Black Snake
Beltway Brewing Company

Pours a dark cola-colored brew that forms a thick khaki head, about 1 inch thick. The head dissipates fairly slowly to leave behind a solid level of retention and good lacing in a tulip glass. Aromas of roasted malt, bourbon barrel, vanilla (lending some sweetness), and a hint of maple. Taste is very well balanced between dominant roasted malts, coffee, burnt sugar, bourbon barrel (which provides some heat), hops, and vanilla. Maple is less evident in the taste. Medium body with light carbonation, but overall very complex and well formulated. This beer doesn't try to do too much, but the flavors and aromas it does incorporate blend well and the result is a superbly drinkable beer that packs a punch but doesn't overwhelm you.

Poured from a 16oz can into pint glass in March 2022. This was canned on 11/22/2021, and I purchased it during my visit to their brewpub.

Appearance: Dark black with a thick tan/brown head. The head is 2-finger thick with fine bubbles. It lasts for a few minutes and ends with a thin tan head. There is only a little lacing sticking to the glass. Typical Imperial Stout.

Smell: Nice mix of aromas including sweet maple as well as roasted malt. Also contrasting vanilla and bourbon.There is some coffee aromas as well, but overall the maple and roasted malt dominate the others.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the tart roasted malts, coffee, and hops flavors versus the sweet maple and vanilla flavors. There are some chocolate flavors to enhance the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence, as with other Imperial Stouts. Great balance and aftertaste. The taste makes this different than other imperial stouts.

Mouth-feel: Thick, but with a smooth and creamy body. More smooth than many other imperial stouts.

This is a very good imperial stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds an impressive complexity to the beer. Although this is a big beer, it is smooth and very enjoyable to drink. The smoothness adds to the overall enjoyment. I will buy this again.

 

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and an opaque texture. There was a small amount of foamy, tan-colored head that quickly dissipated. Not much lacing here.

S: A nice aroma of bourbon, vanilla, malt, dark fruit, and light hops.

T: Tasted of some mild vanilla notes (could have used more), a decent amount of hops, lots of bourbon flavor, a good amount of dark fruit (plums, plums), and hops in the finish. A generally well done flavor with a good deal of force behind it. A little thin in the finish, but quite tasty. The high ABV% isn't overly noticeable.

F: A below average amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium- to full-bodied.

O: For the most part, this is a solidly made, drinkable stout. Definitely drinkable.

The beer pours a nice tan brown head that is a bit frothy while the beer itself is an opaque dark chocolate black that looks pretty good for the standard stout color. Interestingly enough, the beer doesn't have a thin looking texture that normally accompanies a barrel aged beer.

The smell and taste are good as well. The beer has a good and balanced mixture of barrel notes and stout notes. The stout notes consist of a good moderate roast note that mixes well with a sweet milk chocolate. The bourbon mixes well with the stout notes while the vanilla is moderate and doesn't over power all the other notes. The smell tends to lean more towards roasted.

The feel is good. The feel is pretty good with a heavy body that is interestingly thin with a light and biting carbonation.

Overall, the beer is good. It has a nice strong smell and flavor and a pretty good feel that is a lot more drinkable than one would expect.