Beer Valley Black Flag Imperial Stout

Brewed by Beer Valley Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Ontario, Oregon USA

Bomber. First Stout in a while....no head on the pour at all. Aroma is big and sweet. Flavor is balanced seemingly well, some of the more characteristic flavors of this style in malt, chocolate and coffee. It does seem balanced. A good beer and I’d like to taste this up against other highly rated beers in this style. (speedway, stone, etc).

Bottled. Completely opaque, no color even around the edges. Very small, creamy, brown head that turns into a ring. The aroma is loaded with dark fruits and esters, similar to a grand cru (banana too!), but also with lots of molasses and some chocolate. Fullish body, virtually flat with a wet finish. Tastes like dark fruits, esters, alcohol, roasted malts, chocolate, coffee with a lightly bitter, mocha finish. Tons of malts, enough hops, alcohol is very well hidden. Yummy!

Glugs out jet black with a big mocha head. Lots of lacing. Coffee, chocolate and big hops in the nose. Taste is huge on hops. Hoppiest impy stout I have ever had. Very roasty, a little smoke and big bittering citrus rind hops in the finish. Thin in the mouth. ABV is not even close to being felt. Defies the style and a tasty brew.

bottled, consumed on 12/23/07. Pours black, very little carbonation. Thin orange/brown head forms quickly, dissipated almost as fast. Aromas of bitter chocolate and lacquer with subtle grass and cherry notes. Also, bit alcohol smell. Mouthfeel somewhat thin, uncarbonated. Flavor is primarily bitter chocolate with hints of citrus (orange?). Alcohol warmth (almost burn). Lingering, not entirely agreeable bitterness. Flawed but still enjoyable.

From a 22-oz. bottle--Poured a thin black-brown body with a thick tan head. Nose of burnt malts and chocolate. Flavor was peaty and rich. Extremely toasty and robust. Alcohol well hidden, but comes out at end when brew warms up. Very good!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black body with an incredibly thin, off-white head. Smell: Unsweetened chocoate and scorched coffee along with chimney soot and smoke. Also, there’s a hefty amount of citrusy grapefruit befitting an IPA. Taste: Dark chocolate with a brief, fleeting sweetness. After that, it’s a conveyor belt of flavors - charred fruits, pipe ash, and forgotten coffee grounds. Overabundance of citrus hops. The strong hop bitterness couples with a sharp roasted quality that borders on being astringent. Ashen, distinctly alcoholic finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: This beer was a debacle. Excessively hopped and needlessly astringent, to me, these qualities don’t make for an enjoyable imperial stout.

Thanks to cbkschubert for this one. I love the label. Pours a shade or two shy of jet black with 3-fingers of deep brown head and tons of lace. This one looks thick and oily as it pours, which is always a good sign. The aroma is molasses, dark patent malt, heavy chocoff, some hops, and mild cognac. Tastes chocolate malty, with big molasses, dark chocolate, some coffee, some backup hops, and some cognacy heat as it warms. The palate is rich, complex, and well balanced for this style, and I enjoyed the solid dose of hoips throughout. I loved this one, and I’d gladly pay or trade top dollar to drink it again.

I’m a bit disappointed in the fact that the beer’s label says it’s from New Mexico but apparently it’s from Oregon? And here I was thinking I’d be able to check of a beer from New Mexico (I’ve already got plenty of beers from Old Mexico). The beer pours out suprisingly still. I mean really still with basically no head. I like head. Head is good so when you have no head, can that still be good? Anyways, the aroma is slightly boozey, a roasted smokeyness, licorice and figs as well as the expected sweet malts. Alcohol also permeates the senses. Appearance is jet black but due to not having any head, it gets a few points knocked off. Medium body. Flavors of roasted malts, coffee, scorched chocolate, alcohol and dark fruits. Not a world class stout, but still tasty.