Black Lake
Fort George Brewery + Public House

8-ounce pour enjoyed in a snifter at Loyal Legion Beaverton.

Look:
The opaque black-brown body resists my phone light, revealing a dark brick red color and ruby highlights only at the thinnest edges. The nougat colored head quickly pulls back to a thick collar and deposits sticky lacing on its way down the glass.

Smell:
The nose is a nicely integrated combo of dark chocolate ganache, roasted malt, salted caramel, and a heady layer of black licorice.

Taste:
These elements come through in the flavor like instruments in a well-engineered album. Dark chocolate leads, but doesn't step on the malt, and notes of coffee, caramel, and black licorice ring through clearly. There's just enough sweetness to bring the flavors into focus. Salt flickers briefly in the middle, leading into a low licorice note which takes a solo and then bows out to let dark malt and unsweetened cocoa have the outro.

Feel:
The body is medium-full with satiny texture and a warm wave of alcohol.

Overall:
This is how you handle a strong flavor with finesse. The salted licorice is the star here, but it shares the spotlight instead of stealing it. I am sorry that this is only available on draft. This is the kind of beer I could enjoy until early spring, and crave until the weather turns cold again.