Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Blue Lake, California USA

Pours more of a glossy dark brown than a black, with a light tan head. Lots of warm caramel malts on the nose, countered with a very significant hop contingent - this is like a red in a porter’s clothes. The flavor adds a bit more smokey/roastiness, and it has a decent mouthfeel - I’m just not big on dark, malt-heavy ales that don’t offer plenty of viscosity. Good. Just not great.

Deep brown-black pour with a tight creamy head. The nose is very chocolatey with a bit of milk chocolate sweetness. Deep rich maltiness with a bit of plum and soft licorice. A touch of heavy candied fruit. A bit of heavy tarriness toward the finish. The hoppiness is pretty intense with a touch of woodiness. Warming brings up a touch of spice. Sort of a low roast imperial stout/or a hoppy robust porter. It’s pretty nice really.

This is a serious beer that changes as you slowly sip while working. It starts out sweet and nice gets more bitters and roasty as the session goes on.

On tap at Collins Pub. Pours a red black with a tan head and some lace. A faint aroma of caramel and citrus hops. Taste is bitter hop at first but then the caramel comes through as well as coffee.

Opaque black with a thick tan head. Lots of citrus hops with notes of chocolate and faint malt sweetness. One of the better dark IPAs I’ve had.

Black and tan. Cherry, vinous nose. Definite coffee presence. Chocolate as well. Has a barley wine character to it. Burnt caramel aroma. Currants, even a hint of banana. Just a note of spicy/earthy hops. Alcohol comes through but isn’t harsh. Flavor is of plums, raisins, brown sugar, lightly-roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate, toasted barley, maybe even some wheat. Very complex. Sweet, not cloying, cleared by the substantial bitterness. Exceptionally balanced. A barley wine with excellent dark malt depth and flavor. Full of body but not slick; sits clean on the palate. A great, great beer.

pours dark brown, beige heard. aroma, roasted malts, light hops with hints of dark fruits. flavor, wow, lots of caramel and chocolate, nice roasted malts, hints of coffee and toffee. Finish has hints of bitterness and spices. Drink pretty good!

12oz bottle courtesy of Nick3. Pours almost completely black in the glass with only the smallest amount of light coming through the edges. There is a big creamy tan head that shows very good retention and lacing. The aroma is very good for me, but that’s because I love coffee and chocolate, which are the most dominant aromas in there. There are some toasted malts as well as a hint of citrus hops. The taste is a slightly sweeter version of the nose. The big roasted coffee taste is still the most dominant aspect of the taste, but there is a more noticeable sweet caramel malt and molasses backbone behind the coffee bitterness. The dry bakers chocolate taste is fairly prominent as well. The mouthfeel is extremely smooth with a soft carbonation and fairly full body. As a coffee lover, I really like this beer. It seems pretty one-dimensional in that respect, but when you love that dimension, you can’t help but like the beer.