CB’s Black Jack Licorice Stout
CB Craft Brewers

 

This isn't quite as bad as most CB beers, but the licorice is much too dominant here. Licorice has to be a side flavor to work in beers for me. The base stout seems decent to me, decently creamy and a touch roasty. But just cut down that licorice, please.

 

This brew was served from the tap at Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY. It arrived in an Anchor pint glass showing a darkened black coloring with just enough light to allow a few ruby hues to escape. It held a half finger tall head of creamy light brown bubbles. Retention was decent, leaving minimal spots of lacing and a ghostly film across the top of the liquid. No sediment or haze was noted, and carbonation appeared light. The aroma showed strong black licorice and tart sourness of warhead candies. Sweetness came from dehydrated strawberry leather and fresh kiwis. The malts gave a light smoke to the otherwise bittering chocolates and pales. Medicinal phenols were massive, blending starkly with the licorice. Warmth gave a faint floral hop, and more musk to the malts. Our first impression was that the flavoring showed big licorice, adding a curious sweetness to an otherwise sweet and stouty base beer. As we sipped, creamy, roasty chocolate malts and bright licorice started things off. These gave both sweetness and a bittering pucker, as the medicinal phenols and black peppery booze flavoring drove to the peak with a bittering punch. The center of the sip actually tasted the most like a stout, with bright coffee malts and an unmistakable char. The finish gave more licorice and sweetness simultaneously, with milk chocolate sweetness, white sugar syrups, stone, mineral, and those unrelenting medicinals. The aftertaste breathed of fusel booziness, black pepper spice, licorice, white sugar, mineral bitterness, and roasty barley. The body was medium, and the carbonation was bright and creamy. Each sip afforded nice slurp, froth, and cream, with a very smooth and creamy coating around the mouth. This left things on a soft note, with no real dryness. As the tasting progressed the feel thinned out a bit, but did retain its intense softness. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the flavoring. The taste gave a great licorice note, which blended surprisingly well with the roasty, stouty background. There was significant sweetness, but this was necessary, so as to cut the bittering malts and starkness of the licorice. For uniqueness and creativity we give a solid “5”, but the licorice did, at times, box out some of the essential robust qualities demanded by the title of “stout”, especially in the nose.