Black Hand
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

Black HandBlack Hand
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From:
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
 
California, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
ABV:
6.9%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 11.2%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
132
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 03, 2018
Added:
Jan 06, 2014
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  23
Made with TCHO Ghanaian Roasted Cacao Nibs. This chocolate milk stout is full-bodied and creamy, with sumptuous chocolate notes and a delicate roasted character. Black Hand pours a rich dark brown with a milky coffee-colored head. Bittersweet chocolate and roast envelopes the nose, carried by roasted cacao nibs and chocolate malts. The aroma blends effortlessly with soft flavors of dry chocolate and darkly roasted malts. The addition of milk sugar provides a silky smooth body, with a subtle natural sweetness of cream.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Slongie:
Photo of Slongie
Rated by Slongie from Canada (AB)

3.49/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Dec 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 03, 2018
 
Rated: 3.47 by Stofko1992 from Pennsylvania

Jan 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.94 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Nov 27, 2016
Photo of CTHomer
Reviewed by CTHomer from Connecticut

3.81/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: opaque, although when held to the light, it appeared crystal clear; cola brown in color with medium brown highlights; less than a 1 finger khaki head that receded quickly to a thick, big bubbled ring (it was close to the end of e keg); no lacing;

S: milk chocolate and deeply roasted grains;

T: milk chocolate is predominant with deeply roasted grains in the background; finish is mildly bitter;

M: medium bodied; light to moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: not really my style, but they nailed the milk chocolate, which was the whole point;
Oct 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gkruszewski from New York

Jul 20, 2016
Photo of zotzot
Rated by zotzot from Vermont

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Nice chocolate taste
Jun 22, 2016
 
Rated: 2.96 by laurapompeo from Massachusetts

Jun 11, 2016
Photo of brureview
Reviewed by brureview from Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured a dark chocolate color with a 1F head in a Stone Snifter.

Aroma: sweet chocolate, roasted malt, cacao.

Taste: more intense than the aroma.Deep milk chocolate- cocoa and roasted malt. Sweeter with warming.

Excellent finish: lightly bitter, roasted malt.

This is the first beer I Have tasted from the Brewer. A great intro. Deep chocolate flavor.
I will look for another bottle.
Jun 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.01 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

May 21, 2016
Photo of meals00
Rated by meals00 from Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Chocolate milk!
May 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Icemann383 from New York

May 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by DanGeo from Michigan

Mar 21, 2016
Photo of DucksFan16
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
03/19/2016
Mar 20, 2016
Photo of ichorNet
Reviewed by ichorNet from Massachusetts

4.06/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
I haven't had a beer by Speakeasy in years so seeing this limited edition bomber carry a decent price-tag in a nearby store was a nice surprise. Gorgeous label design as usual for the brewery with old-school '50s film noir style art and very solid typography and layout that catches the eye quite handily.

Pour is an extravagant showing of utter deep blackness capped by an eggshell-colored, sort of off-white foamy head that retains at a solid finger after dissipating over the course of 5-7 minutes in the glass. Lace is a solid, filmy sheet. Pretty nice looking for sure.

Nose is deep with cocoa, slightly vinous red and dark fruit notes and medium-kilned, roasty malts. Some toffee and vanilla as well. Pretty basic but very robust and quite well-defined.

Initially hits on the palate with a shock of sweet, milk chocolate before finishing off with vanilla, crème brûlée and café au lait. The lactose helps immensely here, rounding everything out and attracting a lot of like flavors together. Some slight, roasty malt notes help keep the beer grounded in the stout category, but this is, overall, quite a sweet and decadent endeavor. A dessert beer, for sure! One of my only issues is that the lactose leaves a weird, acidic (carbonic acid maybe?) taste on the tongue if you sip and forget about it for a couple minutes. Seems like an area which calls for slight improvement, for sure.

Feel is rather amorphous with a satisfying low-leaning carbonation that takes excellent advantage of the additional ingredients. Very well-balanced with impressive depth. An open-ended palate allows a lot of different interpretations of the flavors on order, but they definitely seem to come off as solidly in the realm of a "sweet stout." Quite satisfying with an evolving palette of flavors that come together quite nicely over the course of each sip. Good work, Speakeasy!
Mar 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Mar 13, 2016
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22 oz. Bomber

Pours a very nice black color, with some very nice carbonation, which leaves a very nice thick/creamy one-finger light tan head, which leaves some nice small islands and sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with lots of dark stuff, with some vanilla. The taste is very nice malty, chocolaty, toffee, coffee, some vanilla. Medium body, with a pretty nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, this is a very nice brew. It's been awhile since last I've had anything from this brewery.
Mar 09, 2016
Photo of Fatehunter
Reviewed by Fatehunter from Oregon

4.04/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Pours a half finger of tan head on a black body.
The aroma is chocolate, roasted malt and milk.
The taste is dark chocolate and coffee bitterness, milk and malt sweet, really great.
The texture is smooth and soft.
Wonderful.
Feb 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by RBuckley73 from Nevada

Feb 24, 2016
Photo of Sammy
Rated by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This grew on me, and much better once it hit room temperature. Smooth, creamy, good drinkability. Black with retained head. Good for a milk stout.
Jan 24, 2016
Black Hand from Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 132 ratings