Black Hand
Blood Brothers Brewing

 

 

473 mL can from Milos'; I don't see a packaging date. Served slightly chilled.

Pours an inky black hue with two fingers of thick, lumpy, tan-coloured head rising from the surface. Good retention; it takes more than five minutes to settle down to a creamy quarter-inch cap and collar, with gobs of beautiful lace coating the glass afterwards. Slightly understated aroma, at least for a 7% stout - I'm getting dark chocolate and espresso, with suggestions of cocoa powder, toffee and maybe a touch of licorice.

I mean, it tastes fine... but given that thick pour and the strength of this stout, I'm leaning towards 'underwhelmed'. Cocoa, dark chocolate and roasted malts, with hints of espresso, cocoa and earthy, herbal hop bitterness on the back end; modest boozy warmth, with licorice and bittersweet chocolate persisting into the aftertaste. Nearing full-bodied, with middling carbonation that gently tickles the surface of the palate; smooth, luxurious mouthfeel that might be this stout's strongest asset. Drinkable enough, but one serving is plenty.

Final Grade: 3.78, a respectable B+. It's strange how appearances can be so misleading - I saw that 7% on the label, and then those visuals after pouring, and I was expecting something so much more intense and rich-tasting than what I ended up with. Don't misunderstand: Blood Brothers' Black Hand is still better than your average stout, it's just nothing out of the ordinary. I would probably drink this semi-regularly if it were stocked locally, but I don't see myself going out of my way for more. Worth a shot at least.

 

I'm still trying many new Ontario stouts thanks to thehyperduck. Black Hand is the darkest one to date. Pitch black with a large exuberant head. Pours noticeably thickly. Mild chocolate nose but some alcohol is present. Medium full bodied chocolate malt, There's a fullness to the mouthfeel. This is for sipping, not quaffing. More of a niche stout than a daily drinker. Thanks again to thehyperduck for the opportunity to try a brew that I wouldn't ordinarily see in this part of the country.

 

 

Pours thick, black like tar, slowly forming a milk chocolate head with a couple minutes retention.
Very light aroma of chocolate and vanilla.
Creamy, unctuous feel stands out, full and lightly carbonated, a touch sticky; taste of rich chocolate, but not a strong flavour, muted by residual sugar; hints of cola, dark roast coffee; not bitter, just a dash for some balance in the finish, which is semi-sweet.

Luxurious feel, not going to drink many of these, and a light flavour, more sugar syrupy than roasty.

 

 

 

 

Blood Brothers Brewing 'Black Hand' @ 7.0% , served from a 500 ml bottle
A-pour is a cola brown from the bottle to almost black in the glass with a light tan head leaving a streaky lace along the tulip
S-chocolate , cocoa
T-somewhat sweet start , roasted malts
MF-ok carbonation , feels full bodied
Ov-just an ok beer
prost LampertLand

 

Straight out dry nitro stout. True to the style all right. On tap at the source.

 

 

a stout brewed with cocoa husk, which i have never heard of before in a beer, not sure what its meant to add, but its a cool ingredient and the beer is quite distinct, whether from the weird ingredient or not. its shiny deep brown and rather viscous. a thin ring of mocha head emerges and recedes, and it looks rather stout and intimidating in the glass. bitter roast to this, almost burnt in aroma and flavor, but with some nuance of sludgy black coffee and intense pure cocoa, not sure if the husk contributes some of that or if its all from the malt, but its unique while also being sort of simple, it just belongs in here, right in the middle of the complexion. slight smoke and dry earthiness here too, an awesome mash bill i am sure. its beefy, and its a great cold weather sipper. it is a little boozy to me for its modest strength, and the palate is so totally coated with this, its hard to rinse clean. i like the robustness of this, the subtle cola and spice notes in the back, and the intense black maltiness of it. id love to learn more about cocoa husk in beer, this was unique and very well done, but its contribution was not totally obvious to me...

500ml Bottle from brewery as gift. Pours almost black with a creamy parchment coloured head and good lacing. Aroma: Licorice, Chocolate, Toast, biscuit. Flavour: creamy chocolate, licorice, caramel, biscuit, mild toast. Full bodied rich good length.