Flat Earth Black Helicopter

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

Bottle 280/500 courtesy of MatSciGuy. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Smells of coffee, chocolate, roasted malt. Tastes of coffee, chocolate, caramel, some fruity hints on the finish. Full bodied.

Black with a tall tan head. Big espresso nose, pungent and fresh roasted coffee. Thinner body, but fairly smooth, finishing dry, with a stronger bitterness that seems to amplify the coffee quite a bit. Pretty nice coffee stout overall.

750mL bottle #149/500 courtesy of Buebie poured into a tulip. Pours dark chocolate out of the bottle and sits very close to black in the glass underneath a hefty tan head that goes slowly down to a collar and leaves only a trace of lacing. The aroma is dominated by a mix of oatmeal and roasted coffee with dark chocolate malts mixed in. The initial oatmeal and chocolate sweetness fades into the roasted espresso character and dark malts of the backbone. The finish is chocolaty and a bit chalky. The mouthfeel is super smooth due to the oatmeal with a small bit of soft carbonation. This is my second beer from Flat Earth and I’m definitely impressed by this one. The coffee is present but not overpowering, balanced well by the oatmeal. Very good and goes down extremely easy.

22 oz bomber. Thanks Winston! If you’re after a good coffee beer, this is the ticket. Fairly one dimensional. I just feel with these coffee beers that the coffee flavor drowns out a lot of the other flavors. Decent for what it is.

Bottle #80/500. Dark mahogany in color and translucent at the far edges, the body is capped with a spongy, light brown head of foam. Slowly fading, the froth leaves spots and lines of lace on the glass. Aromas of freshly roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and toasted caramel are quite nice. There is a vanilla-like smoothness to the nose, which I equate to flaked oats. Flavors follow suit, fresh as can be coffee and choco-caramel being the dominating theme, with smoothing oatmeal and a light, earthy hop tone. Medium-plus in body and silky on the tongue, the finish is slightly on the dry side, with a lingering roastiness. Very nice brew.

Bottle pours black with a big giant off white head that laces and pillows nicely. The aroma is spot on Dunns Bros Coffee, oats, and dark chocolate. The flavor is much the same as the aroma, with some lingering lactic characteristics. The palate is real smooth. Overall, I like it well enough on a cold Friday night.

Bottle 74/500. Pitch black pour with nice thick cookie colored head, mild coffee aroma. Flavor was toasty malts, vanilla and of course; coffee. The aftertaste finshed dry and a little bitter. Overall a decent coffee beer, but it still doesn’t beat my current favorite (coffee bender).

Date: 08/09/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Great Taste

Appearance: black, big creamy beige head, layers of lace,
Aroma: rich coffee aroma,
Flavor: rich coffe flavor, lots of roasted malt, bitterness from the coffee and roast,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4