North Coast Black Hart

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

TJ's special...$6 sixer. Not bad, though not a standout. very nice roasted malt aroma. good hop balance. flavor and body a little lighter but more than ample, especially for the price.

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

Good looking dark pour, light tan head of moderate duration. Flavor a surprise, nicely smokey with a good toasty highlights. Price is right a worthy purchase.

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

How this beer is off the radar screen is beyond me. Perhaps because it isn't barrel aged, or have a cool name. But the beer inside this plain looking bottle is really tasty, and a helluva price ($6 for a sixer). A fairly straight-forward aroma of dark chocolate, some coffee. Roasted malts, coffee, bitter chocolate. Some hoppy bitterness towards the end (perhaps it's just the roasted coffee, almost espresso like). Fantastic beer for an incredibly low price.

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

Picked this up at the Trader Joe's. Had these once before a while back, but don't remember much about it, so I figured I'd give it another shot. Pours with a rich-thick-sticky head that clings all over the glass. A lot of coffee in the there, even the head is a little bitter with the taste of roasted coffee. Goes down very smooth, but is a bit thin for a stout. A really dry one... the roasted bitterness is a bit off-kilter.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Sampled a 12 oz bottle and enjoyed it. It poured very nicely with a very dark brown appearance, nearly black. Drank very smoothly with a hint of roasted spices and chocolate. Worth a try.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

Pours black with a medium sized tan head although when held to the light you will see a chestnut translucence.Roasted nose with a hint of nuttiness to it. Flavor is nice with the roasted notes from the nose along with a little hop bitterness. Medium bodied with a very clean finish. As jcalabre said you cant beat this beer for 84 cents a bottle.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

My buddy Richard mentioned that he had this beer recently, and I decided to take the "plunge" ($0.82...!) to buy a single of this from Trader Joe's -- the only place I've ever seen it. Can't say that I regret it, even if it's a bit off-kilter, balance-wise.

I would have to agree with him, that this beer's roasted-coffee-dryness is almost a bit too "above and beyond" the norm. A lot more class than many Irish-style stouts I've had from a bottle, with a nice amount of foam, head retention, and lacing. But this is almost freakishly dry in the mouth -- almost too much so for the style.

Still, an interesting Stout, though I do wonder why this beer doesn't show up on any brewery websites and is almost never seen in "normal" liquor/beer stores. Is Trader Joe's a test market for this quirky dry-as-dry-can-be Stout?

This would make an interesting addition to a blind tasting of various Irish-style Dry Stouts, but for normal day-to-day drinking and such, it's a bit too dry and unbalanced. Recommended only for folks who feel the need to drink each and every Stout under the sun.
//TB

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

Eclipse Black color, small head. Aroma is coffee and a little coca. A dry stout. Full bodied and flavorful. Roasted malts. Coffee and cocoa flavor. There is a very slight metallic flavor to this beer, not unpleasant. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter. A nice dry stout.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This wins the "bang for the buck" award in my book. At 84 cents per bottle, you can't go wrong. Very dark brown w/ a 2 finger tan head. Lots of cocoa flavor w/ some hop zingers. Very enjoyable.

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

This beer poured with a medium head that did not leave much lacing. The appearance was dark brown and slightly reddish. The aroma was of chocolate and coffee. The chocolate flavors were notable throughout with a hint of roastiness in the middle and finished with a hint of dried fruit.