Darkness
La Jolla Brew House

 

On tap at the La Jolla Brewhouse. I did not get this at the Strong Ale Festival a few days before and was kinda surprised, and glad, to havev had a chance at it at the brew pub.

Poured a dark, dark brown color with a small sized off white head. Almost black in color. Aromas of dark fruits, chocolate, some and some roastiness. Tastes of dark fruits, chocolate, roasty, caramel, and lighter coffee. On the sweeter side.

Served in a tulip glass at the Blue Palms in Los Angeles for six dollars, Chris Fisher also brought this down from San Diego, consumed 9/12/08, reviewed from notes on the back of the paper draft list as well

A-Nearly black, very minimal light shining through, 1 1/4 inch soapy light tan head that held its ground, nice retention, some lacing at first
S-Belgian sugar, sweet yeast, roasted maltiness, dark chocolate, faint dark fruits, and biscuit
T-Starts off sweeter than expected with a big creamy finish, somewhat sugary but definitely lots of fruit and chocolate, fades into a more roasty brew later on, does not change much after that and becomes more less dry by the end and that is about it, nice flavor but could have used more complexity, a larger hop profile would have made this much more unique
M-Roasted, creamy, and dry mouthfeel, thick full body, nice level of carbonation that made it more tangy, taste lingers for a few minutes after each sip
D-Could not drink much more than I did, nearly ten percent and you can taste it, also heavy on the stomach, not as smooth as I had hoped

Have not had many beers from this brewery but this one seemed to be superior, it is a Double Belgian stout and is quite delicious, put it under this style because it seemed most fitting since there is no style for what it actually is, would drink again, this stuff seemed to be popular that night, recommended