Catawba Valley Blackwater Uber Pale Ale

Brewed by Catawba Valley Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Glen Alpine, North Carolina USA

Date: September 21, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Barley’s, NC
Appearance: solid black, fine tan head, thick spidery lace
Aroma: roasted and dark chocolate aroma with citrus hops
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lots of roasted character, plenty of citrus hops to balance, rich chocolate comes out with some sweetness, lasting bitter finish
Overall: a great hoppy imperial porter

Date: January 20, 2008
Mode: draft
Source: Barley’s NC
still as hoppy as ever but the hops are more earthy than citrus, the roasted and hops go together really well,

Date: December 13, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: Barley’s NC
lots of roast plus lots of hops equals lots of love

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+ /4

Draught at Barley’s in Asheville. Pours ultra-black with mahogany edges and a thin tan head. The aroma is surprisingly piney with interesting coffee and chocolate hints, and a good dose of earth and citrus. The flavor is charred wood and dark coffee at first, then some piney hops. A sweet chocolate and caramel backbone coats the mouth as the hops just keep getting more intense. The finish very dry and piney, and the aftertaste lingers forever. This is a truly interesting beer, and full of pleasantly aggressive hops. Good, good stuff.

Draught. Despite the name pours very dark nearly black with tan head. Aroma has dark chocolate and roasted malt. Flavor has alot of hopiness. Good lingering aftertaste has a difenate pine taste. Really good.

The aroma was grassy with a light low chocolate presence and a citrusy/grapefruit character which was somewhat bready. The beer arrived pitch black with an off-white low head which was quite persistent. The flavor was filled with grassy and citrusy hop flavors which dominated. The beer was very, very bitter and that flavor lingered long into the aftertaste along with a bit of chocolate. The body was medium full with a creamy character on the palate. No real alcohol presence to note except for a low warming post consumption. Sniffer at Barleys in September 2007.

It’s Black. It’s a black pale ale. Well actually my notes indicate "dark reddish brown", but let’s just call it black. The aroma is a touch of coffee and a touch of spicy, and it doesn’t really hint at the hop flavor to come. Just a touch of coffe flavor at first, then an aggressive hop bite. Very tasty.

Tap at Barley’s in Asheville on 2/3/08: Pours a mostly opaque with dark mahogany hues and a full-lacing tan head. Aroma of sweet earthy dark caramel and some milk chocolate notes. Body starts with good sweet dark caramel maltiness and big fresh resiny piny hops toward a crisp, slightly warming bittersweet finish. A good strong hoppy dark beer.

WOW, i thought this was a stout. Pours out a deep brown color with a brown head. Aroma was rather malty with a nice note of hops. Flavor is a bit hoppys and piney. Alochol was slightly present, but over all this thing was great!

Brandy glass on draft and Barley’s in Asheville. Black pour with a light brown head. There is roastiness to the aroma with plenty of hops and a light sweet hint. Flavor is full of great roasted grain and a strong pine hop presence. A bit of wood and sharp coffee hints.Dry medium mouth feel. A good brew. I about fell off my chair when someone told me this was like 9% alcohol. I have No idea where they are hiding it. Wow.