Dark brown with a thick, bubbly head. Lush chocolatey aroma. Light roast. Lots of chocolate on the palate. Beautiful sweet malts, but some thin/husky character late.

<i>(Draft: 2005 San Diego Festival of Beer in San Diego, CA)</i> When I first moved to San Diego in 2001, I volunteered to pour beer at a festival in San Marcos (the one and only time this festival existed). I got to try numerous beers at the festival before doing my pouring duties, and felt that Main Street’s Black Pearl Stout was the best beer there. So imagine my luck when I was assigned to pour for Main Street. I bragged all afternoon that I was pouring the best beer at the festival, and the brewer and his wife were amazed at my enthusiasm. Ever since, I’ve seen them at festivals all over San Diego County, and they are great people. And this beer is still wonderful.<br /><br />Having tried five mediocre beers tonight, it’s about time I drink something I know will be tasty and enjoyable. Black Pearl Stout is just the beer I need. Roast and sweet chocolate is the name of the game here, with only a moderate bitterness for some balance to keep the beer lively and interesting without sacrificing the style. The nose features strong roast and toasty grain, with lots of chocolate. Medium-full bodied, trending toward full, slightly sticky, but not cloying. Very dark brown in color, almost totally opaque, except at the edges. The tan head pours small and settles to a thin ring. I do love Black Pearl, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. And it’s always nice to know there will always be a good stout at a festival if Main Street Brewery is there.

This stout pours with a black body topped by little head with some lacing. The aroma and flavor are sweet, very roasty, malty and heavy with coffee and a little chocolate. Full bodied, smooth and a little dry.

Smelled heavily of chocolate and to a lesser degree roasted narley malt. Chocolate hints are definitely present. Deep black with a large mocha head. Huge and dominate coffee flavor in the fore-no chocolate or otherwise seet notes-lots of burnt roastiness and a medium bitter finish.

Initial yeasty aroma escapes the bottle before turning chocolaty. pasty oatmeal aroma noticeable as is high alchol content. Fairly high alcohol bite, blends well against silky oatmeal palate. Nice roasted chocolate at the end grips well into the aftertaste.