Peak XV Imperial Porter
Black Diamond Brewing Co.

Peak XV Imperial PorterPeak XV Imperial Porter
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From:
Black Diamond Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
76
Avg:
3.3 | pDev: 25.45%
Reviews:
56
Ratings:
120
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 26, 2020
Added:
Aug 01, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  15
A smooth drinking, dark porter brewed with raw cacao nibs and hand-cut Madagascar vanilla beans. Balanced between a coffee-like bitterness and a rich malt character, this ale is deceptively drinkable for an Imperial.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by popery:
Photo of popery
Reviewed by popery from California

3.6/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
These Black Diamond imperial porters have been all over the place for me. I loved the normal keg version, disliked the barrel-aged one and this bottle is just pretty good, so far. The beer pours a very, very dark ruby, essentially black, though it's just barely transparent with enough light and some color is evident. The head is creamy and beige. A morass of fine bubbles. The aroma improves significantly as it warms up to room temperature. Roasted malt, vanilla and chocolate fight it out for domination. I like it, particularly the vanilla, but there's a funny lactic note hanging around that nearly spoils the party. The flavor also suffers from this nearly sour note. I appreciate this flavor in some porters, but it's just holding back the richer flavors here. Chocolate and roasted notes seem poised in the background, but they don't come off nearly as creamy and rich as they should. Carbonation is also a problem. I would have preferred much gentler carbonation. It gets better if you let it sit, but the fizziness robs the beer of the thick, creamy feel that I got from the old keg version. I like this beer, but it's kind of a let-down. That said, I appreciate seeing a bolder bottled beer from Black Diamond and hope that they keep it up.
Aug 18, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Mar 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by ColSanders123 from Georgia

Aug 11, 2017
Photo of Impetuous
Reviewed by Impetuous from Montana

3.48/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep opaque brown with medium to small head which vanishes and leaves no lacing.

Taste is... convoluted. Vanilla and hops with a bombastic alcohol and hops finish. Malts are present but muddled by the cocoa and vanilla. Taste improves after warming up.

Good but flawed.
Nov 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by SweetwaterTuonker from Minnesota

Jun 30, 2016
Photo of acmurphy696
Rated by acmurphy696 from Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +32.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
This is a tasty porter. I have no complaints.
May 14, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by elglueckert from Montana

May 13, 2016
 
Rated: 2.93 by RBassSFHOPit2ME from California

Feb 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.93 by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

Nov 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.18 by zekeman17 from Pennsylvania

Oct 10, 2015
Photo of BirdsandHops
Reviewed by BirdsandHops from Oregon

4.04/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Not for sure why this beer has such relatively low scores, but I enjoy it. Nice mix of vanilla and bitter cacao. The body is a little thin, but that's about the worst that I can say about it.
Sep 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by Nordbier from Georgia

Jul 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.48 by aquazr1 from California

Jun 27, 2015
Photo of BottleConditioned
Reviewed by BottleConditioned

2.7/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Look: nothing special. Weak head.
Nose: hints of over ripe plums. Malty.
Taste: hits up front with a Burnt start. And the after taste evaporates and it feels like water in you moth. Your still left with a burnt taste in your mouth.

Could be great as a cooking beer, less so on the palet.
Jun 21, 2015
Photo of Jeffreysan
Reviewed by Jeffreysan from Virginia

4.34/5  rDev +31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
22 oz bottle, poured into a goblet

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color with an eighth of a finger of caramel-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin halo of foam that gripped the sides of the glass.

Aroma: Awesome! Massive, rich, complex, earthy, inviting aromas of dark chocolate and roasted malt, bready and a touch musty, as well as strong aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, dark molasses, licorice, and candied sugar. There are also quite a lot of aromas of woody, boozy bourbon. Seductive, really.

Taste: Wow! Absolutely delicious! Strong, massive really, flavors of rich, complex, earthy, bready, roasted malt up front, imparting touches of smoke and a hint of licorice, followed by tons of dark chocolate, brown sugar-like sweetness, hits of vanilla, touches of oak and quite a bit of boozy bourbon, which imparts a slight harshness that is just a touch off-putting, but doesn’t take away from the rest of the beer’s incredibly awesome flavors!

Mouthfeel: Chewy and surprisingly, nicely effervescent, as there is much more carbonation that I’m used to with an imperial porter. With an ABV of 8.5%, there is a pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.

Overall: This is an awesome beer! Almost World-Class, in fact. The only thing keeping it from being World-Class in my opinion is that slight bourbon/alcohol harshness that accompanies the other awesome flavors. I’m sure that I find it harsh because I’m not really a bourbon fan as I find most bourbon harsh. However, I’m sure fans of bourbon will really like this and consider it a World-Class beer. Highly, highly recommended!
Jun 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.53 by rbail012

May 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by Lagerquestrian from Texas

Apr 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.51 by drinkin-beeers from Montana

Mar 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.69 by elektronen from Montana

Feb 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.64 by Brihon from South Carolina

Jan 17, 2015
Peak XV Imperial Porter from Black Diamond Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 76 out of 100 with 120 ratings