Dominion Black & Tan
Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company

Old Dominion does some good and some okay beers. I'm a fan, thought, because their brewery is not too far away and I can pick up sixtels of some of their lesser-known beers for my kegerator. Such was the case with their Black and Tan.

B&T's appearance is formidable. Deep, rich darkness with a firm head which leads into a nice, chocolately aroma with hints of coffee. The tast confirms the smell. Malty, nutty, chocolately. Quite drinkable, but not stop-in-my-tracks outstanding. The mouthfeel isn't as solid as I would have expected, and almost hints at a metallic feel from time to time, though not often enough to warrant a bad review here.

Overall, this is a fine brew. And when I'm ready for another sixtel of Black and Tan, I'll probably come back to OD.

Appearance: Arrives at the table with a thick black body that extends 3/4 of the way down and sits on top of a clear amber base; the entire concoction is topped with a creamy foam that sticks and provides plenty of lacing

Smell: Malty chocolate nose with some roasted notes

Taste: Roasted malt and chocolate flavors up front; midway down the bitterness kicks in; the finish is dry with a touch of chocolate sweetness

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied with modest carbonation

Drinkability: Excellent beer on tap; love the way it changes its flavor profile on the palate from start to finish

The beer poured slightly hazydark brown. The head was rocky and lasted forever, only dropping so it could lace the glass.

The aroma was yeasty and had slight hoppiness, but no real malt or stout characteristics.

The flavor was dry and slighty bitter. The beer is also slightly astringent. The bitterness outshines any real contribution from the stout.

The finish was dry and lasting with a decent amount of bitterness. The body is medium light.

The label says a blend of stout and ale.

12 ounce bottle. Bottled on 31 JUL 2003.

Its slightly hazy, deep-chestnut body reveals orange highlights when held to the light; and its frothy, light tan head holds quite well while leaving some impressive lace about the glass. The nose, however, is less exciting than its appearance with some muted roasty maltiness and some delicate floral hoppiness. The body is medium-light and it's crisp in the mouth with a fine, median carbonation. The flavor offers the same dampened roastiness that the nose offers... the dark malt edge is there, but the richness is missing. A perfect black & tan. There's a subtle edge of chocolate that's nice, however, and the floral hops really come through in the flavor, which is a bit unusual. It's well-balanced by a firm bitterness, and it finishes dry with just a subtle touch of dark chocolate roastiness and some lingering floral hops.

Not the best "black and tan" brew I have had, but it's not too bad either. I would rather go with the Yuengling Black and Tan, but I thought I would try this one. It actually got better the more I drank it. It was kind of hoppy, I thought, in the beginning, which I never really associated with a B&T, but it smoothed out more and more. All in all, it wasn't great, but I would like to try it off tap.

Light brown with a low beige head that leaves sporadic rings of lace. Very light hop aroma when fresh and a light roasty aroma. Roasty malt flavor with a slight hop character and great balance. LIght bodied with a slightly dry roasty coffee-ish finish.

Label states: "Stout & Ale"

Bottled: 08/19/02 Tasted: 02/01/03