Onyx Black Ale
Stevens Point Brewery

BlackBeerPirate from Illinois

3.91/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Taste: toasted nut, chocolate malt, rich toffee notes with dry finish. Roasted black malt nose. Black and opaque for the most part with a big foamy head with some lace. Medium to med/full body. Easy drinker that would pair well with many roasted dishes. 9 IBUs

Oct 03, 2017

drpimento from Wisconsin

3.16/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Fleeting roasty, malty, cocoa aroma with a hint of molasses. Short lived brown head. Flavor's mainly sweet with just enough carbonation and bitterness to counter the sweet. A bit thin. Ok finish.

Aug 08, 2016

AleMan66 from Minnesota

3.24/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

I poured this from a bottle into a clear teardrop glass. It pours a pitch black with a one finger tan head. The tast is coffe and cherry. It's not bad but isn't one of my favorite styles in the first place.

Jun 10, 2016

WoodBrew from Ohio

3.87/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The Onyx from SP is good. It poured an opaque black with ecru head that is not leaving much of a lace. The scent had waifs of coffee. The taste was slightly sweet with touch of roast. The Mouthfeel was medium in body with good carbonation. Overall it's worth a try....would drink this again.

Jun 08, 2016

Cylinsier from Pennsylvania

3.52/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz.

Pours nearly completely black, slight dark drown tinge around the edges from light penetration. Light tan head is a quarter inch and dissipates to a lacing.

Smells of caramel, coffee, and licorice. Slightly smokey.

Tastes of toasty bread, coffee, mesquite, and smoke.

Medium to light body with soft carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

Pretty decent dark ale with some good aroma and flavor. Overall pretty drinkable and enjoyable. Nothing special, but nothing to really complain about either.

Jul 18, 2015

BigDaddyWarbuxx from Iowa

4.09/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Looks like a stout, with a hint of cherry in the aroma. A nice oaky flavor goes well with more subtle cherry and faint wheat aftertaste. One of the better black beers that I've had.

Jun 23, 2015

superspak from Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 12/12/2014. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toast, brown bread, nuttiness, herbal, light coffee, light dark fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted/bready malt and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toast, brown bread, nuttiness, herbal, light coffee, light dark fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toast, brown bread, nuttiness, light coffee, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, fairly creamy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very good brown porter style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and light earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to drink. Was expecting a black IPA according to the label, but this tastes like a standard brown porter overall. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Jun 06, 2015

Pegasus from Texas

3.7/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Quite deep brown, nearly black in color, with a superb, large and dense tan head with excellent retention. Thick, creamy lacing utterly coats the glass walls.

Aroma: Charcoal and burnt caramel dominates the aroma, though there is cold coffee and bitter cocoa as well. Mild grassy hops accent, but do not dominate the aroma.

Taste: The taste opens with cold coffee, bitter cocoa, and burnt malt. These flavors dominate the taste, also there are moments of sweet chocolate, Later in the taste, the cold coffee and bitter cocoa utterly dominate. Finishes with a lingering note of charcoal.

Mouth feel: Smooth and pleasant, perhaps a touch thinner than I would have expected.

Drinkability/notes: Rather good, other than being a bit thin, its somewhat stout-like.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass long-neck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

Apr 11, 2015

dav2080 from Wisconsin

3.89/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass from bottle. (it's a twist off). Pours dark. Cannot see through. Nice short lived head that laces nicely. Nice malty roasted, coffee smell with fruits, raisins, dates, sweet smell.
Taste follows the nose, coffee roastiness, some chocolate. Hop bitterness not overwhelming and I think well balanced. Mouthfeel is thin and dry on finish.
I like it and would pick up another sixer. It's a Wisconsin brewery. I like to support local brews!

Jan 17, 2015

MartzMimic from Oklahoma

3.73/5  rDev +4.2%

Rescued from the $1 bin. Pours a dark reddish brown into a pint glass. Not a huge head, and it leaves quickly. Smells of malt, chocolate and dark fruit. Those all come through in the taste, but with more of a roasted flavor. Medium mouth with some oil. I really like this, and would revisit it regularly.

Sep 03, 2014

Hergestridge from Illinois

3.89/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This Black Ale from Stevens Point is excellent! Toasted Caramel, coffee, dark cocoa flavour with a gorgeous Onyx colour with a deep brown head, nice lacing, excited carbonation that tickles the senses. Is in from a Craft Pack package and I'll definitely purchase a 6 pack to enjoy in the near future. The tastes all mingle with a hint of cocoa, licorice, molasses and general beer goodness!!
The tastes lingers on the tastbuds and it make your mouth happy...
Great Job Stevens Point Brewmasters!!!

~Carry On Citizens!!!~
sMc

Apr 20, 2014

CHSeattle1 from Michigan

3.89/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Overall, a very drinkable, good beer. Pours nicely, good head. Taste as a sweet with complimenting bitter notes. Pairs well with Asian foods. Dark color is definitely apparent. Price is optimal. Initial taste has hints of spices and chocolate with slight hints of caramel.

Feb 17, 2014

BellsBum from Michigan

4.07/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Don't be put off by the low price, this ale is done right. It's not the finest in the world but it tastes really good. It's not like coming home to a warm, horny, loving mate, but it's a good kisser. Like your lover, it may not be around for long, so get it while you can.

Feb 02, 2014

jwc215 from Arizona

3.6/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Part of winter variety pack:

Pours pitch black with very thin, lasting tan to light brown head. Some lacing sticks.

The smell is of mildly roasted coffee, black pepper, some pumpernickel and subtle earthy tones.

The taste is of roasted coffee, toffee and earthy tones. Sweetness balanced by mild roast and a hop touch that gives bitterness more than flavor in the finish. Slight alcohol shows late.

Medium-bodied, slightly slick, it finishes rather abruptly.

This is a pretty good dark roasted, malty brown ale.

Nov 18, 2013

jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.02/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Deep dark brown, not quite black. Head is tanned, with mediocre retention on it.
S- Aroma is sweet, some caramel, a touch of smoke. Pretty light, and on the sweet end for what calls itself a black ale. Minimal hoppiness. Would have liked a bit more roastedness.
T- A decent taste to it, but would have liked a bit more presence to it. Coffee, dark caramel, that is about it. Good, but could have used just a touch more hop character or smokiness.
M- Would have liked more body to it. More body would have possibly brought more flavor and creaminess to it, either or both of which would have been appreciated.
O- It's not bad, but there just isn't much to report here. Acceptable, but uninteresting.

Nov 18, 2013

arc3636 from Kansas

3.48/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Very dark brown color, 1 finger of head disappears quickly

Sweet smell with a bit of spice.

Bitter flavor of dark malts stands out,

Mouthfeel like drinking a glass of water, very thin.

Descent beer, very drinkable. Nice alternative to the normally heavy dark beers.

Aug 24, 2013

OtherShoe2 from Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours deep brown with an off-white head that does not last.

Roasted malt and some cocoa in the nose.

A charred malt brown ale. Some schwarzbier elements to this. Some nuts, cocoa,brown sweet bread, carbonized malt. Mildly bitter, a little sour in the finish. Mild sweetness. Very drinkable.

Medium body with a nice carbonation tingle.

Decent brew. They deep roasted the malt until it got that burnt edge to it, but didn't go overboard. Not sure how many I could have. but decent.

Jul 14, 2013

Minkybut from Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was certainly black. The beer had a fair head and good lacing. The beer smelled pretty much like a Guinness with its taste being chewy and very coffyish with a bit of a burnt or roasted hit. Not burnt in a bad way. I would certainly purchase this beer again.

May 11, 2013

soulgrowl from England

3.21/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Coffee-ish brown/black without much head. Black olives, licorice, Whoppers, Milk Duds... it smells dark, but not really black, if that makes sense. Weirdly like a milk stout or a mild when I was expecting more like a black IPA.

Pleasant and light, like a mild or a mix of milk stout and black lager. Cola-ish, with a touch of dark caramel and a little chocolate nougat. It's nice, but nothing more than that. Possibly a good partner for spicy Szechuan, Thai, or Indian food.

Mar 23, 2013

barczar from Kentucky

3.52/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque deep brown/black with garnet highlights and a frothy one inch malted milk colored head that dissipates a little quickly, leaving spotty lacing.

Roast malt, chocolate, and nutty notes form the initial aroma. Caramel sweetness and a bit of a metallic tang surface. Hops are earthy, if anything.

Flavor reveals extremely sweet caramel malt and toffee initially, with significant dms, becoming roasty at the finish. There's an acrid character that is unpleasant. The dms don't linger, but a metallic tang does. Nutty notes are more obvious than the chocolate flavor.

Body is a tad watery, with carbonation a touch on the low side. There's an astringent bite.

Very malt forward, with good roast, toasted malt, and chocolate character, but the metallic flavor is offputting.

Mar 22, 2013

RyanLaCount03 from Wisconsin

4.57/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I tried the 2012 Black Ale as soon as it came out at my favorite local bar. It had a smell of roasted hops that was very pleasing. The texture of the beer was ok, while the taste was very good. It actually reminded me of a stout in someways due to its color, aroma and the taste. I would get this beer again as long as they continue to make it.

Feb 20, 2013

homebrew311 from Illinois

2.43/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into pint glass. Appears a dark cola brown with no head whatsoever. The nose has some roasted barley, notes of caramel, some artificial sweetener, and tootsie roll chocolate character. The taste has a heavy bitter roast, sweet caramel, minimal hops. Something is odd here, this tastes thin and artificial. Mouthfeel is thin and fizzy. Overall, this one needs to be passed on.

Feb 08, 2013

plaid75 from New York

3.96/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep brown hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was Goid retention and lacing.

The smell featured roasted malts, caramel and a touch of lactose.

The taste consisted of an upfront roasted barley with secondary layers of caramel and charcoal. Grassy hop detected as well.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style with a dry finish and vigorous carbonation.

Overall a tasty and clean brown ale.

Feb 07, 2013

TheSSG from Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a nice, dense, tan head. Acidic, fruity, coffee-like aroma with toasted malt. Black. Starts with a bright, almost fruity, caramel/coffee acidity. Medium-low bitterness. Finish is toasted malt.

This isn't too bad. A bit more pronounced flavors of caramel than I remember. Not a bad combination of sweet and toasted.

Dec 31, 2012

beergoot from Colorado

3.46/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very dark brown, nearly black (in certain light) body topped with a thick, foamy head. Decent roasted malt aroma with a bit of a charred grain hint. Smooth, velvety feel; clean with a roasted dryness to the finish; hint of malt sugars. Taste is rich and smooth with a soft, pleasing light cocoa flavor permeating everything; gentle bitterness complements the malt sweetness.

All-in-all, a really nice black ale. Plenty of soothing malt sweetness abounds, not overpowering at all. Well-made and a pleasure to drink.

Dec 25, 2012