JAA Raspberry Black Ale
Dark Horse Brewing Company

 

"Jaa" means ice in Finnish. 9% ABV, 32 IBU, 12oz can. Picked up a 4 pack of cans for $3.99 on sale, normally $10.99. Unfiltered, unpasteurized.

Pours to a slightly hazy very deep walnut, near black, forming a nice creamy dark tan head with very good retention and solid sheets of lace. Carbonation is moderate, ~2.5 carbs. The nose is quite nice...smells like raspberry chocolates, subtle black walnut, slight hint of coffee. Quite nice. Mouthfeel is quite nice, smooth, medium dense bodied. The taste is fantastic. There is a nicely sweet raspberry flavor, fresh, clean and juicy which is up front and lasts through the middle into the finish. This is very nicely balanced by dark malts which add a nice roast flavor without being burnt, acrid or too acidic. The sweetness towards the finish is followed up by a moderate firm bitterness which lingers in the aftertaste....herbal, a little sharp. No real hop flavor or aroma through, just bitterness. For 9%, it's quite hard to tell. I would guess closer to 7.5%, but it is a rich beer. As it goes on, the bitterness becomes just a touch too much for me.

This is a really well done beer. When brewing fruity stouts, many make the mistake of using too much roast barley, black patent, chocolate malt and end up with an acrid, ashy, acidic mess. This roasted malts are very well done here. My only gripe is the bitterness is a bit too much and I think this beer would be a real treat if it were 10 IBU less. I have a real hard time believing this is 32 IBU. Still, it's quite nice, and hard to pull off the blend of dark malt, residual sweetness, body, and concentrated raspberry flavor so kudos to Dark Horse which always does a good job. Props to their brewers once again.
Recommended!

Seems like a blend of Raspberry Ale & Special Reserve Black Ale.
Body is dark with hints/hues of brown or ruby on the edges.
Over excessive fluffy/bubbly head. Off white in color. Settles to a thick cap thru out. Sticky yet slick lacing.
Smell is tart raspberries and some burnt malts.
Taste is much better after it warms.
At first very tart and harsh. Raspberries. Sting your palate causing a pucker effect. Yet once it reached room temp, flavors seemed to balance out better. Sweet raspberries thru out with an end taste of black malt, burnt coffee. May be off putting for most.
Medium body. Medium carbonation.
No alcohol burn. Slight berry lingering after taste.

Two of my all-time favorite beers combined into one Dark Horse raspberry in Dark Horse black ale are two of my six favorite beers of all time this beer is awesome I wish I could get it where I live I happened to be passing through Michigan and went to the brewery

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned in 7/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger fairly dense/creamy/rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy red/black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of raspberries, dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy red/black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness; and light fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy red/black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet, and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly acidic/tangy/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%. Overall this is an outstanding fruited imperial black ale. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel for the style; not overly bitter/charred, or overdone on fruit. Awesome balance of juicy/jammy raspberries and rich malt complexity; with great earthy hop presence/balance. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and really impressive base style example.