-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Black Jack Stout
DuClaw Brewing Company
- From:
- DuClaw Brewing Company
- Maryland, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 8%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.83 | pDev: 11.75%
- Reviews:
- 60
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 28, 2017
- Added:
- Jul 05, 2004
- Wants:
- 18
- Gots:
- 5
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Feathersandbands:
Rated by Feathersandbands from Maryland
4.03/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
May 22, 2015
4.03/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
May 22, 2015
More User Ratings:
Rated by nick_perry from North Carolina
3/5 rDev -21.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3/5 rDev -21.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Dark color. Smoky aroma. Notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. Thick, warming feel.
Dec 28, 2017Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont
3.77/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle to snifter, the appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a finger’s worth of white foamy head that held and then slid off at a semi-slow pace. Not much lace, somewhat stringy, but sliding. The aroma had some sweet caramel/toffee malts, roasted dark malts, espresso roasty and sweet contours, some nuts, light toast, biscuits, sweet wood, smooth earthiness, milk chocolate and ended with a little bit of coffee creamer. The flavor did a pretty good job of blending all of the prior mentioned aromas to slide together on into the aftertaste and follow through into the finish. The feel was about medium bodied, perhaps a touch under with a fair sipping sort of quality about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt good. Pretty smooth along my tongue. Overall, pretty good imperial stout that packs in all of what one is looking for in the style.
Jun 10, 2017Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin
4.12/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.12/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a growler into a pint glass. Pours pitch black with a small light brown head that disappears quickly. Smells of coffee and chocolate, nice and full. Tastes of coffee and little chocolate, tad watery. Beer is full bodied but still very drinkable. Overall a very good beer.
Sep 18, 2015Reviewed by bluehende from Delaware
4.18/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Had this at a tasting from draft. It had all the things a good stout had with a very good mouth feel. I am surprised it does not get a much higher rating.
Jun 06, 2015Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts
3.85/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Very roasty even by RIS standards. Taste is coffee grounds, roasted malt, deep dark chocolate, and slight molasses. Taste is slightly bitter and the body is really heavy. This beer acts bigger than is 8.0 ABV would indicate. Enjoyable, although not as complex as other RIS that I have had.
Mar 02, 2015Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland
3.73/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
32 oz growler into a wine glass.
Appearance: Pours a pitch black color. The head is two fingers high, and tan in shade. Retention is okay, but the nice texture and excellent lacing left on my glass redeems its aesthetic appeal. (3.75)
Smell: Big roast here, exactly what I like in an imperial stout. Beneath the roasted coffee goodness lie notes of dry chocolate, brown sugar, and mild hoppiness. It isn't very deep, but it makes the most of its few notes extremely well. (3.75)
Taste: There's a good hoppiness here - not up to Storm King standards (obviously), but the opening flavors of mint and pine really do a good job of counteracting the chocolaty, roasty mid-taste. And is this one ever chocolaty. Licorice stays in the background throughout, thankfully never overpowering the faintly sweet finish. I'm even getting some smoky touches. This features a good mix of boldness and balance, not to mention it's easy to drink. (3.75)
Mouthfeel: For an imperial stout, this is very light - even detrimentally so. Still, it's crisp, dry finishing, and almost refreshing (!) This does accrue sweetness on the palate, however. Carbonation isn't strong, but it helps the beer go down more easily. (3.5)
Overall: DuClaw doesn't always make good beer...thankfully, this is one of their better brews. This is an imperial stout designed for drinkability over excessive bigness, and it's so much better for it. Maybe we should call it a stout and a half? Whatever it is, it's a rock-solid imperial stout. (3.75)
3.73/5: Not a royal flush, but definitely a four-of-a-kind
Jan 11, 2015Appearance: Pours a pitch black color. The head is two fingers high, and tan in shade. Retention is okay, but the nice texture and excellent lacing left on my glass redeems its aesthetic appeal. (3.75)
Smell: Big roast here, exactly what I like in an imperial stout. Beneath the roasted coffee goodness lie notes of dry chocolate, brown sugar, and mild hoppiness. It isn't very deep, but it makes the most of its few notes extremely well. (3.75)
Taste: There's a good hoppiness here - not up to Storm King standards (obviously), but the opening flavors of mint and pine really do a good job of counteracting the chocolaty, roasty mid-taste. And is this one ever chocolaty. Licorice stays in the background throughout, thankfully never overpowering the faintly sweet finish. I'm even getting some smoky touches. This features a good mix of boldness and balance, not to mention it's easy to drink. (3.75)
Mouthfeel: For an imperial stout, this is very light - even detrimentally so. Still, it's crisp, dry finishing, and almost refreshing (!) This does accrue sweetness on the palate, however. Carbonation isn't strong, but it helps the beer go down more easily. (3.5)
Overall: DuClaw doesn't always make good beer...thankfully, this is one of their better brews. This is an imperial stout designed for drinkability over excessive bigness, and it's so much better for it. Maybe we should call it a stout and a half? Whatever it is, it's a rock-solid imperial stout. (3.75)
3.73/5: Not a royal flush, but definitely a four-of-a-kind
Black Jack Stout from DuClaw Brewing Company
Beer rating:
86 out of
100 with
111 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!