Black Squirrel
Cinder Block Brewery

 

Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a one-finger, light brown head of bubbly foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of dark chocolate and roasted malt. Great blend of dark chocolate, burnt molasses, toffee and roasted malt. A slight piney bitterness added balance. It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale.

one of the better beers we had during our visit here, it is almost assuredly aged in a whiskey barrel, although the bartender had no idea. the viscous shiny black brew had an incredible aroma of vanilla, whiskey heat, and smoke, and it suggests to me this spent some time in a barrel, but i could be wrong i guess. quite rich in flavor, licorice and tobacco and earthy dark malts are all there, whiskey, even some rye malt maybe, there is a mild spice running through this as well. peppery almost. tons of dark roast to this, unbrewed coffee comes to mind, even raw cocoa nibs. tons of body, really silky smooth, tastes aged, mature, mellowed, really good. what really blew my mind here is how good this was, along with their barleywine, but how downright pedestrian and forgettable some of their others were, the wit and the hoppy stuff especially. it has to be harder to make a beer like this well than a simple ipa, but they got it reversed somehow. this is killer beer though, a unique example of the style and really well done.

 

 

An excellent imperial stout from a vastly improved brewery from a year ago. While the base line selection ranges from good to mediocre, the speciality seasonal offerings have been excellent. Besides this lovely, rich stout, I have had a surprisingly good Berliner Weiss and a solid barley wine.

 

Lots of barrel character. Vanilla, charred malts. Well done.