MM (Double Amarillo Black Ale)
Church Brew Works

Had this on tap at the brewpub. I had never been here before, nor tried any of their beers. I only had time for one beer and the bartender told me this is like a hoppy imperial stout, which sold me.

It poured a very dark brown (almost black) with a thin, tan head. Lacing all the way down, with nice head retention. The smell had lots of roasted malt, with some coffee and noticeable amount of hops. Taste seems to be more stout than IPA, but the bitterness is certainly there. Lots of coffee and hops. I am pleased with the choice I made for my only beer from this brewery.

Firkin version at Barley's 6th Annual Mini RAF (04/26/08): This beer pours black with a medium thick light tan head that recedes slowly. Rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee and hops. Medium-bodied with a roasty and hoppy character. Flavors of chocolate malt, coffee and touches of citrus are present as well. The finish is burnt malt and hops with a lingering coffee aftertaste. Pretty good overall.

12th anniversary beer from Church Brew Works. Billed as a combination of an Imperial Stout and Double IPA. Dry-hopped with 10lbs of Amarillo hops. They have also 3 barrels of this aging in American oak casks for a later date.

A - Pours a near pitch black color with no light translucence. Late-forming head of dense tan soda bubbles form a frothy skim along the top.

S - As soon as I opened the growler I was greeted with the aroma of fresh hops. A definite green, grassy dry hop nose to this one. Smelling this blind would have you believe it was a Pale Ale or IPA, perhaps even wet-hopped. The initial hop blast gives way to more subtle orange rind and some cocoa bitterness as it warms. Overall, the aroma definitely swings towards the IPA side, albeit a bit one-dimensional.

T - The initial flavor leans toward the stout side, with a blend of bittersweet chocolate, roasted coffee, and biscuity malt. Mid palate features a bit of the IPA with mandarin orange sweetness, before finishing off with a nice bitter combination of chocolate and floral hops. I really enjoyed how the IPA and stout qualities came together and accentuated each other.

M - It's got the nice oatmeal stout creaminess, moderate body. Definitely not a chewy American double stout monster. Soft carbonation.

D - Brant warned me that it wouldnt feel like an 8.5% beer and hes absolutely right. Drinks more like a 5.8% oatmeal stout. Also, I feel the hops were well chosen for this beer, especially in the flavor, as they complement the malt well. My main criticism about the Stone XI anniversary (similar style) was that the strong hops and malt clashed and didnt offer a cohesive flavor, which is not a problem here. I am interested to see how this stands up to barrel aging, although I think the decision to go with raw oak vs. bourbon barrel was a good one.