Mendocino Black Eye Ale

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

Pours black in color. Aroma is sweet and malty. Also roasted, chocolate and coffee. Slightly hoppy. Good stuff.

Can a blend be more than the sum of its parts? In this case, yes - black hawk stout by itself is overdry and way too carbonated, with not enough sweetness to balance out the dryness and hops - eye of the hawk has a sweetness to it that just can’t find balance - combining the two seems to effectively eliminate the bad aspects of both beers - sweetness and dryness find harmony, and the chocolate malt in the finish from the stout combines well with the hoppy finish of the hawk to give it a roasty, cocoa-like all-around finish - still, this can’t make up for the fact that you’ve started with two pretty unremarkable ales, although they seem to find balance, the overall experience doesn’t set this ale apart from any other middle-of-the-road ales - nothing about it would allow me to pick it out in a blind tasting - a decent drink, worth it for the price, but nothing to stock up on.

Bottled black-and-tans or half-and-halfs just don’t seem to cut it. I like Mendocino. Some good stuff. I like their Black Hawk Stout and I like the Eye of the Hawk Ale. Both are good alone but in combination just fell short. The aroma of the stout (sweet chocolate and coffee) is weakened by the hoppy touch of ale. Medium bodied and fairly smooth. The flavor was neither good ale or good stout. More a middle ground mix that was acceptable but not remarkable.

Dark brown with some red highlights. Medium tan head. Mild roasted malt aroma with hints of caramel. Slightly sweet roasted malt and caramel flavor with a touch of coffee at the end.

220z bottle. Ruby brown in color with a nice tan head. Slightly smokey aroma. Soe fruityness too. Smooth tasting. Smooth malty flavor. Nice beer.

22 oz bottle. Deep ruby brown, clear, tan head. Malty slightly chocolate aroma, gentle fruityness. Smooth malty flavor, with a gentle roastiness. Malt fades a bit quickly. Not bitter at all.

Very dark, sparkling clear, ruby ale with a small, creamy, beige head and decent retention. Roasty aroma with lots of caramel. The flavor is well-balanced after the initial caramel, molasses and toffee flavors are replaced by black coffee and other things burnt. Medium-bodied and astringent with lively carbonation. Lengthy, moderately bitter finish with unsweet notes of molasses and grass.

Pours dark brown/black with creamy tan head. Nose reminds me of fresh chocolate milk or malted milk balls. Flavor is roasted malt, coffeish with balanced hop bitterness. Smooth, yet chewy. Nice beer.