L - Pitch black, 1 full finger of tan head, and sticky lace left all over the brew and glass

S - Roasty malts, smoked, and brown sugar

T - Smoky roasted malts dominate, but some hops shine through on the back end

F - Medium carbonation and full body

O - A tasty BIPA. Well done

Just past one finger of deep tan foam, lots of pockmarks from larger bubbles popping, retention is fine, nothing remarkable, the lacing streaks are razor thin if noticeably long. Simple black hued liquid, at the surface you can see the tiniest bubbles imaginable push upwards. Heavy, heavy roast to the nose, as smoky as influenced by dark chocolate, coffee or chicory notes, quinine and white grapefruit pith, quiet black cherry fruit scents lurk about, the malts soften out the dissolve well. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied and bitter, the smoky char, chicory and green leafiness ratcheted up. Taking this into consideration it has enough caramel and chocolate to pull back towards the center. The mixed white citrus bite remains but it’s a struggle to find much fruit flavor. The carbonation feels acceptable yet the overwhelming bitterness makes it tough to register and especially lend any creaminess. Lightly medicinal aftertaste. Packs a lot of punch but not necessarily to a thought out end.