Black Eye
Avery Brewing Company

Black EyeBlack Eye
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From:
Avery Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
18.82%
Score:
97
Avg:
4.4 | pDev: 8.64%
Reviews:
30
Ratings:
193
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 06, 2024
Added:
Mar 27, 2014
Wants:
  92
Gots:
  74
Aged in Rum barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours pitch black with a one finger tan head; the bubbles of the head slowly pop away, leaving some spots and squiggles that dribble down the side of the glass; quite leggy

Smell: Quite boozy, with the Rum barrel blending with charred malt and sugarcane tones

Taste: The sugarcane notes from the Rum barrels are prominent at the outset, with fusel alcohol, oak, and charred malt flavors joining; the finish is quite boozy with the Rum remaining prominent into the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation

Overall: Interesting to see how this been has developed over almost 10 years; reading through the reviews, this hasn't mellowed very much over the time frame; it is still as brash as ever
Feb 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by NickThePyro from Washington

Nov 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.83 by Ajlvt from Washington

Nov 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.35 by rbrefbeerman from California

May 13, 2019
Photo of Cubatobaco
Reviewed by Cubatobaco from Virginia

4.44/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A forgotten bottle in the back of the cellar that drinks like a fresh BA Stout. After all of these years the rum barrel is as pronounced as day one. It wouldn't hurt to hold this back for a couple of years to mellow it out. For a Stout that is out of production, it sure makes its presence known. I hope they make this again. The rum barrel keeps this aged stout sweet while the body is full and viscous.

Great beer, Avery!
Dec 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Erik-P from Canada (BC)

Oct 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Adamostella from Washington

Oct 10, 2017
 
Rated: 4.29 by Kuges from Texas

Sep 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.89 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

May 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.65 by Hypersomnia from New Jersey

Mar 24, 2017
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Black color. A bit of tan head.

Very strong. Lots of alcohol phenols. Rum, oak, chocolate, cocoa, figs, molasses, raisins, and dates.

Thick and boozy.

Fun to try, but very strong.
Mar 12, 2017
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.83/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
BOTTLE: Bottled June 27 2014. Production: 424 cases. Brown glass. Iconic Avery label. Gold foil covers the pry-off crown cap. 12 fl oz format.

18.82% ABV. "Stout aged in rum barrels."

Served chilled into a snifter.

HEAD: Gorgeous shining complexion. Dark khaki-tan colour. Not as creamy, soft-looking, or even robust as would be ideal; it's a bit thin. Recedes within 3 minutes (which is pretty damned impressive at ~19% ABV). Leaves no lacing as it recedes, but I can coax out some streaking brandy-like legs by tilting the glass.

BODY: Predictably, it's an opaque solid black. No yeast/lees visible within.

Appears aptly carbonated. Not a unique or special appearance for a rum barrel aged imperial stout, but certainly appealing.

AROMA: Boozy rum leaps out of the glass, evoking toasted coconut and sugarcane, but no rich white oak. The barrel character eclipses any aromatics from the base, drowning out any notes of dark malts and chocolate malts. I think I find some walnut and/or nougat?

Suggests a chewy boozy beast of an imperial stout with wanting intricacy and subtlety of execution but decent depth of flavour. Aromatic intensity is mild.

TASTE: Tannins and dry wooden tones are present from the get-go, making this imperial stout drink less than clean. Boozy throughout, making one wonder why Avery insists on skyrocketing these 12 fl oz releases through the roof; wouldn't this be better with less heat?

Rum barrel has soaked into the chocolate malts and dark malts at the heart of the beer, but it isn't a harmonious marriage of barrel and base. There isn't egregious clashing, but it lacks the neat cohesion of the best barrel aged imperial stouts and the flavours do seem to be fighting to see which can emerge as loudest. More subtlety and delicate execution would be nice, but it isn't imbalanced in spite of failing to amount to a true gestalt whole of a beer; it's neither too sweet nor too bitter. But the wood tannins are rough and distract from the more conventional imperial stout notes.

Speaking of which, this is pretty simply constructed. No roasted barley, no charred/burnt sugars, no barrel char, no subtle toasted coconut, no coffee or other adjuncts. In a style that includes some of the most intricate beers in the world, that's pretty disappointing.

TEXTURE: Awkwardly dry and rough on the palate at times, evoking stale dried-out wood in combination with the underwhelming barrel flavours. Overcarbonated. Hot and boozy. Heavy and thick on the palate, with a borderline syrupy feel. The chewiness is right for the style, and I don't mind the booze as much as many might, but the lack of a soft silky feel or adequate creaminess makes it less approachable than it could be. Definitely a filling mouthfeel. Not tailored specifically to the flavour profile. Fails to elevate the beer as a whole or to accentuate specific notes.

OVERALL: More drinkable than its ~19% ABV would lead one to expect but less drinkable than the best expressions of the style (and amost any "average" beer regardless of style conventions), Black Eye is a booze-ridden brew that suffers from a lack of seamless layering of barrel and base. Not a unique or special imperial stout, and the base is in serious need of work in terms of complexity and depth of flavour. I adore many of the beers in Avery's barrel aged series, but this is not amongst their strongest efforts by my estimation. I'll enjoy finishing the bottle, but boy am I thankful this rich beast of a beer isn't packaged in bigger format bottles; it'd be a chore at anything above 12 oz (and I find myself wishing I had company to share this with).

I'd like to see a gooey, chewy mouthfeel with more silky softness, as well as a flavour profile with more intricacy and depth of flavour in addition to a more appropriate choice of barrel. The strengths of rum barrels aren't explored here (which is surprising given Avery's control over rum barrels in beers like Rumpkin) and I continue to question Avery's obsession with hugely alcoholic beers.

C (2.83) / AVERAGE
Dec 30, 2016
Photo of deleted_user_357747
Reviewed by deleted_user_357747

4.51/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Yowzas, 18%+. WIll it be a spciy meat-a-ball? No, thankfully. Boozy, but no choking heat. Sweet with touches of the vanilla and dark tropical fruits found in god-tier Zacapa 23 yr. Licorice? You betcha. Dark malts are more brandy like than your average stout malt-bill. So much in the nose, but I was too drunk to really pick em out. 2004 vintage.

Not brewed anymore, this was a one-off for Avery's barrel-aged series. Others include a tequila barrel beer, but if you see Mr Blackbeard staring you down from a dusty shelf, you buy it. This beer is fantastic, which is what Avery means in Mongolian. Awesome stuff.
Dec 26, 2016
Photo of Rimbimhoot
Reviewed by Rimbimhoot from Illinois

4.41/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Black with light brown head, plenty of lacing on glass
S: Huge rum, sweet dates, dark chocolate, roasty coffee, alcohol, raisin, vanilla
T: Bitter chocolate, sweet rum, milk chocolate, alcohol heat, oak, vanilla, maple, raisin, port, molasses
M: Lighter side of thick with plenty of residual sugars
O: Held up great with 3.5 years on it. Still tons of heat but it helps balance the sweetness. Would likely be even better with 3%-5% less abv
Dec 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.38 by enelson from Illinois

Aug 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.42 by rawfish from California

Jun 13, 2016
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A booze bomb, in the best sort of way. Still a gloriously hot mess after nearly two years of ageing in the bottle. Fudge, marshmallow, oak, fire, and spiced rum. More heat to it than some other Avery beers of similar strength, this one has a sharp edge that warns you to sip gently.
May 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Apr 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by AlexFields from Tennessee

Feb 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by shoegueuze from California

Feb 11, 2016
Black Eye from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 193 ratings