Holy Mackerel Mack in Black

Bonus bottle courtesy of weeheavysd! Pours so-brown-it’s-black with a minimal tan head. Aroma is dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate and berry. Flavor is very ROAST forward with a hint of pomegranate in the finish. Drinks more like a porter than the Impy it’s classified as. Interesting.

Malty beer with a fizzy body. Taste of red grapes and, just maybe, a little pomegranite.

dark brown with a light brown head.smells of apple cider vinegar,and a hint of coffee.flavor is much of the same.the pomegranate juice really throws it off.

2008 bottle at Oldsmar Tap House. Nice dark chocolate taste at first. Leaves a pomegranate after taste. Not sure exactly how to describe the smell. It was quite different but quite pleasant.

Sample from a bottle in the VIP tent at WBF Raleigh on 5/2/09. Multiple samples from this one as well. Black pour. Short, dense brown head. Nose is odd. Fruit notes, roasted malts, dark chocolate, light soy sauce and coffee. Then we were told this had pomegranate fruit in it. That explains it! Taste was more roasted malts, fruit notes, dark chocolate, and light coffee. Light tartness to this as well. Body is medium with a mild carbonation. Ends with more fruit notes, chocolate, coffee and sweet and roasted malts. Very good! Everyone in our party enjoyed this one.

2009. 12oz bottle. almost opaque black with no bubbles under a large fizzy brown head. sweet lactic chocolate aroma with sugared coffee. very nice creamy milky palate. flavors of roasted barley, milk chocolate, a hint of fruity pomegranite(hard cherry candy), and sugary lactose. creative and tasty.

Nice bonus from kiefdog. Thanks man! Pours black with a creamy tan head. Smell is char, roast, ash and fruity tartness. Taste is semi sweet chocolate malt and a tart fruity presence that is similar to that in a cherry stout. Not noticeably pomegranate. Sweet and tart chocolate flavors with a medium to full body and soft, creamy carbonation. Interesting, but a bit sugary overall.

In short: A modest and soft imperial stout with a not-so-great pomegranate/red apples fruity character. Just ok.
How: Bottle 12oz. Many sources. This bottle from WeeHeavySD. Probably almost one year of age when I drank it.
The look: Black body topped by a dark beige ring of foam.
In long: Nose is lightly roasted, with some black chocolate and red apples. Taste is rather boring. Relative to the style the body is slim. Carbonation is soft, a bit too soft. Taste has some old black coffee, some roastiness, some molasses, some dark fruits and McIntosh red apples (!?). It could have a been a very average Imperial Stout but the addition of pomegranate juice moves it below average. Fortunately the pomegranate thing is not overdone, almost subtle, but even a little of it is too much for me. Pomegranate is as essential to make a good stout as a curry spices are to make a good yogurt.