BrewDog Cambridge Stone Juxtaposition Black Pilsner

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: European Strong Lager
Escondido, California USA

Bottle from K&L in Redwood City. Someone asked me what kind of beer this was and I said, "Imperial black pilsner." The person looked at me like I was crazy. This beer is a little crazy though. Pours black with a nice three-finger tan head and decent lacing. Aroma is Stone’s typical hop profile (not too pilsner-like) with maybe a little grassiness, pine, citrus, chocolate, and roast. Flavor is roasted malt, pilsner malt, pine/citrus, grass, earth, anise, molasses, and a little alcohol. Palate is fairly full and a little more syrupy than I’d like for any type of pilsner. Sort of hinders the drinkability. Overall though it’s an interesting and pretty good beer.

12oz bottle. Pours dark brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is hoppy and malty - very pungent with some pruney fruitiness. The flavor starts very vinous with slight roast malty notes. There are lots of earthy, bitter hops. It finishes very dry and very strong. There is some subtle smoke in there along with a pretty strong/distinct flavor of spicy noble hops (Saaz?). The mouthfeel is full with medium-high carbonation. The texture is slippery and almost astringent. Overall, very interesting strong lager. It is incredibly bitter - but not oppressive or completely overwhelming. It is quite tasty overall, but a little unbalanced.

Pours black into a shaker. Mocha head with excellent retention recedes to pancake surface. Deep funky coffee ground and bongwater resin aromas. Tastes like it smells with roasty and smokey malts from front to back. Lasting resin finish.

Bottled. Wet, bitter, strawberry tops, light caramel and cookie.Quite bitter in the flavor, some spicy malt, biggish, with a solid lager finish. Slightly roasty, a touch of distilled alcohol finish.

Deep brown color with a tan head. Good aroma is caramel, apricot jam, black malts; smells like a blend of IRS and Barleywine. Frothy medium body. Same flavor as aroma with a Barleywine style pit fruit spicy sweetness and roasty black malts. long boozy finish.

Bottle from Jungle Jim’s. Poured black color with an average frothy off-white head that was lasting and produced good lacing. Good moderate to heavy hop, roasted malt and alcohol aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth sticky texture and flat carbonation. Moderate to heavy bittersweet flavor with with a moderate bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a standout beer.

Very intersting pils. Dark brown with a creamy beige head. Nicely balanced carbonation profile. Heavy malt, coffee notes and hopped back end. Hops a little overwhelming. Alcohol nicely hidden.

Poured dark brown with a tan head. Nose is like chocolate corn. Taste is bitter chocolate malt, standard pils base, pretty chalky, just king of a weird taste. complete miss in my book, but a valiant effort none the less.