Black Sesame
Hopkins Brewing Company

really clever beer, and well executed, house toasted black sesame seeds in this roasty american stout, a neat little tweak to make this stand out from the crowd, and while its subtly unique, its also pretty approachable, and any fan of the style should be into it, sesame seeds aside. not quite black in the glass, short mocha headed, looks nice, lighter than some, but not lacking for roast character. the aroma here is lightly spicy and uniquely earthy, black pepper, bread crusts, and minerals from the sesame seeds, perhaps a bit more pronounced in the flavor than in the nose, but there to both senses, maybe a light licorice note as well. the roast is what dominates, a coffee wrinkle to it, no real sweetness in the middle which i appreciate, and a lot of bitterness through most of it. dark chocolate, light smoke, and the nutty sesame hitting late, cleanly fermented and overall quite well made. the sesame is the cool part, and i wish it was a little more prominent in here, this could really be something special with more of it, but its an accent at best at this dosage, still cool, but could be even better. this would be awesome with grilled meats, chocolate dessert, and even a blast of irish whiskey. good stuff!