Black Cat Stout
Valley Brewing Company

Comes in brown instead of black, although deep brown. Tan head was 2/5". Lots of roast, and pretty much only roast smells wise.

Comes off smooth, easy body, more chocolate and smooth vibe than bitter or coffee. Comes off export stout like at times, especially as it warmed, bitterness came out more.

 

 

Dark brown, standard looking stuff, beige head. Burnt malt was the dominate aroma theme.

Mild, relatively smooth beer. Makes me think oatmeal. Minor chocolate malt presence in the mouthfeel. Thinner than average for style, but not a negative by any means. Good enough hop bitterness, stands out more given the relative lack of thickness to the beer. Average sweetness. Nothing bad about the beer.

This is really standard stuff in a good beer style.

A - Poured a black color with an off white head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of roasted malt that gives off coffee scents

T - Just like it smells roasted malt that gives off coffee and some chocolate flavors

M - This beer has a smooth fuller body with light carbonation to it

D - This was a very enjoyable beer it has a good taste that makes it easy to drink I could see myself drinking a few of these in a sitting

This is a pretty good stout that I had on-tap at the brewpub.

Very dark, essentially black, it has a smallish but creamy, nice-looking head steadily shrinking to a thin ring but leaving no real lace.

Aroma is rather subdued, a solid but very gentle, rather simple stout with light roasty barley and hints of chocolate and coffee.

The taste is more interesting, with prunes, roasty barley and dark toast, and hints of anise, coffee, and chocolate. It has light sweetness with light, roasty bitterness. It's pretty drinkable, smooth while with enough character to avoid becoming boring, but it's somewhat subdued and lacks depth. Feel is fairly lively.

Appearance> Dark, Can't see it's liveliness. Big light brown head. Some lacing.

Smell> Burnt toast and malt

Taste> Carcinogenic start which moves quickly into a sweet malt finish. It's not too complex, but its tasty.

Mouf> Okay, slightly chewy, which I like a great deal in an American stout.

Drinkability> sure thang.

This beer poured a delightful black into the glass, with about a fingerful of head. I wasn't overly impressed with the smell, however the taste; of dark chocolate, coffee and cinnamon more then made up for it. A very nice sipping beer, plenty of complexity to ponder.

On tap at Valley Brewing on 7/15/09.

A - Very dark brown body with deep amber highlights around the bottom edges and half a finger of creamy tan head that settled into a thin veil and sparse lacing.

S - Chocolate and sweet lactic notes dominate the flavor, while roasted malt and coffee are secondary. Some dark caramel and subtle earthy hop notes round out the aroma.

T - Opens with a sweet chocolate presence and some milky lactic notes. A roasted coffee presence emerges in the middle that is paired with a slight nutty quality. Finishes with a good bit of roast and a subtle earthy, herbal hop character.

M - Medium body with a smooth, creamy texture and moderate carbonation. Finishes quite dry with mild astringency and medium bitterness on the palate.

D - Damn fine dry stout with a decent amount of hop bitterness and excellent drinkability.

Enjoyed on tap at Stone Brewery yesterday...

A: Black as can be with a very appealing brown/tan head...typical of a good solid stout.

S: A lot of coffee and chocolate.

T: Very roasty and coffee like, followed by a bit of chocolate.

M: A bit thin and too much carbonation...two things that should have been better. On the bright side, a very roasty characteristic seems to linger on the palate well after the sip...which is awesome.

D: One big pint (well, I should say goblet or tulip glass) could satisfy me, but lets just say I wouldn't mind having a whole bomber to myself either.

Overall: I was really impressed with this beer and will definitely buy again. A "try it" beer for me.

Pint at Valley Brewing Company for four dollars, consumed 8/13/08, reviewed from notes, eager to try this after having the Wild Cat at the Stone Sour Fest a couple weeks before

A-Very dark brown and almost black, limited amount of light shining through, thin 1/2 inch creamy tan head, did not last long, some retention, not much lacing
S-Black licorice, dark chocolate, oatmeal, coffee, wheat, roasted barley, burned malts, and grains
T-Malts are the first thing you taste, then some chocolate in the middle, finish is full of dryness and oats, that same licorice comes to the surface once it warms along with a burnt character, nicely balanced for the most part, would have liked it to be more flavorful overall though
M-Roasty and dry mouthfeel, medium to full bodied, more on the thicker side, could use some more carbonation, taste lingers
D-Could drink a couple glasses of this probably, not overly heavy on the stomach, ABV is pretty low, smooth for its style

This beer reminded me a lot of Guinness somehow, definitely had the Foreign stout feel to it, would not call it Valley's best beer by any means, might drink again, worth trying