Dark Metal
Birrificio Indipendente Elav

 

 

On the docket: 750mL bottle of Birrificio Indipendente Elav’s Dark Metal Imperial Stout (8% abv)

Poured into: River Horse snulip

Sight: A hue straight from the Dark One’s soul- so black it seems to suck in the light around it. A big, velvety, khaki cap of a head sits on top. Gradually, it recedes. The lacing looks like the font artist for Borknagar doodled on the rim of the glass.

Aroma: Luscious, bold dark chocolate, French-roast coffee, anise. A tingle of complex warming alcohols. Subtle whiff of pine and spice from the Chinook hops.

Taste: Roasted barley, high-cacao content dark chocolate. Smooth, almost cold-press coffee and a bitter finish to balance off the sweet malt. Long finish of black licorice and earthy, peppery spice. As it warms, a slight twang emerges, like that found in Guinness.

Feel: Medium-full. Not quite chewy, but getting there. Light, tingly carbonation.

Overall: Pleasant imperial stout from a prior-unknown Italian brewery. Puts Peroni to shame (which, FYI is owned by Asahi!! That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Peroni is actually Japanese). Throw up horns and crank up the volume on some Kreator, Testament, or Opeth.

Suggested food pairing: Smoked gouda, baby-back ribs, vanilla-bean NY style cheesecake, the blood of the innocents…

… that last one was a joke

 

 

Pours completely black, one finger tan head. Light lacing.

Smells of peppermint, coffee and cocoa.

Tastes mainly of chocolate. Light spicy pepper, and a somewhat bitter coffee aftertaste. Some hops. After a while peppermint creeps in and makes for a pretty weird combination. I'm not entirely sure I like it.

Medium body, carbonation is light to medium and prickly. Sticky.

Weird, but not in a very good way. I mean, it's interesting, but I don't feel like it's very successful at what it's trying to achieve. Puzzling! Outside of the weird peppermint thing, it's a very average Imperial Stout, not exactly complex or well-balanced.

 

Dark brown color with mocha head. Aroma is malty with dark fruits and some roastiness in the back. Taste follows with dark malts, quite bitter and roasty, some dark fruits and long, bitter, coffee finish and aftertaste. Medium body with medium to low carbonation. A really classic imperial stout.

 

 

 

 

Black, small tan head that lasts a bit, leaves a long lasting sticky lace tho.
Roasted malt, chocolate and raisin, molasses, some herbal hop, light coffee notes. Smells.. accordingly, but not too intense.
Dark chocolate and herbal hops from the start, pepperminty, something like After Eight chocolates. There's even some citrus peel. Roasted malts follow, dark bread crust, some dusty spices, light licorice too. Nice coffee finish, with some bitter hop also.
Aftertaste has roast and dark chocolate shavings, lingering citrus peel. Medium body, medium carbonation.
A nice imperial stout with some nice extra hop that makes it quite refreshing. No bad extra alcohol too. Really nice.

 

330 ml bottle into snifter, best before 7/2018. Pours pitch black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, molasses, raisin, pine, herbal, grass, light char, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt and pine/earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, molasses, raisin, pine, herbal, grass, light char, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Fair amount of pine/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, molasses, raisin, pine, light char, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and robustness of dark/roasted malt and pine/earthy hops flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good imperial stout. All around good complexity, balance, and robustness of dark/roasted malt and pine/earthy hops flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

 

Pitch black appearance. One finger of an average light brown foam.
Toasted smell, very light chocolate, an hint of hoppy, green notes. Not too interesting.
Similar taste, nothin gto remember.
Some chocolate, dust, cocoa. Candy fruit.
Not too interesting.