Corvo Negro
NOVO Brazil Brewing Co.

A - Pours a very deep dark oily Black colour with a dark tanned head that reduces slowly and laces
S - Quite pronounced expresso coffee aromas with a sweet chocolate toffee finish. The more I sniffed the sweeter it became
T - Some big dark smokey old coffee flavours up front that mellow out into a vanilla marshmellow flavour. The finish is definitely marshmellow.
M - Full body and minimum carbonation
O - A well rounded impy, with a big flavour, however the flavour is not blanaced enough to make this a classic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canned 4/24/18, consumed 1/11/19

Pours pitch black with a huge brown head, great retention, a little lacing.

Aroma is primarily of toasted malt with cocoa and sweet vanilla. Definitely gets better as it warms.

Taste follows, less sweet than aroma suggests, darker chocolate and more roasty.

Feel is medium-heavy, great full body you always hope for from an imperial stout (but lots of times don't get), pretty lively carbonation, solid amount of bitterness. Definitely the highlight.

Overall, this doesn't blow you away on aroma & taste, but I really like the full feel. Certainty recommend giving this a shot.

 

 

Pours a pitch black, appearing opaque black in the glass with a half finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and biscuit malt, molasses, cocoa and vanilla; nicely malty. Flavor is dark toasted malt with moderate char, espresso coffee, cocoa and a little vanilla and dark dried fruit. Finishes with coffee, charry malt and slight grassy hops. Medium bodied with light creaminess and active carbonation. A very coffee forward flavor to this rich, dark imperial stout. The body is a little on the light side and there is light hops, but otherwise the profile is closer to a Russian imperial stout with deep dark malt and chocolate notes. There is char throughout, but well done and balanced with the malt and coffee flavors. The latter is realistic (and quality coffee), I'd think this had coffee added. A fine stout that would be stellar with a little heavier body. But it is rich and flavorful as is. Exceeded my expectations and a very nice introduction to this brewery that will make me look for more brews next time I'm in Southern California.

 

Dark as night with a thin light brown head that quickly dissipated to a wisp of film.
A heavy roasty bitterness on the nose. Taste follows with hints of cocoa caramel vanilla sweetness.
Mild carbonation. Almost creamy mouthfeel. Slightly boozy coffee finish.
Not as robust overall as I would like, but very good nonetheless.

Pours black/deep brown with a lovely mocha colored head of about a thumb. Head had decent retention and there was some nice lacing present as well.

Smell was nice roasty coffee dominant. Then I go some dark fruits and cocoa. A touch of booze.

Taste follows the nose, but there the coffee and chocolate blend nicely to give a fantastic flavor. The booze is definitely present on this one.

Feel is smooth and mediium weight with lower than average carbonation. The booze gives a nice warming feel.

Wow, I was not expecting anything from this beer and I was pleasantly surprised. We had a few beers last night, and this was the clear winner for me.

Pours out with a huge frothy mocha head which recedes but sticks around, looking like coffee in my glass. Fairly impenetrable colour, with small hints of dark brown when held to the light. Looks amazing, and that head is a thing of beauty.

Aroma is just what I expected and craved: huge hits of espresso, dark chocolate, raisins/figs/prunes, black licorice, sugary roasted malt, toffee candy, and it goes on. Smells splendid. A hint of booziness, but nothing astringent.

Taste delivers. Slick mouthfeel, pillowy and yet quite chewy and sticky. Can definitely sense the warming 11 percent, it's a tad hot on the palate, but the flavour is intense and sweet so it balances out. All the aromas are in the taste too: huge hits of coffee, licorice, toffee, figs and brown sugar, soy sauce, roasted sweet malts, and some candy I can't quite place. Classic, all the tastes you expect from a well done Imperial Stout.

Excellent all round. Can't think of a single flaw. Glad to have this in Alberta.

Aroma is coffee, dark malts and bacon/pork fat. The flavor is coffee, chocolate/dark chocolate, mild bacon and a slightly sweet/acidic/warming alcohol finish.

Type: 22-oz. bottle
Glass: Ball 16-oz. mason jar
From: Bottlecraft in North Park (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $8.75
Purchased: June 24, 2017
Consumed: June 29, 2017
Reviewed as: Russian Imperial Stout
Misc.: No bottled on date

Picked this up at the end of a long day of brewery hopping. Although I’ve wanted to try Novo Brazil for a long time, I don’t know if purchasing a bottle of an imperial stout without trying it was such a smart idea. Either way, the back read “an internationally award-winning recipe, Corvo Negro (Black Raven) gushes with aromas of coffee, cocoa, caramel and vanilla, with rich lasting intensity on the palate. Enjoy Corvo Negro from a snifter and the dark, rich, alluring aromas will lift you on black wings…” That actually sounded really good.

Poured a black color with two fingers of frothy tan head. Light bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Average lacing. Good retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Wow, no hiding that 11 percent on the nose. Smelled almost like a barrel-aged stout, initially reminding me of Abyss. Specifically got dark chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, dark caramel, toasted toffee, maple syrup, brown sugar, hints of vanilla, plum and dark fruits. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted pretty close to the nose. Once again that 11 percent ABV punches you in the face to start. Got dark chocolate syrup, roasted caramel, toasted toffee, cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate morsels, well-done brown sugar, charwood, hints of ashtray, woody herbal, plum, dark fruits, vanilla and a touch of burnt maple syrup. (Taste - 4.00)

Full body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Boozy, warming finish. (Feel - 4.00)

This was pretty damn complex for a simple imperial stout. Was back and forth on a few of the categories, but overall I really liked this. (Overall - 4.00)

3.97 | 89 | B+

 

 

 

Poured an opaque, jet-black color with a small, tan head. It smelled musty with some roasty chocolate notes. There is some chocolate and malt. Not much else.

Wow! Tasty looking pour with a huge tan mocha head. Amazing roast you character of molasses to oak and beyond. Love the work done here in this beer. Roast you malts and solid finish. Great job! Wishing for another!

 

 

 

 

22oz bottle - every December 5th, I select the biggest and baddest (seemingly) American-made brew from my cellar to review, in honour of the anniversary of Repeal Day, the reason for which I'm pretty much forgetting right now. And so, we have NOVO Brazil, from way, way SoCal.

This beer pours a solid black abyss, with the barest of red cola basal edges, and a near-teeming tower of puffy, rocky, and chunky brown head, which leaves some aggressive wave splash lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of roasted caramel/toffee malt, bittersweet chocolate, some indistinct meatiness, stale cafe-au-lait, musty leather, a damp woodiness, cigarettes, and some tame leafy, earthy, and piney green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, a bit of biscuity toffee, free-range ash, tanned leather, faint dark orchard fruity notes, acrid coffee, real vanilla (the sauced-up kind, yeah?), dry cocoa powder, ethereal soy sauce, singed brown sugar, and a plain earthy, weedy, and floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly laid-back in its sultry frothiness, the body a dense medium weight, and mostly smooth, but for a touch of that smokey and leathery meatiness presiding. It finishes trending dry, as the roast and the hops (unexpectedly) out-linger the rest, with maybe the chocolate possessing a valid grievance to that statement.

Overall, this is a bit of a disjointed, but generally agreeable big-boy American stout, with lots and lots going on - it depends how much one likes the myriad flavours, as to how they evaluate the whole. Me, I'm not off-put by any particular essence, but sense more of an existential lacking, given this one's heady company, even just in its own hometown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

750ml bottle from Rare Beer of the Month Club, thanks Ian!
Pours pitch black with a dark tan head and thick lacing, smell is rich roasted coffee and smokey burnt toast, molasses and burnt brown sugar, taste is sweetened black coffee, toasted almonds, chocolate syrup, and finishes with a dark chocolate/roasted coffee bean bitterness that lingers, the feel is thick and sticky. A very complex and richly flavored powerhouse of an imperial stout. Yum.

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a very dark and viscous black-brown with an ample 2+ inch very dark mocha head with excellent retention. Decent amount of lacing too.
S: Dark chocolate, roasted malt, charred wood, leather, and mild tobacco. As this opens up, softer notes of creamy milk chocolate and cocoa emerge.
T: Smooth dark chocolate hits first, closely followed by dark roast coffee, molasses, charred wood, leather, and tobacco (stronger and darker here than in the aroma). As this warms, dark dried fruit, cocoa, and the background piney hops emerge.
M: Super heavy body. Thick and coating. Darkly sweet. Mild bitterness throughout. Lingers and maturing nicely on the palate. Mild alcohol burn...still well hidden given the 11%.
D: Wow! Loads of dark goodness. This one started strong and only got stronger. Excellent complexity. Nice persistent pine hop note helps balance it. Really liked the charred wood, leather, and tobacco notes which, in particular, lingered and matured on the palate in the finish.

1/9/21:
Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a pitch black with 1-2 inch dark mocha head with good retention. (4.25)
S: Dark dried fruit (raisins in particular), dark dry chocolate, sweet bourbon, molasses, and a hint of char. (4)
T: Sweet molasses, dark chocolate, bourbon, dark roast coffee, wood char, tobacco, and a hint of vanilla and dark dried fruit. (4.25)
M: This has definitely lightened over time. Light-medium body now. Bitter chocolate and coffee notes. Some sweet malt notes still linger. (3.75)
D: Overall this has held up well over time. No hop notes remain, but the rest is still going quite strong. (4)

 

Appearance: Pours an inky-looking, black body with a medium-sized, woody brown head.

Smell: Chiefly notes of ashen roast, soy sauce, tangy-scented dark berries and chocolate-flavored alcohol.

Taste: Harsh roastiness goes down with a generous shot of hard alcohol. Burnt chocolate, tart berries. Encroaching bitterness mingles with the hotness and blackened maltiness. This is shaping up to be as a flop from Brazil as the 2016 Olympics. Finishes with a taste of soy sauce liqueur. You're left sweating, your palms are clammy, but you did it, you took the dare and downed it, downed a glass of soy sauce liqueur to the amazement of your friends as they cheer you on. Only there are no cheers, no friends to speak of, only the rest of this 750ml bottle. Mercy.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation.

Overall: There're many wondrous, alluring qualities any imperialized stout may possess, but this failed to deliver any of them.