Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Healdsburg, California USA

Dark ebony, thin mocha head, soapy lacing. Nose-chalky mocha, stewed fruit, hops. Taste- cola, dry burnt roast, sweet milk chocolate and dark fruit. Finish- dry from roast and bittering hops. Little heat detected. Very drinkable. classic american impy.

Pours is black with a thin beige head. Aroma of American hops and dark roasted grains. Complex flavors with roasted grain, leather, tobacco, and molasses. bitterness followed by sticky sweetness on your lips. Alcohol is well hidden.

this stuff surprised me. i had a massive head after the pour that dissolved fairly quickly and had this wonderful smell of brown sugar, molasses and a hint of caramel. i tasted a little hoppyness but its overpowered by the roasty, malty, smooth sensation. bitter but not overpowering and smooth. i drank it pretty quick and i loved every second of it. im not a huge imperial stout guy so i was very surprised, i can see how stout and porter freaks could see how this is light reading the reviews but all in all a wonderful beer!!

22 oz bottle from Barron’s. This beer pours a cola brown color with a medium to large brown head. Body of beer has some tight micro bubbles. Nose has a nice roasted malt bouquet. Nice chocolate, pale malt, molasses. Flavors are rich is deep roasted to burnt malts. Definitely a burnt edge to the initial flavors. Flavors build with a good amount of hop tones. A fair amount of pine tree and earthy hop tones. The hops definitely take the lead over a deep roasted malt beer. Some coffee builds up midway through the beer, nice roasted coffee, some smoke. I enjoyed this hopped up stout which I usually do not. Mouth is is medium to full bodied. Nice hop dry and bitterness. I cannot believe I have walked past this beer so many times and not picked it up.

The second beer I’ve been lucky enough to try from Bear Republic. These beers are un-gettable in Australia usually, but I know someone... Great dark colour, the hops do stand out. I’m not used to trying a stout with that much hop aroma, but I like it! Lovely rich, dark malt character. I could drink a lot of this beer. Thanks Andrea!

A dark black beer with a 1 finger disappearing tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, dark fruit, & black licorice.Taste is much of what the aroma has to offer, with a slightly burnt taste. The sweet comes in then is balanced out by the bitter. Would be good for a starter Imp. Stout for someone not used to the style. Very smooth for an Imp. Stout & goes down real easy.

Pours a motor oil brown with a thin beige head. Aroma is a unsurprising mix of chocolate, coffee, and anise, with lighter notes of caramel, and hops. The flavour is again unsurprising, mainly chocolate, coffee, anise, but with an interesting note of red wine grape in the end. Medium dry finish. A pretty standard imperial stout with an slightly interesting twist in the end. Good but not anything special.

Incredible aroma of rich burnt chocolate malt. Hints of caramel and even some raisin. Lingering taste of chocolate. Sweet and milky at first then dry at finish.