Holy Mackerel Mack in Black

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

Bottle from Total Wine. A nice discovery, as this pours raven black with a frothy, tan rim. The nose is rich and roasty with notes of burn caramel and coffee. Flavors are equally dark and roasty: fired nuts, chocolate, coffee beans, dark fruits, subtle sour yeast in the front and subtle piney hops in the finish. Well balanced palate. Medium carbonation and full body. Great stout.

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.

Deep black pour with brownish head. The pomegranate juice was more subtle than expected and provides a nice souring fruity twinge before a bittering and toasty round of chocolate mocha and coffee stomp all over the palate. Drinkable and layered with multiple complexities, and all blended together nicely. Drinkability belies its strength, certainly worth a try.

Bottle via trade with dchmela. Pours a velvety brown-black with a thin brown head. Nose is pomegranate, oak, and malt. Sweet candy sugars, pomegranate, coffee. Mouth is fairly flat. Taste like alcoholic juice. I really like it.

On tap at the Ye Olde Falconers pub in Fort Lauderdale. Poured a dark black color with a one finger brown head. The aroma was very smoky, with fruity notes present. The flavor tasted smoky, with tobacco, burned malt, roasted malt and some fruit that I couldn’t identify. This was a very interesting beer that quite possibly had too much going on to be very good.

bottle, thanks to ericandersnavy, dark brown color with a decent tan head, aroma of vanilla extract and cocoa, flavors of dry cocoa, vanilla and coffee, very nice finish

Black with tan head. Aroma of cherries and dark chocolate and coffee. Lots of fruit is in the flavor with chocolate. Very tasty, reminded me of dessert.

12oz bottle thanks to Sparky27 for the extra! Pours black with reddish hues, and a small tan head. Aromas of coffee, toffee, chocolate, roasted malts, and juice. Flavors of big roasted malts, coffee and some sweet pomegranate juice peaking through in the finish.