Double Black Cream Ale (Pilot Series)
Alaskan Brewing Co.

 

Poured from a bomber into two milk shake glasses.

Look: Dark brown with a massive tan head that lingered long, leaving a foam cap and nice lacing.

Nose: A hint of cherry — a little cherry cream, actually, with some dark roast underneath.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, with also plenty of carbonation.

Attack: Kind of a cross between an American Porter and a cream ale, with the weight toward the cream ale; i.e., the darker roast of a porter through the sweetness of a cream ale.

Finish: A little bitterness to balance, then the sweetness takes over again, and then with a more bitter/slightly astringent aftertaste.

Overall: This makes a credible dessert ale, not overwhelming in intensity, and quite enjoyable.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing black in the pour and opaque black in the glass, and a fine, two finger dark khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Looks nice. Aroma of toasted and biscuit malt, coffee, faint light fruit and root beer. Flavor is toasted malt, lactose, coffee, cocoa, faint corn sweetness and faint citrus. Fine moderate coffee and cocoa bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; nice mouth feel. What an interesting and flavorful ale! It is most like a modestly hopped black IPA hybridized with a light bodied cream stout, with the hybrid exhibiting the best of both. Although obviously brewed and intended as a robust cream ale, it has only a mild resemblance to that style with a very light adjunct sweetness. It is perhaps darker than many stouts and does not have much visual resemblance to a cream ale, making its dark name quite accurate. I'm a huge fan of black IPAs and this is definitely the cream ale version of that style. Although the hop bitterness is not at IPA levels, it is at a higher level than a cream ale. The body and mouth feel give justice to the cream ale name. I've found Alaskan's Pilot Series beers to be excellent and I think they knocked it out of the park with this one. The ABV is reasonable and I could drink this one all night. Recommended for fans of black IPAs, schwarzbiers and other dark ales. I have to say the packaging and name were did not get me that interested in this, but I'm glad I tried it and will get it again. Hope this is regular production.