Flat Earth Black Helicopter

Brewed by Flat Earth Brewing Company
Style: Stout
St. Paul, Minnesota USA

Sampled February 2009
This is well carbonated as a careful pour still produces a nearly four-finger thick, lightly browned, dark tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is quite black, but with a brown tint and it shows a perhaps a hint of bright ruby if held up directly to the light. The aroma is definitely coffee influenced as it smells like coffee even as I am pouring this beer. A deeper inspection of the aroma, yields sharp, almost harsh, burnt aromatics and even some acidic burnt notes. A touch of charcoal, some berry like coffee-bean notes, well toasted whole grain bread crust, very burnt caramel notes and even some dark chocolate aromatics are noticeable if you dig around here. The aroma is a little harsh for me, but does have some interesting notes to it.

The beer is quite fizzy, which contributes too much carbonic acid. Luckily this is easily remedied by some vigorous swirling. Burnt acidic flavors are joined by roasted charcoal notes and a lingering acidity and burnt bread note that lingers on in the finish. The beer starts to lose a bit of its harshness as my palate gets used to it, though it still never loses it. Dark chocolate notes, softer cocoa flavors and something a bit like burnt prune juice add a bit of balance to the purely roast coffee notes that are up front. There is a touch of berry flavor here as well (perhaps a touch of blueberry even).

Not as bad as my initial impression’s misgivings, but this is a bit too burnt / roast dominated for my particular tastes. Still this is fairly enjoyable and definitely worth trying (I’ll even finish the bottle pretty easily which is saying something).

pours black with a beige head. Aroma o highly roasted coffee beans (like sticking your nose in a bag of coffee) and dark cocoa. Tastes pretty astringent to me, cocoa, darkly roasted coffee, beans,and the like. Finishes quite bitter and almost tangy. Medium bodied and easy to drink. Quite a strong coffee quality, not remotely subtle.

750 mL bottle, #399/500, thanks to tytoanderso. Pours an impressive black with maple edges and a big, fluffy beige head. The aroma is fresh warm coffee (hard to explain what I mean by that, but it does smell more like hot coffee than the cold coffee or espresso that I get from other coffee beers), some sugar and char, and a hint of prune. The flavor starts with that same very fresh coffee, and is followed by some toast, prune, light caramel, and ash. There is a pleasant bitter woody note to the finish that seems to be coming from hops rather than coffee. I don’t get any ashy sourness or tannic bite at all, which so commonly plague coffee stouts. This one is smooth drinkin’. I would love to try a cup of the coffee with which this is made. Very well done.

750 ml bottle shared by beastiefan2k. Bottle 489 / 506. Pour is black, brown, ruby with a three inch tan head. Pretty in the glass, nice lacing as the head falls. Aroma is primarily the coffee, followed by chalky roasty maltiness. Behind the roasted malt is pine hoppiness. Taste is chalky flat coffee, mineral earthiness with a slight cherry sweetness. Palate is medium-thin slick, oily, watery and has a longish roasty finish. Thanks for sharing this one Eugene.

(750ml bottle, # 449/500, courtesy of rollinhard) Pours a black body (brown edges) with a small tan head. Aroma of strong coffee, roasted malt, and some charred wood. Flavor of coffee, roasted malt, dark chocolate, caramel, and a touch of vanilla.

Bottle thanks to rollinhard. The smell is roasty, coffee, chocolate, wood, light malts, leather, and more coffee. The look is a black color not too much of its beige colored head. The taste is roasty, malts, coffee, chocolate, and decent.

Bottle thanks to rollinhard. Black in color with a decent sized beige head. Aroma is of coffee beans and dark chocolate. Taste is like eating dark chocolate covered coffee beans.

Bottle 449/500 generously provided by rollinhard. Pours with a dark brown head over a black body. Aroma of such raw coffee roast that it picks up a spiciness. Fudgy, nutty, brownie. Tons of dark beans. Taste is coffee . . . just coffee. A bit of spice and vanilla come through from the roast. Light bubbles. Water-like mouthfeel.