Black Bear XX Stout
Alameda Brewhouse

Black Bear XX StoutBlack Bear XX Stout
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From:
Alameda Brewhouse
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Foreign / Export Stout
ABV:
7%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.94 | pDev: 11.17%
Reviews:
111
Ratings:
258
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 04, 2019
Added:
Feb 20, 2004
Wants:
  14
Gots:
  34
"Smooth, rich and creamy. Rye malt blends with roast and chocolate malts to create a new and delicious stout profile, balanced with soft and velvety hops. This northwest original is poured using the traditional nitrogen dispensing method, so it may take an extra minute to arrive, but the wait is worth it. The Black Bear won the Gold Medal at the 2003 GABF in the foreign-style stout category."

6.8% ABV 50 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Kris-Tada
Rated by Kris-Tada from Washington

4.88/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
My favorite Stout by far!!! Even better than the Irish death in my opinion.
Apr 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Sep 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.92 by Giangio from Italy

Jul 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.19 by chebode2 from Germany

Apr 19, 2018
Photo of Lingenbrau
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

4.42/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pitch black. Clean. Almost perfect even. An enormous creamy and foamy tanned head layers itself on top, and takes its time to come down, leaving ring after ring just in case you forgot what was there.

Extremely roasty and extremely metallic aromas clash appropriately. Dark chocolate, charred bread, toasted nuts. Iron, mineral water, damp soil.

Each sip plays back and forth with an initial roasted grain intensity followed by a smooth semi sweet milk chocolate. All together, each sip is reminiscent of chocolate covered toasted nuts, followed by a sharp metallic and floral finish.

It starts creamy and sweet, then roasty and bitter. Full bodied but ends dry except for the sticky film that coats the lips.

This is a damn good classic export stout. In the same ballpark as the more well known like Pelican Tsunami and Guinness Foreign Extra. When I'm in the mood for such, no question I'll reach for some more Black Bear XX. Cheers.
Apr 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.84 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Feb 03, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Dec 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.15 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Aug 19, 2017
Photo of Impetuous
Reviewed by Impetuous from Montana

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Perfectly opaque deep brown, nearly black. Head is a lovely autumn brown that is small but vibrant.

Flavors are light cola, chocolate, with some pine in the back. Carbonation is silky smooth

Pretty good !
Jul 15, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.05/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
She pours a motor oil quality and leaves the same colored body, both have an enormous three finger head that seems like it just doesn’t want to die. Wow, what a nice show as the lacing is strewn in foamy bubbles. The aroma has a super huge amount of roasted coffee notes coming through in a slightly bitter way, backed up by a decent amount of roasted malts. The taste is mainly bitter and roasty, there’s an aspect about this beer that tells me it wants to own you as something dark and harsh pervades and pounds my mouth. There is a super dry roasty somewhat coffee-like aftertaste with a just a plain dry finish. On the palate, she sits about a medium on my mouth and tongue and wants to try to be gentle yet that same dark harshness comes back, carbonation is fairly smooth. Overall, I think is just an ok foreign/extra stout, it has a fair amount of good qualities of the style trying to come out but there's a fair amount of other ones of this style that I would rather have.
Jun 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.23 by Mack from Canada (QC)

Jun 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by InfernoBoss from California

Feb 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.03 by YvesB from Belgium

Dec 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.17 by RBuckley73 from Nevada

Dec 27, 2016
Photo of cjgiant
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

3.72/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer pours rather thick looking - like a lightweight oil. a nice medium to dark tan head builds up and forms a lightly foamy cap. Lacing comes in lines of residual bubble stretching most the way around the glass.

Nose is roasty with maybe just a slight bit of char. Seems to be a little amount of unsweetened chocolate or cocoa, perhaps, but isn't clear to my nose. A little smoky astringent note comes out on a warm beer.

Taste doesn't give you much sweetness up front. It almost teases you ever so briefly before bitterness takes over. This bitterness controls the taste to me. Roasted malt bitterness mainly, with a bit of woody bitterness that may be from the hops. No chocolate carried over from the nose to the taste, the flavor is more of a coffee-like roasted malt flavor with a little nuttiness perhaps, but no fruit. (Note: I enjoyed the last of this with a roast beef sandwich, and afterwards, a near room temperature beer did show a little bit of a chocolate brownie note)

Beer is a more bitter than I'd hoped. It's quite bold in its roastiness, and seems to have a decent dose of hops. I long for a little of the sweetness to balance this.
Dec 25, 2016
Photo of Radcpa
Reviewed by Radcpa from Washington

4.19/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Wry dark appearance with a mild coffee taste and aroma. The beer is a little thin on appearance aroma and taste. A bit to mild for be. I like something that does not hint at th she qualities but actually delivers.
Dec 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.24 by Dsimenson from California

Oct 09, 2016
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Picked up a bomber from the Belmont Station in Portland yesterday for $4.98.

Beer poured black with a nice tan head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is roasted malts with hints of cocoa and some dark fruit like sweetness. Hopping is ample enough to keep it from being cloying.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy smooth.

Overall a nice stout that is fairly priced. I would recommend it if you enjoy the export stout style.
Aug 22, 2016
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.54/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle purchased and consumed in Oregon. 7% ABV.

Pours dark brown, ending up essentially black.
Fruit and dark roasted grains in the aroma.

Dark roasted grains with some char longer in the mildly bitter aftertaste. Unfortunate sourness.
Sweet up front with hints of dark chocolate followed by espresso.
Jul 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.07 by BeerAndFilm from Oregon

Jun 04, 2016
Black Bear XX Stout from Alameda Brewhouse
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 258 ratings