Black Is Beautiful
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

I really enjoy stouts and I have tried a couple of Three Floyds excellent beers previously, so I was excited when I saw this at the store. I would wholeheartedly agree with other reviewers that from the first sip it screams black IPA, and that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It appears thinner than many stouts and the smell is a lot more hoppy citrusy in nature. I would say that the flavors start with citrus in a hint of stout and end more bitter. It’s still good, just not what I expected. I will still enjoy the remaining bottles, and will look for more unique beers from Three Floyds!

 

 

Bottle courtesy of basaywhat.
I’m not sure what the Floyd’s were going for, but there’s just no flavor.
A bit of bittersweet chocolate.
At least it’s for a good cause.

Fizzy tight dark beige head; black body with some clarity under cap; very good cap retention; moderate to heavy lacing. Roast malt, light caramel nose. Metallic bitterness; vegetables - like cooked celery as it warms. Light body, moderate minus carbonation; seems very light for an oatmeal stout. Overall there’s a Long bitter roast linger and odd veggies flavor...thin, verging on watery...not at all what I was expecting.

Decent head production and retention; nice lacing. Head is a soft creamy tan color; body is a nutty ebony.

Hop-forward nose, leading with citrus, but also lending notes of tropical fruit and pine. Caramel, toffee, espresso, chocolate, and molasses round out the aroma.

Similar presentation on the palate, almost more of a black IPA, with tons of fruity hop tones and a rich chocolate malt base beneath. In fact, if you approach it as a black IPA, it's absolutely delightful. Mandarin orange, grapefruit peel, melon, lemon, chocolate, mild char, espresso, toast, caramel, pine, leather, and toffee. Hops prominently feature citrus expression.

Very lively on the palate; crisp and clean. Also more befitting a Black IPA than an oatmeal stout, although there is a nice creaminess to the finish.

Outstanding!

Dark brown color, nearly opaque, large and lasting creamy tan head.

In the nose: Nicely roasted, mostly malty, slightly hoppy.

In the mouth: rich, roasted dark malts, creamy smooth mouthfeel, silky oats at play. Minor hop bitterness. Chocolate and coffee notes rise in flavor. Light fruitiness in the taste, a bittersweet note hits. Medium bodied, and very easy drinking. Quite nice.

 

 

 

12oz bottled 09/16/20 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 7.5% ABV. The beer pours dense dark brown with no highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves a complete web of lacing behind. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring pine, caramel and candied citrus. The taste is semisweet caramel with the pine & citrus notes up front before roasted malt takes over for a mildly ashy, moderate to heavy final bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, interesting oatmeal stout as they've labeled it, but a great black IPA. I will enjoy this six pack. Numerically scored to my enjoyment, which is not my typical mode, but unfair to rate this to style as an oatmeal stout.

This pours black, but it’s loosely black, with a lot of leakage to mahogany on the edges. The tan head provides some nice lacing, and leads to aromas of bittersweet chocolate and espresso (or intense coffee).

The tast is led by the bittersweet chocolate, but the interesting byplay is between the espresso and citrus flavors that follow. What an adventurous flavor ride this is.

I’m glad I have a few more bottles of this, because I’m interested to see how this changes as it ages.

 

A - Pours as a fairly standard stout, opaque black body with a light tan head. Lots of lovely fine line lacing.

S - Strong hop hit, positive citrus and harsher dank wild hop notes. Maybe a bit of roast, but frankly the hops eclipse the standard stout nose.

S - Taste reads as more a Black IPA, with pungent citrus hops laying brightly over chocolate and dark bread malt notes. The bitter cut of the hop draws off typical sweetness, offering a welcome balance.

M - Moderate weight and clean finish.

O - Surprising and delicious. I genuinely miss black IPAs, and this reminds me most of Stone’s Sublimely Self righteous Ale. This is not a bad thing.