Holy Mackerel Mack in Black

Brewed by Florida Beer Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Melbourne, Florida USA

Mack pours a deep luscious black, almost like liquid velvet on a starless night. Gorgeous. A thin cappuccino-colored head forms at the top which fades to a gentle ring around my glass. Personally, I think she doesn’t want to get in the way of the beer I spy down below. Black toasty malts and sweet pomegranate notes tingle my senses. A little black cherry tartness mingles in the background, an afterthought created from pomegranate goodness mixing with malt sweetness? Body - super smooth, almost creamy, with a full yet delicate weight. The malts are sweet, but not cloying, with a bit of bitter burnt nuts that settle on the top of my tongue, leaving a pleasant dryness. I can definitely taste the pomegranate. As Mack warms, even more of the pomegranate aroma and flavor comes to the forefront. A bit of bubbly effervescence, maybe some residual carbonation from the fermentation, but not a detriment to the overall palate. Mildly sweet malts, burnt nuts, and fresh hints of sweet pomegranate finish with a dry flourish and a puckering zing of lemon.
Gordash Brewing’s Holy Mackerel Mack in Black is very complex and yet oh-so-delicate at the same time. Seriously, one of the best Imperial Black Ales I have drank so far, and one of the first flavored ones at that.
(this review is of the 1st batch Mack In Black)

12 oz. bottle. Courtesy of Daknole. Poured out a deep chocolate brown, with a thin mocha colored head. Aromas are of pomegranate seeds, rotten cherry skins, something foul. Flavors are something foul too. Rotten cabbage, cooked corn (DMS), dried oak bark. Not too tasty. Medium mouthfeel, medium body. Not a good beer IMHO.

Thanks to mcbackus for this. Pours a brown to black with a smallish tan head, fading to a ring fairly quicky. Aroma is dark chocolate, coffee, wood, toffee, raisin, and a slight berry aspect. Tastes a bit more tart with a slight berry-ish sensation mixed with dark chocolate, wood, cherry stems, raisins. Slightly sweet, but just interesting. Finishes with a bitter fruity taste and lingering coffee roast. Medium bodied and moderately carbonation, neither viscous nor terribly creamy. Good stout flavors and the fruit is interesting, but as a whole? Eh....it’s fun, but for amusement purposes only.

Deep dark brown-black with decent tan head that dissipates fast. Rich roasty aroma, with earth, cola, coffee, and cheerful red grape fruitiness and roosty spice. Smooth mouthfeel, soft, decent carbonation levels. Unique and fun panoply of flavors. lots of fruit tartness on the sides of the tongue and back of the palate. A lot like chocolate-covered fruits. Long-lingering roasted malt. Strange but amusing combination of flavors, fun and pleasant.

Courtesy of many people during mystery swap 3.0. Pours a opaque cola color with a small foamy dark brown head. Nose is faint, cocoa, mild fruits and mollasses. Initial taste taste of cocoa, caramel, red fruits but pomegranates are hard to detect here. Tangy lactic notes and mild coffee on the mid palate. Finishing vinously, with cocoa and mild fruits continuing and very mild hop balance. The alcohol is indeed well hidden if this gravity is correct. Moutfeel is good, silky, smooth, good carbonation. Touch of cream in there too. Good palate duration. Medium body with average head retention. Easy drinking and tasty. Far from complex for an imperial stout, but respectable.

Tampa, Fl. - Total Wines - 12 oz bottle. Charcoal black pour with a thin white quickly dissipating off-white head - not much lace. Aroma starts off fruity and sweet but as it settles it adds a bit of complexity to the mix - hard to put my finger on it - perhaps it is the pomegranates - with some chicory thrown in there. Flavor has some of the same elements with the chicory really coming through strong. Also find some hints of pipe tobacco and very bitter chocolate and a wee bit of soy sauce. Mouthfeel is creamy enough - not by Imperial Stout standards - but hey, it’s from Florida. Reminds me of a British version of a Imp Stout.

Draft at GOBF ’08 (from notes)...Pours dark brown w/ a fizzy off white head. The nose was strong hints of cocoa, chocolate, and coffee mixed kindly with some sour yeast. The flavor was a mix of the above aromas followe by a sour tartness provided by the pomegranate juice. The palate was moderatly carbonated, dry and tart. Very intriguing beer...

Bottle courtesy of Secret Santa: Poured a pitch black color ale with a bubbly dark head with average retention and no lacing. Aroma is somewhat vinous with distinctive pomegranate juice which provides a weird offset to the roasted malt. Taste is also a weird mix between some roasted malt with some notes of pomegranate and no discernable hops. Full body with medium to low carbonation and no distinctive alcohol. A very interesting and unique experiment which I am glad I tried but not necessarily something I would seek out on a regular basis.