Black Strap Stout
East End Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- Style:
- Stout - American
Ranked #96 - ABV:
- 6.2%
- Score:
- 90
Ranked #7,672 - Avg:
- 4.03 | pDev: 10.17%
- Reviews:
- 87
- Ratings:
- From:
- East End Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Avail:
- Year-round
- Wants
- 30
- Gots
- 16
SCORE
90
Outstanding
90
Outstanding
Notes:
Reviews: 87
| Ratings: 179
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Reviews by brother_rebus:
brother_rebus from Maine
3.25/5 rDev -19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Feb 15, 2016
3.25/5 rDev -19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Feb 15, 2016
More User Reviews:
McMatt7 from Pennsylvania
3.89/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Oct 21, 2015
3.89/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Oct 21, 2015
JebD
4.7/5 rDev +16.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Feb 09, 2015
4.7/5 rDev +16.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Feb 09, 2015
nstygles from Pennsylvania
3.59/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
May 29, 2015
3.59/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
May 29, 2015
ConnorSimpson41 from Pennsylvania
4/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dec 14, 2016
4/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dec 14, 2016
Dogbrick from Ohio
3.68/5 rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cask version at Barleys 4th Annual Mini RAF (05/13/06): Pours matte black with a medium thick and rocky dark beige head. Thin, spotty lacing. Aroma of chocolate and coffee. Rich and creamy body with a good mix of bitter coffee and chocolate flavors. There is also a nice roasty presence throughout. The finish is smooth with a lightly bitter coffee aftertaste. Pretty well done.
May 25, 2006
3.68/5 rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cask version at Barleys 4th Annual Mini RAF (05/13/06): Pours matte black with a medium thick and rocky dark beige head. Thin, spotty lacing. Aroma of chocolate and coffee. Rich and creamy body with a good mix of bitter coffee and chocolate flavors. There is also a nice roasty presence throughout. The finish is smooth with a lightly bitter coffee aftertaste. Pretty well done.
May 25, 2006
WVbeergeek from West Virginia
4.6/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Thoroughly enjoyed on draft at Oscar's Pub in Erie, PA...appears dark black opaque in the dimlighting of this pub full two finger sized tan head leaves big bands of lacing with each sip of this fine stout. Aroma contains dark roasted malt characteristics of dark chocolate and big coffee notes along with the black strap molasses added to the brew giving a full syrupy flow to it all herbal hop aroma is evident chalk full of alluring aromatics. Taste is very flavorful complex malt character comes of bitter with the dark chocolate roasts and herbal hops combined with the sweet molasses we have ourselves one of the most drinkable stouts ever brewed in the Pittsburgh area a bready layer also comes through in the flavor. Mouthfeel to me is medium-full bodied great creamy texture flows nicely on the palate mine didn't last too long. Drinkability up there with some of the top micro stouts in the country could definitely put this small but active brewery on the map nationally...at least among beer geeks.
Mar 13, 2006
4.6/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Thoroughly enjoyed on draft at Oscar's Pub in Erie, PA...appears dark black opaque in the dimlighting of this pub full two finger sized tan head leaves big bands of lacing with each sip of this fine stout. Aroma contains dark roasted malt characteristics of dark chocolate and big coffee notes along with the black strap molasses added to the brew giving a full syrupy flow to it all herbal hop aroma is evident chalk full of alluring aromatics. Taste is very flavorful complex malt character comes of bitter with the dark chocolate roasts and herbal hops combined with the sweet molasses we have ourselves one of the most drinkable stouts ever brewed in the Pittsburgh area a bready layer also comes through in the flavor. Mouthfeel to me is medium-full bodied great creamy texture flows nicely on the palate mine didn't last too long. Drinkability up there with some of the top micro stouts in the country could definitely put this small but active brewery on the map nationally...at least among beer geeks.
Mar 13, 2006
francisweizen from Alaska
4.5/5 rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Tap, Map-Room. No, not that one, the other one, in Pitt, up the block from D'z. Anywayz, this one was a dark, nearly opaque colour with a nice head of tan that lasted well enough but did not leave a trail of lace in its wake. Aromas are all blackstrap molasses, other sugar sources, and dates, nuts, raisins, etc...I wonder what the abv on this one is, cuz it seems light bodied enough to not be very high in abv, yet it is really full of the aroma of a very strong stout. The best of both worlds, one could say. Anyways, the taste is super sweet, but roasty and bitter as well, this makes for a good balanced taste, making this a great session option in the Pitt area. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and not overly thick for a stout of this substance. Drinkability is quite awesome as well. 4.5's accross the board. Wow, the IPA from here is great, but this one was a stunner. I can't wait to try the wit, and other seasonals from this awesome new brewery!
Jul 29, 2005
4.5/5 rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Tap, Map-Room. No, not that one, the other one, in Pitt, up the block from D'z. Anywayz, this one was a dark, nearly opaque colour with a nice head of tan that lasted well enough but did not leave a trail of lace in its wake. Aromas are all blackstrap molasses, other sugar sources, and dates, nuts, raisins, etc...I wonder what the abv on this one is, cuz it seems light bodied enough to not be very high in abv, yet it is really full of the aroma of a very strong stout. The best of both worlds, one could say. Anyways, the taste is super sweet, but roasty and bitter as well, this makes for a good balanced taste, making this a great session option in the Pitt area. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and not overly thick for a stout of this substance. Drinkability is quite awesome as well. 4.5's accross the board. Wow, the IPA from here is great, but this one was a stunner. I can't wait to try the wit, and other seasonals from this awesome new brewery!
Jul 29, 2005
weeare138 from Pennsylvania
4.23/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Capone's...
Appears black with deep, dark brown edges when held to the light. A small, foamy, tan head slowly fades into a mild cap and collar. Tons of sticky lace is left around the glass.
Smell is of raw sugar, molasses, roasty malt, coffee grounds, toasted wood, and baker's chocolate.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a mix of roasted coffee, and sweet chocolate standing out.
Mouthfeel is chewy, medium-full bodied, bitterly sweet with a nice dose of hops packing a moderate punch.
Well done.
Jan 18, 2007
4.23/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Capone's...
Appears black with deep, dark brown edges when held to the light. A small, foamy, tan head slowly fades into a mild cap and collar. Tons of sticky lace is left around the glass.
Smell is of raw sugar, molasses, roasty malt, coffee grounds, toasted wood, and baker's chocolate.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a mix of roasted coffee, and sweet chocolate standing out.
Mouthfeel is chewy, medium-full bodied, bitterly sweet with a nice dose of hops packing a moderate punch.
Well done.
Jan 18, 2007
SPLITGRIN from Kentucky
3.57/5 rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a clear growler. Pours to a oil thick blackness of a body with no head except for a few chocolate brown bubbles. Nose is almost as black as the body with burnt malt and roasty espresso notes, nice though almost meaty. Thin mouth blackening burnt malt coats the tongue on first sip. After a couple of sips you start to notice a bakers chocolate kind of bittering to the mouthfeel that rides long on the tongue. Oddly drinkable for how bitter of a stout it is. 6.2% alchol is just right.
Nov 29, 2007
3.57/5 rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a clear growler. Pours to a oil thick blackness of a body with no head except for a few chocolate brown bubbles. Nose is almost as black as the body with burnt malt and roasty espresso notes, nice though almost meaty. Thin mouth blackening burnt malt coats the tongue on first sip. After a couple of sips you start to notice a bakers chocolate kind of bittering to the mouthfeel that rides long on the tongue. Oddly drinkable for how bitter of a stout it is. 6.2% alchol is just right.
Nov 29, 2007
akorsak from Pennsylvania
4.32/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served at Capone's on Connoisseur Night 2.
A: The stout is pitch black, darkest than midnight with an equally dark mahogany-colored head. The retention was minimal but carbonation was evident throughout.
S: The aroma lives up to the name, it is thick and burnt as molasses with chocolate and burnt toast notes that mix up (albeit slightly) the scent.
T: Burnt tar, thick grainy flavors, coffee and chocolate. The stout gives off a huge array of flavors on first sip. The malt body is quite dry, almost necessitating an immediate follow-up sip. Bold flavors emerge, including coffee bitterness and intensely strong, tar-like black molasses. That molasses, more than anything else, assists in drying out the palate. The burnt malts mix with that molasses to create a dark taste that is not for the uninitiated. Ultimately, the body hides any alcohol presence and goes down surprisingly light.
M: The dark malts and burnt profile are a real treat. A warning though, don't try this beer before many others, as the flavors will linger on your palate and overshadow anything that comes after it.
D: The burnt profile is well worth a look. It's too bad that this is not bottled, as I'd love to have a few for the cellar.
Oct 12, 2007
4.32/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served at Capone's on Connoisseur Night 2.
A: The stout is pitch black, darkest than midnight with an equally dark mahogany-colored head. The retention was minimal but carbonation was evident throughout.
S: The aroma lives up to the name, it is thick and burnt as molasses with chocolate and burnt toast notes that mix up (albeit slightly) the scent.
T: Burnt tar, thick grainy flavors, coffee and chocolate. The stout gives off a huge array of flavors on first sip. The malt body is quite dry, almost necessitating an immediate follow-up sip. Bold flavors emerge, including coffee bitterness and intensely strong, tar-like black molasses. That molasses, more than anything else, assists in drying out the palate. The burnt malts mix with that molasses to create a dark taste that is not for the uninitiated. Ultimately, the body hides any alcohol presence and goes down surprisingly light.
M: The dark malts and burnt profile are a real treat. A warning though, don't try this beer before many others, as the flavors will linger on your palate and overshadow anything that comes after it.
D: The burnt profile is well worth a look. It's too bad that this is not bottled, as I'd love to have a few for the cellar.
Oct 12, 2007
Zorro from California
4.03/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5
Sampled through ClockworkOrange and CA - PA BIF.
"Brewery Hand Bottle Filled 2/10/08" will treat this one as a mini growler since there are no official bottling yet.
Holy hell is this a dark and thick beer, looked like 40 weight motor oil coming out of the bottle. Impervious black beer with a quite dark brown head.
Smell is chocolate and mild coffee on toasted bread. Not much of a hop scent though.
The taste starts out thick black coffee with a trace of smoke. Solidly bitter it build in the mouth as you sip it. Coffee milkshake without the sugar pretty much tells you what this tastes like.
One of the thickest beer I have ever tasted, equal to the thickest, this is milkshake thick.
Quite an interesting beer but WAY to thick to drink in quantity. But this is certainly a must try if you ever get the chance.
Apr 02, 2008
4.03/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5
Sampled through ClockworkOrange and CA - PA BIF.
"Brewery Hand Bottle Filled 2/10/08" will treat this one as a mini growler since there are no official bottling yet.
Holy hell is this a dark and thick beer, looked like 40 weight motor oil coming out of the bottle. Impervious black beer with a quite dark brown head.
Smell is chocolate and mild coffee on toasted bread. Not much of a hop scent though.
The taste starts out thick black coffee with a trace of smoke. Solidly bitter it build in the mouth as you sip it. Coffee milkshake without the sugar pretty much tells you what this tastes like.
One of the thickest beer I have ever tasted, equal to the thickest, this is milkshake thick.
Quite an interesting beer but WAY to thick to drink in quantity. But this is certainly a must try if you ever get the chance.
Apr 02, 2008
mattcrill from Ohio
3.31/5 rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
From the cask at Barley's mini-RAF 5/13/06.
Aroma: Mild coffee, roasted barley, light espresso notes.
Appearance: Dense dark chocolate pour with a sudsy brown head. Looks like motor oil with some dishwater soap on top. Doesn't sound appealing but it is right on given the style.
Flavor: Husky dark grains, bitter french roast coffee, chocolate covered espresso, and a lightly bittering hop finish.
Mouthfeel: A tad watery and slightly astringent. The roasted grains start to become a tad punishing in the aftertaste.
Overall impression: Not bad but not impressive. This beer would go way up in my book if the mouthfeel were improved. Touching up the unfermentables here would make for an outstanding example of this style. Worth a try but there are much better examples out there.
May 14, 2006
3.31/5 rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
From the cask at Barley's mini-RAF 5/13/06.
Aroma: Mild coffee, roasted barley, light espresso notes.
Appearance: Dense dark chocolate pour with a sudsy brown head. Looks like motor oil with some dishwater soap on top. Doesn't sound appealing but it is right on given the style.
Flavor: Husky dark grains, bitter french roast coffee, chocolate covered espresso, and a lightly bittering hop finish.
Mouthfeel: A tad watery and slightly astringent. The roasted grains start to become a tad punishing in the aftertaste.
Overall impression: Not bad but not impressive. This beer would go way up in my book if the mouthfeel were improved. Touching up the unfermentables here would make for an outstanding example of this style. Worth a try but there are much better examples out there.
May 14, 2006
ramrod666 from Pennsylvania
3.97/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Feb 14, 2015
3.97/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Feb 14, 2015
brentk56 from North Carolina
4.28/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a menacing black color and a dark tan head that leaves moderate amounts of lace behind
Smell: Roasted coffee aroma
Taste: Opens with a coffee flavor that has an above-average amount of bittersweet character from the get-go, presumably from the molasses; after the swallow the bitter flavors become more pronounced
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Drinkability: I just loved the unusual bittersweet character of this stout; wish it had a little more body but that is a quibble (with the bold flavor, I kept forgettting that it wasn't an Imperial stout) and probably appropriate to the style
Jan 18, 2007
4.28/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a menacing black color and a dark tan head that leaves moderate amounts of lace behind
Smell: Roasted coffee aroma
Taste: Opens with a coffee flavor that has an above-average amount of bittersweet character from the get-go, presumably from the molasses; after the swallow the bitter flavors become more pronounced
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Drinkability: I just loved the unusual bittersweet character of this stout; wish it had a little more body but that is a quibble (with the bold flavor, I kept forgettting that it wasn't an Imperial stout) and probably appropriate to the style
Jan 18, 2007
DrJay from Texas
4.35/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pretty much black in colour with a dark brown head that left behind fine sheets of lace stuck to the glass. Roasty aroma with lots of malt, dry cocoa, a bit of coffee and light piney hops. Medium to high bitterness with plenty of malt sweetness, some caramel, bitter chocolate, and some roast that showed up towards the end. Piney, green hop flavours cut through the middle and the hop flavours lingered in the finish. Full bodied with creamy, moderately low carbonation. Quite a luxurious texture. Great stuff. Easy to drink, very flavourful, and tasty!
Feb 19, 2007
4.35/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pretty much black in colour with a dark brown head that left behind fine sheets of lace stuck to the glass. Roasty aroma with lots of malt, dry cocoa, a bit of coffee and light piney hops. Medium to high bitterness with plenty of malt sweetness, some caramel, bitter chocolate, and some roast that showed up towards the end. Piney, green hop flavours cut through the middle and the hop flavours lingered in the finish. Full bodied with creamy, moderately low carbonation. Quite a luxurious texture. Great stuff. Easy to drink, very flavourful, and tasty!
Feb 19, 2007
Viggo from Canada (ON)
3.88/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12 oz bottle, thanks to grub for sharing.
Pours a very dark and opaque brown, almost black, very thick brown head forms, settles to a big thick ring around the glass, lots of sticky lacing, about as perfect as a stout can look. Smell is neat, very roasty, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, dry and biscuity, toast, charred wood, brown sugar, very rich and complex. Taste is similar, sweet at first, caramel and brown sugar, chocolate, tons of roast and burnt wood, very intense roastiness, almost a bit too much, but I like it, very dry and roasty bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation, pretty drinkable stuff, a real nice stout. Thanks Russ!
May 04, 2009
3.88/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12 oz bottle, thanks to grub for sharing.
Pours a very dark and opaque brown, almost black, very thick brown head forms, settles to a big thick ring around the glass, lots of sticky lacing, about as perfect as a stout can look. Smell is neat, very roasty, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, dry and biscuity, toast, charred wood, brown sugar, very rich and complex. Taste is similar, sweet at first, caramel and brown sugar, chocolate, tons of roast and burnt wood, very intense roastiness, almost a bit too much, but I like it, very dry and roasty bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation, pretty drinkable stuff, a real nice stout. Thanks Russ!
May 04, 2009
Ricochet from Ohio
3.63/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A: Standard. Nice head, sticky lace, very black. Thicker than most. Almost motor oil when it was colder.
S: A little weak on the overall scent, burnt malt and hops were subdued with a little coffee and a little crayon.
M: The thicker appearance was true in the mouth. Almost like a porter but the bitter and wash were about as average as it gets. Creamy too.
T: A decent example of a stout. Coffee flavor. Check. Burnt malt. Check. Alcohol hit about average. Check. Hops made a nice bitter. Check. Advantage? Fresh. Like all beers produced by small operations like this, freshness is key.
D: Yes, I'd get this again
May 30, 2008
3.63/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A: Standard. Nice head, sticky lace, very black. Thicker than most. Almost motor oil when it was colder.
S: A little weak on the overall scent, burnt malt and hops were subdued with a little coffee and a little crayon.
M: The thicker appearance was true in the mouth. Almost like a porter but the bitter and wash were about as average as it gets. Creamy too.
T: A decent example of a stout. Coffee flavor. Check. Burnt malt. Check. Alcohol hit about average. Check. Hops made a nice bitter. Check. Advantage? Fresh. Like all beers produced by small operations like this, freshness is key.
D: Yes, I'd get this again
May 30, 2008
Black Strap Stout from East End Brewing Company
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
179 ratings
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