Big Black Jack (Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter)
Oakshire Brewing

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From:
Oakshire Brewing
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
Ranked #164
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
85
Ranked #21,401
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 10.13%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
87
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 06, 2023
Added:
Oct 29, 2011
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  8
Real pumpkin, cocoa, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice and ginger create a depth of flavor well beyond the ordinary Pumpkin beer.
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Ratings by Recless7:
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Rated by Recless7 from Idaho

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

Oct 14, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Ontap at Brewforia. Pours black with sticky beige head. Heady dark chocolate aroma, taste is more chocolate and a touch of spice (nutmeg). Overall heavy body and lingering smokines on the palate. A nice fall warmer
Apr 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.04 by Nunya from Ohio

Oct 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.73 by VashonGuy from Washington

Oct 21, 2019
Photo of MaltsOfGlory
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon

4.01/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22oz bottle

Pours what looks to be a healthy 2 fingers of brown head into my nonic, but fades relatively quickly, leaving behind a good film though. Initial lacing looks great. Body is pitch black. Overall looks good so far.

Nose is very roasty, earing on too much, but not quite to the point of smoky. Some cinnamon and spice hiding in here for sure, not getting much pumpkin. Bitter notes from the malt as well, maybe faint cocao/chocolate. It’s a big nose, has some nice things going on but is a little roasty for me, not really showcasing all these ingredients either.

Flavor is certainly less roasty. Has a touch of pumpkin up front, as well as some cinnamon & nutmeg towards the end. Faint notes of chocolate. Finishes with some malt bitterness. This is a good flavor, not too roasty, and it’s doing just enough in the “pumpkin beer flavors” category to make it a tasty brew.

Body is on the lighter side for a porter, I don’t mind that too much. Carbonation is also on the lower side, which I would usually be bothered by, but it works here. Pretty wonderfully balanced between sweet and dry here - there are sugars, and there is some roast. Bitterness is definitely on the higher side for what one would expect to be a dessert beer; I can go either way on this, I don’t mind the bitterness as it adds to the balance, but it’s not what I was expecting. Overall a really nice mouthfeel here.

Drinkability is very nice for a 8% beer, no heat, and it’s drinks particularly light. Bitterness and roast slow me down just enough.

Appearance turned out wonderful, with thick sheets of lacing following me down the glass. If head retention wasn’t somewhat of an issue this would head been an even better looking beer.

Overall a beer with a big flavor, well balanced, nice mouthfeel, and tasty enough to do the trick. Nose leaves a little to be desired and the flavor was not quite as festive as I would have liked, but certainly enjoyable.
Oct 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.79 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Dec 27, 2018
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Par for my crazy course, it is just two weeks before/until Christmas 2018 & here I am, drinking a Pumpkin Beer! This was a part of my last shipment from Tavour before we had a parting of the ways. I liked their company & enjoyed the access to so many new & different beers, but their shipper was as inflexible as an I-beam & our continued relationship became untenable.

From the Bottle: "Real pumpkin, cocoa, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice and ginger create a depth of flavor well beyond the ordinary Pumpkin beer."

Ah, nothing like Pop!ping open a bomber after a long day. I utilized a C-Line pour to create just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, light-brown head with decent retention, leaving nice lacing in its wake. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose was really spicy! Yuge with cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger with a chocolaty undercurrent. Mmm! Mouthfeel was medium, but a little on the thin side for the current American Imperial Porter style. The taste is maybe going to be difficult to relate to - it was like a Pumpkin Spice donut from Dunkin' Donuts, but with chocolate frosting! Spicy, cake-y, bready & with a definite chocolate presence. Mmm. Now I want a donut! And not one of the ones that Arianna Grande licked, either. Finish was dry as you might easily imagine. Spices in beer = dry. It left me licking my lips & wondering why I did not drink this one until now.
Dec 12, 2018
Photo of rounks
Rated by rounks from Oregon

4.92/5  rDev +31.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Favorite pumpkin beer out there.
Oct 02, 2018
Photo of dancack
Reviewed by dancack from Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A fine fall pumpkin with chocolate added which brings that bitterness on the back end. Quite enjoyable and should be a fall favorite while it lasts. Cheers!
Sep 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.87 by Piglet_rulz_da_yard from California

Oct 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by BeerAndFilm from Oregon

Oct 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by Gobzilla from California

May 24, 2016
Photo of OrestesMethuon
Reviewed by OrestesMethuon from Montana

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A very competent iteration of an overdone genre (pumpkin porter).

True, black-brown porter color; good, crispy-cappuccino head. Nice charred-malt nose, with hints of chocolate bitter-fruit. Flavor follows suit, though restrained qualities of pumpkin-pie, clove, and allspice creep in at the edges, solidifying the genre's promise without overdoing. It's also decidedly refreshing porter, a quality lost on so many overspiced and overstuffed October-identified dark beers.
Apr 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by Akeah from Colorado

Mar 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Feb 14, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by atrocity from Virginia

Dec 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by VictorsValiant from Oregon

Nov 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by SocalKicks from California

Oct 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by johnpalisi from New Jersey

Oct 24, 2015
Big Black Jack (Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter) from Oakshire Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 87 ratings