Mendocino Black Eye Ale

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Hopland, California USA

color is deep brown chestnut with some red hues. soft tan head pours about an inch high. toasted chocolate appears on the nose accompanied by roasted malt. the stout portion appears first with lots of chocolate and roasty malts but the body is all ale and the nice spicy-ish hops seem to also be contributed by the ale.

Pours near black with ruby hues and a mostly receding wispy tan head. Aroma of caramel, chocolate, and light roast. Taste is spicy chocolate, alefruits including plums, and nice caramel. Mouthfeel is full bodied with moderate carbonation. Enjoyable porter.

22oz Bomber
Dark in color with a thick head. This had a very lager type aroma with a slight deep darkmalt aroma also. The flavors was that of a miced ale and dark ale and it was sort of off in my flavors. I liked ti but not as much as others as i can see. The flavors seemed to not mix well and the light ale was stronger which was odd in my book Not bad but not great.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy & jerc - courtesy of HogTownHarry. Deep ruby-brown with a wispy off-white head. Aroma is a bit stale (to be expected given that the bottle is over a year old), but there are some decent roasted malt and caramel notes. Body is thin. Flavour is porterish, with toasted malt and a slightly burnt/sour finish. I liked it a bit more than the rest of the guys, but I still didn’t think it was great.

Bottle (650ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow & jerc -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a somewhat clear deep ruby-brown with a small diminishing tan head. Aroma of slightly roasted caramel malt, brown sugar, a hint of chocolate and some light cardboard staleness. Watery flavour of burnt malt, some roastness and coffe and an unpleasant finish that I didn’t care for. Average bodied. I didn’t much care for this, perhaps the bottle was past it’s prime?

Dark brown body, small tan head. Light cardboard oxidation in the aroma, muddy roast malt. Mild roast in the flavour, bits of bitter dark chocolate do not last. Burnt caramel malt lingers heavily. Average palate. 5-6/3/5-6/3/11-12

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow and jerc, my bottle. Dark clear mahogany, small off-white head. Medium roast malt, a little chocolate and coffee, more cereal grain and even a bit of fig. Taste - burnt malt, bottle metal, almost medicinal. Average to light body, astringent and slightly harsh, some alcohol character, harsh aftertaste. This bottle is at least a year old, might be a tad stale.

Subtle nose of sawdust and wheat, as brew warms some roasted malt and flowers. The brew pours a dark walnut with ruby highlights. The massive cascade resolves into a mostly lasting light beige head with good lace. The brew has a balanced front, moderate acidic middle, and a roasted malt finish with a hint of wheat presence. The medium creamy body is lively with a slightly alcoholic feel to the finish. Never before now have I seen the connection between a black and tan and a porter.