Black Is Beautiful
Fremont Brewing Company

First off I want to say I bought this under protest
I'm not keen about giving my money to left-wing bull dyke terrorist groups, but with a description like this I had to put politics (morals, principle, common decency and all that is pure and good) aside.

That's why I regret to say... Damn this is good!
Not big on the bourbon barrel crap but this beer has such a wonderful chocolate aftertaste that it's worth the yucky at the start
I won't buy it again
But I'm definitely enjoying it in the moment

 

Black pour, solid dark tan head. Pick up expresso and anise in the nose. Viscous and syrupy on the tongue. Medium dry, some bitterness. We don't pick up the depth of flavors and complexity of other IRS offerings. A mid-tier product. No real flaws, but nothing stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

16 oz. can. Black body. Smells of roasted malts, some dark fruits, and a little bit of hops. Tastes of hops up front with dark fruits and slight sweetness behind it. Bitter chocolate malt finish. Still retains some hop flavor. Medium heavy, but extremely drinkable. Is it possible for an imperial stout to be crushable? Because this is awesome and way too easy to drink.

Unexpected gift from my eldest and her husband (I think he got it from his sister, who does regular beer exchanges). This is my 15th in the series. This one pours a dark, dark brown. Roasty grains in scent. The taste is of caramel, chocolate and roasted grains and malts. Quite enjoyable. The mouthfeel is medium, with a pleasant aftertaste that lingers slightly.
Overall, I would rate several in the series above it, but nevertheless it's an excellent contribution to the cause.

Pours stark black with a big, pillowy tan head that slowly creeps down over a few minutes, settling to a light ring; loose lacing. Nose is chocolate malt, toasted sugar, blueberries, some piney hops underneath; as it warms, a bit of black licorice pops in. Taste is pleasingly on the bitter side - black licorice, cocoa, baking chocolate, roasted malt, a touch of leather. Even as this one warms, the sweetness stays in the background; even then, it's as much suggestive of rich, piney hops as it is of the roasted malt. Full-bodied but with enough carbonation to keep it from getting heavy. Not mind-blowing, but a nice balanced imperial.

Poured blacker than night, thick like used diesel with an inky thick one finger head.

Lots of roasty and burnt notes blast your taste buds. Alcohol well hidden, lingering crispy burnt aftertaste.

Knew absolutely nothing about this beer except for the 2-packs of tall cans. Figured it would be good, wasn't disappointed.

Pouring into a cylindrical glass. Canned 7/2/20.
L: Holy cow, dark as night. as it poured, the head and bev were indistinguishable, a score of tiny bubbles rapidly sinking, then a brown caramel head arose tall, 3 inches or more, tight and long retained. It was a show to watch.
S: Walnut and chocolate candy nose, or chocolate dipped pretzels- a touch of grain. Phenomenally deep.
T: Hit right away with a dense chocolate that gets stronger over time, woodiness, a dark hard lumber hints in and out while there is also a presence of roasted grain. Sweetness is kept just enough at bay but keeps calling one back.
F: Creamy yet light coating the tongue with not much carbonation. Smooth and unagressive.
By and by, Black is Beautiful is... beautiful. The look out of the can was astounding and entertaining to see and the color couldn't get any shade darker. The smell, as the taste were superior in dynamic. At 9ABV and so rich, I would drink one at the end of a day as dessert. Shout out to their cause and can art.

16oz can dated 7/2/20 poured into a Teku.

Pours a 3" medium tan head that slowly dissipates. A black opaque color.

Smells like dark chocolate, toffee, and bitter burnt sugar/caramel.

Tastes like alcohol, chocolate, coffee, plums and dried fruit.

Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with an alcohol burn.

This one strikes me as a stronger Dark Star. I get a lot of the same flavors and aromas, but the alcohol has a much stronger presence. I'm interested in setting one of these aside for a year or two and letting it mellow out a bit.

Appearance:
Black is indeed beautiful, as showcased by this beer. A stately, lacquered black with a khaki head that sits handsomely in just about any glass. The head poofs up to a dignified height and retains with confident modesty.

Bouquet:
Curiously meek, for an imperial. It’s almost as though the aroma is actively avoiding detection. What I can distinguish is an evasive, malted milk chocolate, toasted bran wheat, and a distant draft of sugar. Later, once its warmed up, the bouquet presents a pleasing noseful of caramelized plantains.

Feel:
Slippery smooth and lofty as a cloud. Full bodied but deceptively light. Relaxed carbonation lets that silky texture dominate.

Taste:
You MUST let this one air. While cold, the coconut aspect is so pitiably weak I’m forced to wonder if I’m imagining it. After a long breather, the flavor profile loses its stage fright and finally starts singing. There’s browned malts, bran flakes, Demerara sugar, and a tepid trace of coconut. The aftertaste presents a linger that can best be described as: milk chocolate on a diet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 oz can

Pours opaque black, dark tan head is firm and slowly dissipates to a bit of lacing.

Aroma of fresh roasted coffee, cocoa, bit of mesquite, sone coppery notes, and toast.

Tastes of coffee, dark bitter chocolate, molasses, mesquite, and nearly burnt toast.

Fuller body, velvety carbonation on the tongue.

Pretty solid stout, very pretty poor and nice body. Flavor and aroma are good and rich, not mind-blowing but appreciated for a smokey, more bitter stout. Definitely worth a try, maybe two. And it's a collab with Weathered Souls, so you're supporting a brewery owned by POC in a turbulent time. Can't beat helping a cause by drinking a beer, right?

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a two finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt with mild char, chocolate, light coffee and molasses; a bit boozy. Flavor is dark toasted malt with moderate char, dark chocolate, licorice; char and coffee in the finish with a little biscuit; slightly dry. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A good, dark stout with great char, thinner in body than some of the others in this series. Flavor seems dialed back a little from Fremont's bigger stouts, but maybe I'm spoiled. This stout looks great (has a superb head in my snifter that often seems to subdue the heads on stouts) and hits all the flavors I want from a big stout. The dryness was a nice diversion from others from this recipe and a from Fremont's style too. Solid.