Ambassador - Black And White
Interboro Spirits and Ales

 

i've been keeping an eye out on this little nondescript contender out of NYC (having scored a respectable haul of their recent barleywine series). One of those "ha! try to find this on any local shelf!" showcases by which to impress my buddies with.

Now to this thing, is it a stout or is it a cookie? After about halfway down a 500 ml vessel (most recent bottling, i assume - no discernible date stamp) i realized i found both of those cravings well satiated. Dark, sweet pour into 6 oz snifter, left a coffee-colored foam that settled in about 1 min. A subsequent tip-back of the glass reveals a slight-yet-bubbly lace with thin but persistent ring around the flat, dark liquid level - informing the recipient that there is something menacingly activated there within. There emerges something else flowery - maybe something like jasmine? - both in the fragrance and the swallow, an added complexity beyond the promised chocolate and vanilla (adjuncts?) both which i find not at all unpleasant in the least. The malty, the bitter, the sticky-sweet and a tangy, burny-tongue (perhaps secretly BA?) do make their bold pronouncements all throughout.

In sum, I would call this a very nice occasional. 11 (strikethru), 10 (strikethru), 9 to go!

Two years after the original Ambassador came out, this black and white version was released. Of course, it was heavy, flavorful, and had Interboro's awesome label on the outside of it! While this wasn't quite like other Stouts or what I expected of it, this was a solid American Imperial Stout that checked off all the boxes while not feeling as strong as an 11% ABV beer!

Of course, this had a dark pour to it with a mocha head topping it off. That quickly faded as there was no lacing left behind with the bubbles on my pint glass sliding down after every sip. Very little light seeped in around the edges as this was thinner than I expected. That was a sign of things to come as the aroma had much more vanilla in it than chocolate, as that recessed and complemented by some roasted notes. Cherry juice, brown sugar, Golden Promise, and coffee emerged on the taste as this almost felt as much a Porter as a Stout. Lots of chewiness and bite to this although the vanilla gave this the slickness that it needed from feeling too heavy and chalky; even though there was a bit of coffee ground-like sediment at the bottom of the liquid when I finished this off.

Plenty of booze here as this was an understated beast of a beer. The malt made this feel like a milkshake but not one that I'd order since it needed more sweetness and flavor to it. Not dated or stamped on the bottom of the can, this was more of a curiosity than anything else and it was one that I'd have again although it would not the first beer from Interboro that I'd reach for...

 

 

 

Served in a red wine glass from the can.

Appearance: Thin back tinkered brown body coming off opaque. Medium bubbles creating a tan head. Head is a bit weak drops before first sip. .

Smell: light coffee with hard good of hops and malts...which is a bit off for a stout. More like a porter to lager scent.

Taste: heavy coffee with a bit of salt, Malty bitter and lacks that special sweet molasses feel that I admire about imperial Stouts.

Mouth: have you full body with a medium carbonation and very sticky, but it is not for everyone.

Overall: this Brew is good and granted if it crossed my eyes again I might grab it again but I would not hunt the world for it. I would like to have the barrel-aged version of these beers because that little bit of tweaking might be what it needs to climb a little bit closer to perfection. Salud!

On tap.

A - Pitch black pour with a thick and creamy toffee colored head with very sticky lacing.

S - All chocolate and vanilla on the nose, chocolate syrup, and cocoa roast.

T - Chocolate malt and char up front, chocolate roast, vanilla is light, some boozy effervescence but not much warming. Ends with a lingering nice chocolate char bitterness.

M - Thin on top but thick and silky underneath, finish is wet on the front of the tongue but very dry on the back of the tongue.

O - The aroma and finish really shines with this beer. Recommended.

(on draft at The Local... served in a 10 oz snifter)

Poured to the rim with practically no foam; black, viscous looking liquid... robust roasted character on the nose with some cakey malt forming the base... on the palate, concentrated malt milk, big chocolate hit immediately, with some of the roast humming in its long finish; only a hint of medicinal booze in the background; altogether like an imperial-strength Young's Double Chocolate?... smooth, medium-full body; silky viscosity; weak carbonation; very faint, weak flame of heat in the aftertaste... overall rather tasty but perhaps too homogeneous and static in its blend of flavors, minimal depth; was later disappointed to find out they'd added flavorings to this, but it seems obvious now; doesn't detract much from what was a decent brew

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a finger high light tan head that left a large patch of bubbles on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of chocolate malts and notes of vanilla are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell, having flavors of dark and chocolate malts with slight bits of roast and notes of vanilla in the finish, the latter of which becomes stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very airy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: After this sour warmed up, I really liked the balance of chocolaty and vanilla flavors in the taste, making it a great black & white stout. It also did a very good job at masking any traces of alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: can

 

Light, resiny and airy smell of vanilla apricot pudding and chocolate fortune cookie wafers, which should be a thing. This is def for the fans of Black & White cookies especially those who like there's extra seasoned. The minute too late oven pull is serious and adds great depth of rich, black tar. And then, there's the space brownie component of it...cookies kush or girl scout cookies.

 

 

 

pours dark black with a brown heading which disappears.
upfront is smooth and sweet, maybe too sweet. Down back turns a bit bitter. The balance between sweet and bitter is there. The beer improves as it warms up. Strong ABV but super hidden. A complex tasting beer, chocolate upfront turns into bitterness. I enjoy drinking this. A good chewy mouthfeel, the sweetness turn bitter, what else can i say. find it and drink one. Excellent!