DuClaw Black Jack Stout

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

Alrighty then! Pours black as night, small tan ringlet of foam. Aroma is smokey. Flavor is roasted coffee, chocolate, and a smidge of scotch whiskey. The add-ons aren't hiding the alcohol too well but overall quite nice and very drinkable.

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

Black with minimal tan head. Aroma is moderately sweet, woodsy, and hint of bourbon. Taste is malty, some bourbon, some sweetness. The finish has a nice bitterness.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Duclaw e-mail list members were invited to the kickoff party for the 2007 edition of the Black Jack Imperial Stout on December 12th. I attended at the Bowie, MD location. To kick off the party, all guests received some very nice pint glasses courtesy of the folks at Duclaw.

The brew came out at the perfect temperature. A lot of times places will drop a porter or stout off with you that is way too cold. In this case, the Black Jack was at the perfect temperature. It had no head at all on it, although you could pick up some carbonation once it got into your mouth.

Tastewise it wasn't too bad. It's nothing I'd go crazy over, but it was a solidly crafted brew. Although the alcohol content is a little on the high side, this brew drinks down smoothly and I'm sure you could get wrecked on this if you weren't careful.

Aromawise, it was average. It didn't strike my nose as having any wow factor to it. I was actually expecting a little more on the nose. Although you couldn't smell it, you could definitely taste the maltly coffee taste to it though.

Bottom line, I'd say this brew is slightly above average. I'll have to try it again after a few weeks and see if it gets any better with age. Give it a try for yourself.

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

07.08.05 RBSG Darkest brown with glowing touches of amber. Super sweet aroma and flavor lending dreams of black forest cake and plums. Soft with bubblegum and band-aid. Odd stuff, but good.

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

Sampled @ RB Gathering, thannks Scraff. Really, really black color with a decent sized (for a growler pour) head. Aroma of beautiful roasted espresso. The body is creamy smooth with full flavors of dark, bitter chocolate and creamy, sweet coffee. What an awesome beer. I could easily drink a growler of this myself.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This imperial stout pours with a black body topped by a thin head with very little lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet and full of mocha notes with a malty background and a touch of roastiness. The flavor is slightly sweet yet bitter and roasty with a nice coffee note and a slight hint of licorice. Full bodied, smooth and slightly dry with little carbonation.

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

2002... Opaque black, dark tan, creamy head. Aroma of smoke, coffee and roasted malt. Tastes of dark fruit, roasted malts, smoked meat, some coffee and chocolate as well. Mild alcohol burn.