Holy Mackerel Mack in Black

12 oz bottle courtesy of Phillybeer2112. <u>2008 Vintage</u>. Pour is black, with a tan one inch head. Some brief settling on the pour. Aroma of red wine, dark fruits, some sour and a coffee roast underneath. Very much a wine nose. Taste is roast coffee, the pomegranate and a sour bitterness that is a little disjointed from the rest of the flavors. Interesting attempt, but the flavors are too disjointed and un-integrated for my liking. Palate is medium, chalky, with a long dry roasty finish. Thanks for sending this my way Dan.

12 oz bottle
Thanks to daknole for sending this a few months ago in a trade. Now that the site appears to be back I can finally enter my belated rating. This was a decent experiment with blending stout and fruit but overall I think the novelty wears off about halfway through. The last six ounces were pretty boring; this was an average imperial stout at best.

Aroma / Appearance - The short lived tannish head served as garnish for the black oily body underneath. A sticky film of lacing made it evident this was not a low alcohol release. The nose was a blend of smoky dark chocolate, raisins, pomegranates and malt. A oily texture held everything together.

Flavor / Palate - The mouthfeel was much more carbonated than I was expecting. Fruity and fluid it washed across the tongue leaving a trail of chocolate, smoke, black coffee, and plum. The warmth of the ABV comes out in the finish which also serves to moisten the back of the throat. A unique twist on the typical imperial stout I’m still not sold that this is anything more than a one trick pony. Nonetheless I would probably give it a try again if I were in the area and it was on tap.

2008 12oz Bottle. An imperial stout fermented with Belgian yeast and made with Pomegranate juice from Florida, eh? A filtered pour produces a dark black-brown oil, with a bright ruby corner and swirling head in chestnut heartwood. Noses tends classically to a standard Imperial Stout malt profile, touched with a kiss of red fruit. A touch of cigar and some salt. Flavor is surprisingly well-integrated and un-confused. I’m surprised at how well the juice works. It weaves in with the tannic grain qualities and some of the natural malt sugar tanginess. Balance this with a good roast character and a well-integrated alcohol level and this isn’t a bad beer, really. Certainly straying from the typical form, but maintaining quality and character. Finishes on a wooden dryness over a bit of aril pith. Nice. Thanks Dave&#033;

Pours a very nice black in color with only a frothy ring of head forming on the pour. Pours viscous and looks nice. Smell is plenty of black roasted malts and a bit of dark fruit. This has a very nice, full and creamy mouthfeel. Very pillowy soft, best thing about this beer. Not sure that I care for the pomegranate juice that much. I know they say there’s not that much in it, but I could taste it and it wasn’t placed well.

Pours a deep black with a dark bubbly/creamy tan head that left sticky lacing down the side of the glass. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malt, cherries, citrus notes, fruity notes from the mix of pomegranate along with the Belgian yeast strain they used. Flavor of this roasted malt which is followed quickly by the pomegranate, some hop flavor, citrus, piney notes, chocolate, coffee and some Belgian yeast esters. Palate dries out as this one lingers. Roastiness comes forward although the pomegranate juice is still there but not over the top.

Just read ross’ review. He hit the nail on the head. I had to reach so far down into my cellar, i thought the demon would take my arm. LOL.

Bottle from ibrew2or3. Nice black pour with a medium head. Aroma of coffee and chocolate along with some mild hops. Taste is very rich, with lots of coffee, but a hint of fruit towards the end, not really pomegranate but def fruit.

Bottle from Daniel. Thanks. Not really sure what to say about this one. Pours out a nice black color with a good sized tan head on it. Smell is fruity as shit, full of pomegranate and thats really about it. I didnt pick up alot of the roasted malts and coffee / chocolate flavors that I have become accustomed to. Taste was sweet, pretty fruity, somewhat thin and left me questioning if this is really an imperial stout. Different, but that isnt to say that different is always good. Perhaps something that may become thicker with age and lose some of that raspberry jelly fake smell / taste. Thanks Daniel. This was an ultra rare gem pulled from the farthest reaches of the cellar.