BrewDog Cambridge Stone Juxtaposition Black Pilsner

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

( 12oz bottle thanks to BMan1113VR) Pours dark chocolate with light head and great lace. Nose of alcohol, caramel, brown sugar. Taste is smoky, hops, bitter caramel, and dark chocolate. Quite complex and hard to describe everything going on in this one. Finish lingers quite bitter like bakers chocolate.

Poured an opaque deep brown color with a cream tan head. Roasted malt aroma with notes of dark chocolate, carob raisins and tobacco leaf. Earthy and citrus hop notes mix through. Mix of citrus and dark roasted malt. Bitter finish with a decent length seems to be from the hop not the roast. Medium bodied.

Black with very little carbonation. A little sourness, like a lightly sour brown ale mixed in. Lager yeast stands out, as well as the heavily roasted grain. Alcohol is not very well hidden. Malt flavors that are more like a porter than a lager, even with the yeast. A little thin on the palate. It is kind of a mess, all over the place.

12 oz. bottle. Pours about as dark as mahogany gets, basically black in color. A small head of frothy, light khaki foam leaves jagged, sheety bands of lacing on the glass. The aroma shows boldly roasted black patent malt, burnt caramel, singed toast, and dessert bread. There’s a hint of coffee, though it plays a background role to the dark, bready pils malt. Flavors are more bitter than expected, loads of dark cocoa roast and burnt bread further intensified by striking citrus and earthy hops. Coffee and bitter cacao intensify on the finish, but the yeasty, bready pils malt is ever present. Medium-full in body and initially semi-sweet, the palate transitions to a somewhat dry, biting, bitter finish that lingers for ages. Some alcoholic heat is all that really holds it back. Good brew. It’s an imperial pils all the way, with the unique twist of the bitter cocoa and IIPA level citrusy-resinous hops.

Bottle at the brewery. Deep, black pour with a nice frothy tan head. Smokey malt aroma with a hint of oats and vanilla. Kind of like the smoked porter, but a lot more potent in terms of the flavor. Some hops, and smoked malt in the flavor. I actually like this beer, but not as a black pils, even though I guess this is what a black pils is.

Bottle; poured a pretty clear, dark brown color with a wisp of brown head. Aroma of caramel, brown sugar, citrus and roasted malt. Very nice aroma. Flavor was a blend of flavors. Predominantly roasted malt, herbs/grass (hops) and some citrus. Some yeasty and caramel notes. Very hoppy in the finish, a bit too much in my opinion. Alcohol was for the most part hidden. Flavor lingers on the palate. Good beer, but perhaps did not meet my expectations.

Sampled during MN Gathering 2.5. From a 12-oz bottle pours an opaque dark brown colored brew with a creamy tan head that has some nice retention and lacing. Aroma of toasted dark malt, some molasses, brown sugar, a hint of raison and citrus. Taste is full bodied, with flavors of toasted dark malt, some chocolate, citrus and some herbs. Finish is slightly boozy with dark malt, and some mild spice that lingers after the finish.

I’ve been meaning to try this for a while, since I am a big fan of CBC - this is a strange beast of a beer - tastes more like an ale than a lager - nothing very pils-like about it - pours black with a sudsy lace - nose of roasted malt, earthy hops, raisins, brown sugar, dried herbs (mint, sage, lavender) - medium body, relatively creamy in the mouth - tastes of bitter black malts, tobacco and roast up front - a complex blend of herbal qualities through the middle lingers for a while before the standard Stone hop overdose - in this case, it works with the other qualities of the beer, though (bitter black malt and herbs) - this is a case of three brewers working with each other’s strengths fairly well - one of the more well-done collaboration beers I’ve had.