Cambridge Blackout Stout

A deep dark stout with a creamy moka head, lacing. In aroma, a lightly peated chocolate. In mouth, a light and silky stout, light bodied, with powdery chocolate. On tap at brewpub Oct. 11 2008.

Draft at the brewpub. The color is extremely dark mahogany, virtually black, with faint glints of crimson showing when strongly backlit. A thick and lasting, creamy, tan head leaves nice sheets of lacing behind. Aromas are smooth and roasty, bittersweet chocolate, burnt caramel, roasted barley, and vanilla cream all working together wonderfully. Flavors of bittersweet chocolate and roasty cafe mocha are further heightened by dark, toasty barley and flaked oats. Smooth and silky, the nitro feel lends substantially more body than you’d expect from such a low ABV beer. This doesn’t quite live up to the house porter, but at just 3.8% and as drinkable as they come, it comes damn close and makes for a nice day of football watching.

Pours an opaque black with dark mahogany edges and a dense, frothy dark tan head. Lightly sweet and roasted dark malty nose has some chocolate notes. Body is a little thinner than expected with a touch of sweetness and bitter dark chocolate toward a drier, slightly watery finish. An ok dry stout, but needs a little more body.

Tap @ CBC – Pitch black, creamy tan head. Creamy roasted coffee and mocha molasses nose with underlying toasted vanilla bean wafts. Soft roasted coffee and cream flavors balance on hints of tobacco and touches of berry. Light bodied and thin, soft carbonation, roasty finish. Needs more body to it, but still tasty none the less..

This is one dark beer. I was served in a small sampler glass and it was completely opaque. Wonderfully creamy head with coffee and roasted malt notes. The beer had coffee notes, plenty of deep earthy roast notes, and a hint of chocolate. The mouth feel is great for the first instant and then the beer gives way and ends up as a thin and slightly metallic and not exactly dry. With a better finish this would be a truly great beer. Cheers!

On nitro, CBC. Dark as it gets. Slick and full mouthfeel. Watery, metallic aroma. Light creamy roast flavors. Unsatisfying.

(nitro) Opaque black body atop a creamy beige head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma is medium sweet, coffee/roasty, light chocolate. Taste is medium sweet, coffee with cream and sugar. No roasty bitterness. Smooth, watery light-medium body.

Draught pint at CBC, 12/17/05. Listed at 4.0 abv this year.
Unfiltered ultra deep brown with a light-tan head that is one-finger high and manages to stick around throughout the whole glass, receding somewhat to about half its original size, but never failing. Lacing covers the glass completely. Aroma of light chocolate/cocoa, graceful notes of coffee woven in with light vanilla and soft barley grain notes. Hint of cola and hardly any of the characterful yeast of the brewpub. Weak aroma overall, somewhat dulled by the roasted barley, though for the style its about average. The flavor is predominantly roasty, though low on bitterness. Light pale malt sugars brush over the tongue (or more accurately, are washed over the tongue) as the significantly watery body carries it about. Some grassy, grainy barley notes, light vanilla, cola and bits of chocolate all dot the palate, never making too much an indentation. Lots of substance, but its a substantial nothingness. It’s not thin, really, it’s just that so much of it is water, and the malt sugars are few and far between. I still don’t understand why guinness influences microbrewers. This style dosent have to be tremendously watery, as this one is. I’m not asking for any more alcohol or stronger, richer flavors, as I appreciate a session beer, but it just needs MORE flavor. It’s funny because sometimes the alcohol or hops dominate the beer and bully the other flavors, well in this case, the water does it. Very light on the lactic notes, no alcohol apparency, of course and the carbonation is very gentle, the blend of CO2 and Nitrogen works effectively.