Black
Reason Beer

 

Pitch black, as expected, with a billowing beige head. Nose is muted by the head but what i get is smokey coffee. Taste is where this shines, as its sporting subtle hop presence with an earthy piney, olive while presenting only enough smokey coffee to distinguish itself from an IPA. Crisp and wet, this is highly enjoyable to drink.

 

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown / black color and an opaque consistency. There was a half inch of creamy, tan-colored (almost off white), somewhat long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A nice, subtle aroma of chocolate, citrus, hops, malt, and coffee.

T: Tasted of bit of roasted malt (only really noticeable in the finish), some hops, a fair bit of chocolate, light coffee notes (not as much as expected), and citrus in the finish. This is one of those incredibly well-balanced flavors, with good interplay between the citrus and chocolate elements.

F: A well-carbonated beer with an almost juicy finish. Medium-bodied.

O: One of the more focused and flavorful ABAs I've tried. Quite tasty.

 

Poured from a 16.9 fl oz bottle (just like Maine brewing! Funny, huh?) into a tall narrow pint glass. Pours jet black below a fluffy and pillowy khaki colored head that refuses to completely fall, and it leaves ample amounts of sticky lacing as you drink. So it’s an absolutely beautiful beer. Smell is a beautiful balance of hops and malt. Dark chocolate and coffee mix with soft citrusy American hops. Taste is surprisingly well balanced. Nothing led me to believe it wouldn’t be balanced, but it’s still startling how harmonious the dark, roasty, espresso and cacao flavor and fruity, pithy hops work together. It’s a little like a Black and Tan in the way you get the best of both worlds, however far, far better than bass and Guinness or something of the like, and you truly get the very best of both worlds. Feel is light to medium in body, but very satisfying. The finish is long and filled with both that roasted malt flavor as well as fruity hoppy flavors. Overall, I’m practically floored by how impressive this is. From a new brewery (albeit, I understand this brewer has quite the pedigree) for a stellar price and a less approached style, this is some seriously stellar beer. Deceptively complex, but still so easy to enjoy. Very, very good stuff.