Jeremiah James Black Ale
Cold Spring Brewing Co.

This JJ brew (Black Ale) is drinkable...got it free so it is real drinkable after the good stuff is gone...this is mahogany in color (If I remember right about what Mahogony looks like..I sure as hell can't spell it)....anyhow...the nose has a cheap off smell to it...the taste is decent...not much worse than say Mich Dark....there is some chocolate flavor to it but it is kind of syrupy...the moutfeel is slick like syrup too....hops are not noticed...better than a lot of the crap people drink, but a long way from a premium microbrew....I wouldn't buy it, but for free I'll drink it...

Odd beer. I rated it on it's own merits rather than against a particular style.
Crystal clear dark ruby. Foamy beige head fizzles out fast. Leaves a slight edging.
Black malt on the nose. Lots of soap. Hops are there, barely.
Taste is primarily of the black malt at first. Somewhat tar-like (in a good way). I like this part of the beer. Nothing roasted to speak of. Ghostly chocolate flavors weave in and out. Sort of like someone sprinkled Nestle's Cocoa powder into this. Also some maple (or quasi-maple) flavors. That same person must have squeezed in some Mrs. Buttersworth's Syrup as well. Hops are generic and not really a factor.
Somewhat agreeable tasting, but artificial.
Thinish in the mouth. Attains some creaminess, but needs some more body.
Easy to put down, but the artificiality might catch up after a couple.
As a note, I like this better at cellar/room temp than I do cold.

Thanks to Bighuge for sending some of his stash of Jeremiah Jones products home with me.

This beer is labeled a "black ale." On the packaging, the description of the beer uses the terms "deeply roasted black malt", "chocolate malt", and "fine aromatic hops". So without a style to put it into, I chose a specialty stout.

The beer is a clear dark ruby. A slight beige head rims the glass. Some out of place sweet tones on the nose. (Hard to believe given the roasted black and chocolate malt use.) There are some roasted tones barely evident on the nose too. There is some slight bitterness perceived from this beer. It is a bit of anomaly from this brewery. They are usually on the sweet side and sometimes to a cloying degree. But the taste is pretty bland.

These Jeremiah James beers are not bad. They are drinkable. Just nothing I'd seek out and pay $5 a 6er for.

Thanks go out to Dude once again for 3 free cases of this brew.