Black Toad Distinctive Dark Ale

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Brown Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Bottle. Pours black with a moderate tan head. Aroma is slightly sweet and very roasted malts, with some hints of coffee. Flavor is roasty and slightly sweet caramel malt, some general earthiness, and a bit of nonspecific hop bitterness in the finish. This seems more like a porter than a brown ale to me. Slightly thin, but still a solid roasty session ale.

I didnt have very high expectations for this before i opened it. Once i poured it, I was really excited. wonderful creamy head and lacing. I must admit the appearence really threw me for a loop as i was really disaponted in the bland flavor. Mostly mallts with a hint of hops on the finish.

Bottle. Thanks to alexanderj for bringing me this one. Aroma of slightly smoked and roasted caramel malt and some ginger. There is some earthiness in the malt and some bittering hops that don’t mix well. This is a weird brown ale.

Bottle - A typical Brown ale with a nice roasted malt character and nutty sweetness. A bit light on the malt. Head did not last long.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a nice dark brown. Aroma of roasted coffee. Very little head retention. Very light mouthfeel with hints of chocolate and coffee. Finishes with a bit of hoppiness.

Appearance: Clear, dark brown. About the colour of Pepsi. Thin, tan head that quickly dissipates. Smell: Slightly nutty malt, some toasted malt and chocolate. Taste: Standard toasted malt flavours: mild chocolate, coffee, and some vegetal notes; medium sweetness and mild hop bitterness. Mouthfeel: A bit thin; light-bodied with medium carbonation. Drinkability: Nothing special. Not really objectionable either. Good session beer, and fairly inexpensive.

Aromas of chocolate and (hazel?) nuts? And toasted malts? Rather opaque brown with a beige head that flattened with a wee bit of lacing. Medium bodied, with a carbonation strong enough to bite. Pretty dry, has that roasted/toasted malt flavor that suggests Guinness. There’s some sour in it somewhere. The bitter is really mild, and the finish is ? It really doesn’t fit any category particularly well. It’s about as far from brown ale as could be. A bit thin for a stout. A bit robust for a porter. Pretty tasty though.

Bottle compliments of my sister’s fridge: Pours a darkish brown color with plenty of tan head and a smidgen of lacing. The nose is toasty with lots of coca and nutty notes, some dry cocoa and chocolate. The flavor is dry and robust with a moderate dark toast and coffee notes. Dry and a moderate body, sweet licoricey finish. Decent brown ale, but feels a bit more like a porter or a schwarzbier.