Mendocino Black Eye Ale

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

Smells pretty nice, no hint of alky in the aroma but there is a sense of metal in there. Nice and dark, has an thin tan head that does not fade. Somewhat more alky in the initial taste than I care for. Certainly is big in flavor, roasty bitter, but no real sign of hops. More personality than most dark lagers and porters. After each slug there is this lingering bitterness. Finish is just a hair more bite than this lager lover appreciates. Average beer. You can tell this porter is 6+%.

Bottle. Moderate toasted and mild coffee notes for the malts, resin for the hops and a light aroma of earth for the yeast, with a hint of pepper in the background. Head is frothy/creamy, slightly off-white, has fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is very dark, yet clear red/brown. Flavor is lightly sweet and acidic to start and finishes heavily bitter. Palate is medium, between dry and watery and has a lively carbonation. It finishes very drying. A little out of balance, but still an enjoyable Porter.

Wow, what a under performing brew that is over rated! Watery, fizzy, and you beer geeks violently over rate it! It is gritty and tastes like it is pushed along just to get it in a bottle. Have fun! NOT RECOMMENDED! Waste your money on other brews.

Bomber bottle thanks to blutt59. The smell is malts, sweet, slight roasty, and caramel. The look is brownish in color, clear, with an off white head. The taste is malts, roasty, coffee, just ok.

Tasted 2/24/09. 22oz bomber. Dark yet filtered with a layer of beige head. Bready aromas with a touch of toffee and chocolate malts. Medium to full bodied with a malt dominant palate. Nice malt profile with hints of cola and coffee. Bitter chocolate and an earthy aspect that adds to the depth of complexity. Dry finish with a touch burnt acidity. Mildly lingering finish. Moderate effervescence. A slight splash of citrus hops pops up in the finish, but it’s fleeting. I still enjoy this one when it comes in fresh.

Bottle. Dark warm brown with tan head and some lacing. Straightforward metallic malty aroma has some dark bread. Not much going on besides the nice malty sweetness. Soft bready mouthfeel is a little on the thick side. The flavors are extremely sweet, almost exclusively malt with lots of molasses.

See through red-brown with a big tight tan head. Big roast, chocolate aroma. Some caramel. The taste is more chocolate and caramel, lightly roasty and very sweet.

(22oz bottle, courtesy of blutt59) Pours a dark brown body with a medium beige head. Aroma of caramel, roasted malt, and light citrus. Flavor of roasted malt, caramel, and hops (floral, light citrus).