Black Mamba
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - Very deep brown, almost black with some very dark red on the edges. Small head that dissipated to a ring with no lacing.

S - Roasty nose with some odd sort of mint smell, brown sugar, little yeast, and some dark fruit.

T - Not as sweet as I was expecting, which helps the taste. Roasted malts and caramel don't go bitter, get some dark fruit that is not sweet, touch of hops leads to the slightest bitter of finishes.

M - Slightly flat, medium bodied.

D - Not too bad, I did more than one, which was surprising as I was not expecting to like it. Would have guess it had more alcohol though.

Pours a glossy, deep brown with purplish highlights. Small head, small bubbles. Streaking is filmy.

Sweet aroma. Malt and some faint yeasty biscuit. Dark cherry, candied fruit.

Flavors dance between sweet bread, red plum, candy-grape and some esters. Hints of floral. The flavors are not pronounced and a bit weak. Not sure if this would hold up to many dishes.

Nice drinking.

Growler pour from DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY, pours darkest shades of brown, minor head, minor collar, next to no lace. Nice roasty malt nose, with a hint of minty, leafy hops. This came advertized as a "dark wit beer" but I'm not feeling the wit beer thing with this one. Mostly it seems to be infused with darker, chocolaty/light coffee notes and more leafy hops. It does seem to be more of a Belgian dark ale, as listed on the site. No concern, its light, tasty, quite sessionable and pleasant to quaff. Quite dry in the finish, with a dash of ripe fruits and smoke.

On tap at Bear Republic in August 2009.

Poured a nice, dark brown with a pretty good head. Smell of medium roasted malts with a nice floral hoppiness along with a bit of spice. Taste was similar, with a nice bitterness; nothing overpowering, consistent with the style. Mouthfeel was thin to medium with adequate carbonation. Very nice and sessionable brew overall. Nicely complex while very easy drinking.

Good and fresh Belgian dark ale offering on tap, albeit a bit thin and shy.

Presentation: 12 Oz draft serving. Menu offers a brief and fairly accurate description. Notes Alc. by Vol. (5.3%) Served in a tulip glass.

A - Dark brown lingering on black pour with a nice foamy head showing average retention and lacing.

S - Faint aromatic profile, shy sweet malt notes, with a minimal hint of spices.

T - Pleasing roasted malt flavor, with a sour soft stroke towards the end.

M - Medium body feeling a bit light with adequate carbonation.

D -A bit thin if pleasing... It is nice to have but not particularly exciting.

Notes: It has some nice characteristics of a Belgian Dark Ale but a bit too subdued. Feels fresh on tap, and in that context works fairly well but it is not particularly memorable.

On-tap at Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown in Washington DC.

Pours a dark purplish-brown color with a one-finger off-white head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of dried dark fruits - raisins and prunes mostly - with hints of roasted malts and lighter hints of unsweetened chocolate.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Very light roasted malt flavors up front are soon overtaken by prune and raisin flavors. Near the end of the sip hints of unsweetened cocoa make an appearance before an ending that's equal parts sweet and bitter.

Mouthfeel is good. It's a bit on the thin side with active carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass quickly and could have another.

Overall I was a fan of this beer however I think it could be improved upon by showcasing the fruit flavors even more so than they are now. Still, worth a shot if you see it around.

Darkest of brown with glints of crimson at the edges. The head is low and tan.
Sweet, brown sugar and golden raisin nose, with some prickly phenols (mostly clove and pepper), and a bit of dark rum alcoholic flare, though it doesn't smell particularly boozy.
Sweet at the onset through the mouth. Brown sugar, raisins, and hints of things more tropical, a la grilled pineapple. It turns drier later on, though the sweetness never leaves it merely cedes a bit of ground to roasted grains and carob. More of that dark rum essences at the close, adding a spiked punch dimension. All told, it drinks quite a bit bigger than it actually is, though the medium body is in tune with something on the lighter side of the Belgian-styled spectrum, but seemingly thin for as sweet and perceived alcoholic as this is. Carbonation is low to moderated but stays steady throughout.
It definitely leans sweets, but has some balance. The yeast doesn't bring a lot to the table, but it is noticed. Not bad. Not great.

Served in bells tulip at maduro in Madison. Opaque black brown with a vary light brown head (not tan) head that settles to leave a nice ring of small bubbled foam and "scum" on top. Little lacing, who knows what to chalk that up to, might be the beer vu I suspectthe glass.
Fruity phenolics, cherry, apple and white raisins. Nice dark caramel aroma is light but noticeable. Sweet smell but not dominant.
Flavor is...complex. Like the aroma, there is bright, tart fruit but also deeper flavors, plump red raisins, burnt sugar and prune. A bit of clove without rotten banana esters. Roasted malt rounds out the big flavor profile.
Surprisingly high carbonation and more tartness than expected. This provides a nice contrast to the deep flavors I normally associate with sweeter beers. Medium- full body, not thick. There is a moderate alcohol warmth that comes through in the finish.
For the amount of flavor this is a drinkable beer. Not cloying at all. Tartness would not deaden the palate for a while. Bear republic has proven themselves beyond their usual hoppily delicious offerings.

on tap at the dirty truth
served in a tulip glass

A - deep dark brown, nearly black, with a full finger of dark tan head

S - hops! rich citrus, grapfruity citrus, which melts into a rich pine, strong and powerful, some slight sweetness at the end

T - earthy base, like peat or charcoal with a marvelous hop kick, same flavors as the aroma, piney/citrusy, and vanish into a slightly coffee aftertaste

M&D - smooth and silky, very easy down, and at only 5.3% ABV possibly the most sessionable American brewed Belgian ale

Appearance: dark brown in color with a 1/2" head. Some moderate lace develops.

Smell: roasted malts and some soft spiciness is very light and hard to pull from the glass.

Taste: roasted malts, mild chocolate, prunes sweetness, yeast spiciness, some black pepper, and a nice bitterness make up a well balanced beer.

Mouthfeel: a bit thinner than expected. Lightly crisp throughout.

Drinkability: this one was a bit of a slow sipper becasue of the more complex flavor profile. Several of these can be consumed over the course of an evening.

On-Tap into tulip.

A one finger tan and dense head settles to a 2mm and even cap. The aroma is light, giving off a little bit of smokiness and roastiness, along with a slight tough of phenols. The flavor is very interesting. Some of the Belgian yeast spice mixes with the tart wheat malt. The wheat malt is also roasted, which gives a very unique characteristic to the beer. It's not quite into Belgian Stout territory, but it still has a burnt grain quality to it. Recommended.

The cheat sheet to this beer for me is that it's probably the tastiest version of the style I've ever had. It has the punch of many Belgian Strong dark ales while only being 5.3% alcohol. Tasty and well balanced dark fruit profile without a cloying type of presence. While not precisely a sit-and-drink-all-night sort of brew, one could easily enjoy a few pints of this and still be able to walk without wobbling.
Raisin flavors with almost smokey, coffee type things going on; solid malts with stuff going on to dry up the finish to make one want another sip.
A really nice beer for those that indulge in darker proclivities.