Hoppy Total Eclipse Black Ale

Brewed by Hoppy Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Sacramento, California USA

Date: May 23, 1998
Mode: Bottle
Source: Chevy Chase, DC
Appearance: deep ruby to black
Aroma: slightly sweet malt aroma
Body: light body
Flavor: light malt flavor with a roasted malt finish followed by a hint of malt bitterness

Date: July 06, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Appearance: black, fine beige head
Aroma: sweet roasted and dark chocolate aroma
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, nice roasted character, dark chocolate comes in with a touch of bitterness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Pretty decent stout. Pours black with thin head. Big roasted malt aroma and flavor. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Good bitterness complements the burnt flavors.

Bottle. Aroma of roasted chocolate malt, spices, some piney hops. A lot of chocolate in the flavor, seems sweet at first and finishes bitter. It’s tasty, but not my favorite style (and it is a strange version of a stout at that).

22 oz bomber. Pours a semitransparent brown color. Weak hops aroma off a minimal beige head. First couple of tastes were metallic. Gross. Finishes crisp but with no aftertaste. Wont be having this one again. Beat.

Shows a brilliantly clear, deep ruby hued color when held up to the light, it pours with a chocolate brown stream, and sits in my glass a dark brown to blackened amber color; so much for being a black ale. It has a frothy, brown-tinged, tan colored head that starts out a fat finger in thickness and even leaves some lacing patterns on the side of the glass. Aromas of roasted / black malt are quite prominent; aromas lean towards lightly roasted coffee beans, some burnt grain acidity, toasted malt notes, dusty chocolate, as well as notes that remind me of soda crackers left to deeply brown in the oven.

Quite light feeling on the palate, yet this beer has lots of dark grain flavor to it. Notes of chalky coffee, roast grain husks and something like burnt minerals (if that makes sense). Underneath is a touch of burnt prunes and blackened raisins, which add a touch of fruitiness and balance along with some darkened caramel flavors in the finish. The finish starts out with a sharp, lingeringly bitter character that is a mix of hop notes and black malts. The finish though is an exercise in balance as the fruit / caramel notes intertwine, wane and wax with the bitterness in a long, lingering, interesting finish. This beer seems quite dry at times but at others has just enough sweetness to offset the dark grain notes that are causing the dryness in the first place.

This is a really nice beer, I was not expecting so much roast character here. The black ale label threw me off a bit as I was not expecting something with the flavor of a porter or stout. This is a really nice beer, I really like how light it is; easily quaffable, yet full of flavor.

From a 22 oz bottle purchased from BevMo in Sacramento, CA. Clever label, with the regular “Hoppy” gold icon blacked out as it would be in an Eclipse. These folks don’t name their beers so you can figure out what it is, so while this was called a Black Ale it was a bit of a mystery to me until I came to post this rating. It poured a dark brown, far from black, and raised a big fluffy tan head that was slow to settle and left ample lacing. The nose was dark malts, and there were hints of chocolate and coffee. Mouthfeel was quite clean and just a bit dry, but very pleasant. Flavors were a light roasted malt and every so slightly sweet. This made the finish a surprise as it was a little hoppy with a hint of pine. But then hops are what these brewers are all about, and they sure know how to define their own style. The is a mild stout, but very easy to drink, and was good from first drop to last drop. I thiunk Ratebeer should change its type, because it is unfair to rate this as a Porter.

Aromas of coffee and cacao. Opaque black with a tan head that runs away, but laces. Medium mouthfeel. Starts with coffee and roasted malt. Smooth, but a bit of burnt malt towards the finish. The finish is chocolate overlaying burnt toast, and arguably some bitter. Preety good stuff.

Bomber from Hi-Time Wine Cellars. <P> Pours dark brown and settles a very deep brown. The body holds a two finger thick mocha head that is lasting, but bubbly and frothy. Aroma is fairly hoppy for the style and features a decent roast profile, mild coffee and hints at cocoa and chocolate. <P> Thinnish fore has tongue cutting carbonation, mild cola notes, coffee, roast and a fairly bitter profile overall. Has some plusses, but the overalll feel is thinnish and not very satisfying. Admittedly I prefer my Porters closer to stouts in feel and flavor, so considering that this just wasn’t enough beer for me.