21st Amendment / Firestone Walker / Stone El Camino (Un)Real Black Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Rated May 2010. 12oz bottle pours clear deep mahogany with tan head. The aroma has dark roast mixing with black licorice, some black strap molasses, maple, spicy cedar resin and thick spicy yeast. The taste is big and spicy with hops and maybe cedar and maple. Those notes are somewhat balanced by dark malt roastiness, some mild burnt malts, black strap molasses and black licorice. Interesting beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Can. Pours opaque chocolate brown with a thick and persistent tan head. Aroma offers earthy, roast malt, woody, and subtle toffee tones. Bold flavor paints wide roast malt, earthy, toffee, woody, and subtle fruity notes - and is that a snippet of herbs? - across the palate. Very satisfying! Mouthfeel delivers firm, fairly viscous body and respectable fizz. Unreal!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

A deep mahogany pour with a thick and creamy chestnut head. Dark chocolate, fennel, caramel, earthy grains, and some figs in the aroma. Medium to full-bodied and rather smooth on the way down. Caramel, chocolate, and lots of burnt earthy grains start things off taste-wise. A touch of fennel and figs follow. Bitter hops. Char. A peppery bite at the end

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Kudos to El Slowrunner for sending this El Camino my way. Big black pour with a well-lived tan head that finally succumbs to a sustained cap resulting in a map of lacing all over the glass. Rich aromas of ripe fruits (figs), molasses, some herbs and alcohol. Taste is also alcohol-rich with the ripe fruits and earthiness barely offset by any hops. Mucho gracias Chris. MUSIC: "El Camino" by my buddy from Tennessee, Chris Hennessee - "Gonna take a ride in a El Camino" (Nod to pfoxyjohn.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-69C4fDj2JA

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

a big beer with a flavor and aroma profile resembling a strong schwarz (i see your shawarz is as big...). anyway. chocolate and hops in the aroma. medium to full bodied. you can taste the sweetness on the figs and a touch of the pepper, but while i love all the parts, the final product is a little bit of a muddled beer. slightly too agressive to be great, and while still good, one of my least favorite stone beers. maybe it'll grow on me...i started out not caring much for it, and liked it by the end...

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sampled on 4/9/2010. This American Strong Ale pours a deep black color from a 12oz bottle. Medium sized tan head with nice lacing. The aroma is chocolate malts, coffee and some hops. A medium bodied ASA. The malts are chocolate, coffee, dark fruit and some spices. The hops are earthy. Nice sipping beer. Interesting beer it has definite stout/porter/schrawzbier qualities to it, yet its different. The spices add some interesting and some what indefinable qualities to the flavor. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.