Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale

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

Thanks to Brent for breaking this out for us to taste. Reddish brown pour. Slightly sweet malt, roasted grain and a hint of smokiness. Taste is dry roasted grain, sweet malt, chocolate and again a hint of smokiness. Good brew.

Pours deep cola brown with particulates and an off-white head. Nose is dark fruit, spice, booze, lots of malt, hops, and some coffee. Flavor is lots of malty goodness, spice, hops, and dark fruit. Finishes malty with hop presence. Enjoyable

Pours a red tinged stout dark brown to black with a reasonable creamy tan head. The nose is roasty with chocolate and hops, floral to piney, with some light alcohol. Very light coffee. Cleanly fermented. Light biscuit and toffee? Creamy full body with medium carbonation, nice consistency. Sweeter creamier flavor, downright malty, with roast, acidity, a bit of coffee. There’s some fruit as well as significant resinous hops just past that. Long lingering roast, tons of roast. A bit fruity with that acidity too. A little toffee. The charcoal roast goes on for ever. Alcohol peeps out. I can definitely see this bordering on a hopped up big stout, though I suppose that might as well into ASA. Perhaps a bit too brash, could use a bit more balance.

12oz bottle from Sam’s, Durham. Big chocolate nose of this beer doesn’t hint at its idiosyncratic character. Prickly carbonation on the black pour. The nose expands as you get into it, revealing dark fruits and a softly vinous quality. Black IPA character emerges towards the finish - dark, dry, and roasty, with some lively hops playing on the palate. A nicely quirky beer that I wouldn’t at all mind having again.

Damn this was a great hidden gem!! Pours a black color. Aroma is full of dark fruits, chocolate, roasted malt and the right amount of hops on the nose. This is a great winter porter. Flavors of chocolate, coffee, malt, hops and some spices really join in harmony. I would drink this again in a heartbeat!!!!

Tap @ Saraveza... Poured a deep brown with amber highlights and a khaki head. Toasted barley on the nose. A lot of roasted, cocoa malts with a subtle hop bitterness. Pretty tasty and refreshing. A little chalky and grassy towards the finish.

Pours a dark black that allows some light. Head is a finger thick, creamy, and light beige. Nose is chocolaty, espresso, definitely getting the Carafa, very mild roast, some sweetness, hops not coming through in the aroma for me. Flavor is pretty bitter, hops definitely come through here. Getting a mix of grain astringency and hop bitterness that combined kind of turns me off. There is some roast coming through in the flavor, coffee as well. Decent.

Pour is a black with a small tan head. Aroma is a very nice roasted malt with some coffee and chicory. Flavor is lots of chocolate malts with a nice hoppy backbone. It leaves a nice lasting bitterness on the tounge. A tasty beer of an open ended style.