Black Jack Stout
Woodbridge Brewing Company

From growler purchased earlier the same day.

Pours pitch black - no light comes through this one. Nice sized dense tan head that leaves behind rings of lace. The head has some staying power.

Strong aroma of dark chocolate and espresso beans. A hint of woddiness complements the dark roasted aroma.

Wonderful sweet and roasted malt flavors. Chocolate and coffee all the way. Roasted bittness keeps things from getting too sweet. Has a mild hops as well.

Light in body and kind of watery. Smooth and lightly carbonated. Definitely lacking in mouthfeel - expected something fuller and creamier.

Excellent drinkability. Goes down easy. Flavorful but not overwhelming. A very good stout - would be better with a fuller body, but soild nonetheless.

From growler purchased night before:

Pours pitch black with a sizeable tan head that leaves some rings of lacing in its descent to a lasting thin cover.

The smell is of dark maltiness with some woody and earthy notes. Roasted espresso suggestions are in the back.

The espresso comes out much more in the taste, though is controlled and given depth and complexity by chocolate and chicory balance. A woody taste that is common in the beers of this brewpub comes through. The oat sweetness is balanced by a roasted coffee bitterness.

The body just about reaches full. Smooth.

The espresso is woven in nicely without dominating. NIcely balanced. Good drinkability. 5.5% abv.

A good choice if you like coffeeish stouts - an especially smooth brew on-cask (which I had the night before).

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub.
Served as a virtually black beer with moderate tannish head. Nice retention and lacing.
Smell is very impressive, with notes of bitter chocolate and expresso beans. More potent than many other stouts.
Taste is also very nice with rich notes of chocoalte, chicory, coffee, roasted malt and dark fruits.
Finishes with a moderate dryness, rthat is the perfect ending to this beer.
Supremely drinkable. Probably my favorite beer from this establishment.

Growler fill from the brewery today. Served in a traditional British pint glass at cellar temperature.

Appearance- Black as night, with the faintest ever deep ruby highlights barely visible in my glass. Extraordinary chocolate brown head, active and standing a full four fingers tall before settling to a foamy mat.

Smell- As with a few others of Bittings' brews, I get a prominent roasted malt/coffee/espresso nose immediately... just like the schwarzbier I reviewed last summer. Not very complex, but the ingredients really stand out.

Taste- A roasted coffebean flavor packed with toasty malts, finishing with a mild hop bitterness. Simple, easy, what you see is what you get with this one.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Really watery in the mouth... there is little weight to this beer. Carbonation is light, and it quits easily. Drinkability is great, due to its seemingly low ABV... I am consuming the better part of a growler and feel nothing in the way of alcohol. When in town, and in the mood for a super-quaffable stout, this will do.

Had on tap with dinner. The waitress told me it was a different recipe than the stout I had on cask last week.

A - A nice opaque black with a pretty decent head. The head had great staying power and laced the glass pretty well.

S - A ton of coffee. The beer menu said it had a big espresso character and they weren't kidding. Very nice with the espresso leading the way over some roasted aromas.

T - Those roasty sweet malts lead the way and the aftertaste is the same as the aftertaste you get when you drink that first good cup of coffee in the morning. A very nice tasting stout overall.

M - Felt great. The beer menu said this beer was unfiltered to give it a thick texture and I really think that's one of its best characterstics. The brew wasn't overly heavy but thick enough to support that roasted coffee taste very well.

D - A nice stout to sip with dinner or dessert. One that you can also sit at the bar and put away as it doesn't get overbearing like some stouts do. A very nice offering.

Poured out an opaque black with a really nice 1 1\2 in head that drizzles down and hangs around for the entire pint. The nose is filled with coffe and espresso along with lots of roasted malts. The taste is very malty and roasted characteristics...very nice. Very smooth on the mouth and it is unfiltered. A very nice suprise when I showed up