Holy Mackerel Mack in Black

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

2008 Bottle Date; Sampled August 2009 This beer is served lightly chilled with a vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass. The head that forms is a bit bigger than a fat finger and is a nicely browned, dark tan color. The aroma smells of sweet dark chocolate, anise, coffee liquor, cocoa, some umami-driven savory notes (a hint of tamari), ample toasted bread crust notes, a touch of burnt acidity, browned crackers, fresh licorice chews as well as some alcoholic spiciness. The nose is quite a bit more interesting than I was expecting, it can be a touch sharp at times, but the complexity is definitely quite nice. It does seem to lose much of the complexity after a minute or so though and begins to pick up notes of lacquer, acrid burnt grain, and even a touch of acetone.

A prickly carbonation competes with a touch of viscousness in the body; while this is not overly rich for an Imperial Black Ale (whatever that is), it is definitely a sipping beer, it actually seems to have a fairly light body. There is a certain savoriness to the flavor here, but at times it can seem a touch too much like acetone. There is some acidity here from the roast character (and perhaps some tartness from the pomegranate), but there is also a substantial toasted, dark grain character, a dark malt sweetness (which combines with the roast to make me think of a coffee liquor), a roasted whole-grain cracker flavor, some smoked cocoa notes and perhaps even a touch of smoked peat saltiness. There is some solid chocolate character here. The finish has some phenols and fusels that linger on the palate a bit; a touch turpene in character, but with some clove character as well.

An interesting beer, not what I was expecting at all. This does have a fair amount of complexity to it at this point; at times this is a plus, but at others this beer just doesn’t seem to be able to hold everything together in a balanced fashion. Still this is interesting enough that I am quite happy to be sipping on this right now.

12 oz bottle. Pours a clear black body with a small fizzy dark brown head that ran to a thin ring quickly. The nose is very roasty with a nice dark chocolate note and maybe a lightly sour note as well? Some dark fruits, but nothing I can peg as pomegranate. There is some pomegranate flavor here, especially on the back end, but it’s still mostly roast, burnt malt, and dark fruits. No noticeable alcohol. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with some slight clinginess that coats the mouth well and leaves a long lingering finish. OK, but not a stand-out or something I would seek out again.

12oz bottle. Vintage 2008. Solid dark brown color, medium brown colored foam. Sweet aroma. Smells like chocolate malts, tart pomegranate, and lots of amaretto. Odd flavors. Lots of bitter tangy pom juice. Very deeply roasted barley flavors. Add coffee bitterness. Lots of toasted bread, chicory, burnt grains, some kind of coffee liquor essence. What a strange flavor, it would be spectacular to cook with. This beer is definitely not what I expected. It is very good. UNIQUE.

Slight roast with ok chocolate. There’s a bit of a sour note here that definitely detracts.

Sampled in the presentation tent at WBF Raleigh. Reddish black color. Medium head. Rich, malty aroma with notes of coffee and tobacco. Chocolate taste with a bit of a sour touch, perhaps from the pomegranate.

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.

12oz Bottle - Trade - Dankole
Aroma – A very deep resignation of dark malts with a light fruitiness to the nose also.
Appearance – Dark Black in Color, Thin head and clear.
Flavor – A very good Dark black ale with a good malt and hops build the addition of the fruit was excellent. This was a well brewed beer and added to the night .
Palate – Great Mouthfeel, Nice texture with a Good dry finish.
Overall – A fun beer to drink these can and will catch you off guard if you are not ready. The high alcohol can be tricky this was a great beer.

Updated draft samples from Ravenous Pig and GOBF ’08. I’m thinking I was a bit overzealous in my original rating, perhaps due to the excitement of having a new, good, Florida-brewed beer to try. Multiple subsequent samples have been less impressive, though still very solid. The below rating is relevent, with a few points being deducted in order to bring this one back down to earth.

Original rating: 8/4/8/4/16. Draft at Redlight Redlight. Prepared for a disappointment, this one really took me by surprise. Pours an extremely dark black with the faintest mahogany edge. A foamy, tan colored head shows nice retention and leaves thick sheets of lacing behind. The nose is very roasty, showing copious amounts of bitter dark chocolate, roasted barley, oatmeal, espresso, and faint dark fruits. A touch of nutty oak comes through as well. Flavors are again quite roasty and rich, with bitter chocolate and overflowing, roasted barley dominating. The balance is incredible, as is the drinkability. Medium-full bodied, smooth, and not in the least bit warm from the alcohol. Finishes dry and slightly chalky, which is the only major downfall. Toss the pomegranate out the window, this is an imperial foreign stout through and through. I really hope this translates well to the bottle, because it is fantastic on draft. Great brew.