Black Forest Magic
Foundation Brewing Company

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned in 11/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of cherry juice, vanilla, lactose, dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, grassy, woody, peppery, roast, charred bitterness; and cherry tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of cherry juice, vanilla, lactose, dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome hop/char bitter/sweet and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/tart/tangy. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky/acidic/tangy/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an awesome fruited milk stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of cherry juice, vanilla, lactose, dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish; great soft feel. Awesome balance of juicy/jammy cherries, lactose, vanilla, and rich malt complexity; with balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering tart/bitter dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on English style example as expected.

A: Pours a black color with a reddish-brown tint. 2 fingers of head fades down to a thin cap

S: Roasted malt, cherries, vanilla, dark chocolate

T: Starts off with the roasted malt and cherries and then slowly picks up the vanilla, lactose, and dark chocolate. Not super sweet. The cherries are more on the tart side. Finishes with lingering cherry and roast

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth

O: A nice dessert stout that does a decently good job at getting the flavors of a black forest cake. Flavors meld well together. Solid