Black Bear Stout
Barrington Brewery & Restaurant / Berkshire Mountain Brewery

Solid. in a glass from a can purchased at the restaurant/brewery a few months ago. A bit over-carbonated maybe, but tastes good, more milk chocolate than dark chocolate, a medium roast coffee, not bitter. An easy-going stout, nice on a cool night.

 

Had this on tap at the brewery! Poured a beautiful clear but black color with a 1 finger tan colored head that laced a bit on the way down. It smelled of roasted malts, toffee, coffee, and chocolate at the end of the nose. Tasted just as I was hoping, deep roasted malts, black coffee flavors, with hints of sweet toffee and chocolate mixed in. Velvety but slightly crisp, medium bodied, perfect amount of carbonation. Overall, excellent beer!

 

 

 

This was served in a pint glass at the brewpub. The appearance was a black color with a slim bar pour’s kind of white to off white foamy head that quickly dissipated leaving some light clingy lacing. The smell had a graceful blend of roasted coffee notes with a rich sweet chocolate. The taste came across through the roasty notes. A slight roasty aftertaste leads to the same finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a decent sessionability about it. Rich smooth creamy roasty coffee and chocolate graces my tongue very nicely. Overall, this was my favorite beer from this brewery. Definitely have again.

 

 

 

 

 

From BeerAdvocate Magazine #75 (April 2013):

Brewed to style and quite drinkable; a sleeper in the boonies. These guys have been brewing for 18 years—we are talking old-school New England craft brewing. Before there were any trends, just great beer. Black Bear Stout still fits that mindset.

STYLE: Sweet Stout
ABV: 0.0% ??????
AVAILABILITY: Year-round

LOOK: Pitch black, good lacing

SMELL: Buttery, roasty, sweet, charred wood, faint blackberries, yeast

TASTE: Semi-silky smooth, creamy full-ish body; light roastiness, light butteriness, chocolate, charcoal, modest hopping, hint of alcohol, dark fruit, dry-ish finish