Black Diamond Brewing Company Fracas

Fracas

 

Black Diamond Brewing Company in Concord, California, United States 🇺🇸

  Strong Ale Regular Out of Production
Score
7.02
ABV: 7.9% IBU: 70 Ticks: 25
Our newest offering Fracas Imperial Red is a deep crimson, bordering on brick red. The nose is big grapefruit, with subtle hints of pine, watermelon and honeydew. The hops are just bitter enough to stand up to the sweet malt and caramelized sugar flavor of the malts. The roast barley gives it depth of color without being overly astrigent or burnt/acrid. The hops in the finish are ever present and the flavor mimics the nose of the beer. Fracas has a slighlty chewy mouthfeel and finishes with a nice caramel sweetness yet without flabbiness in the body.
 

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7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Deeper amber colored, strong and lasting somewhat creamy beige head. Aroma is of caramel malt, toffee, some fruits, herbal hops. Taste is moderately sweet, malts, toffee - brown sugar, biscuit, bit toasted bread notes near the finish. Low to moderate herbal/floral hops but medium to medium strong bitter finish and aftertaste. Medium bodied and medium carbonation.

Tried on 22 Apr 2015 at 06:07


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Californian ’red IPA’ with thick and frothy, thickly and evenly lacing, ’whipped cream’ head with yellowish white colour; deep copper red robe, beautiful, clear with low fizz. Interesting hoppy and ’beefy’ aroma of fried sausages, lime peel, hemp, sweet paprika, ketjap, green olives, pink grapefruit flesh, fried egg, smoked ham, biscuit, wet leather, some ’bloody’ iron, sundried tomatoes, bitter weeds. Fresh but somewhat restrained, sweetish fruitiness in the onset, sour berries, clear umami taste as well, meaty, minerally carbonation, juicy and mouth-watering toasted and nutty maltiness ensuing and spreading gently over the tongue, bittersweet, spicy and lightly citrussy hop bitterness appearing quickly and leading to a long, dry, resinous, bitter and appetizing finish, with just enough of the toasted malts coming through for balance, as well as a hint of warming, gin-like alcohol; a bitter root-like hop bitterness keeps lingering for a long time, as in a ’regular’ double IPA. Well crafted, luxurious, beefy, interesting beer, I enjoyed this very much.

Tried on 12 Apr 2015 at 08:37


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottled 355ml. -at O’Hara Zagreb. Dark amber coloured, small pale beige head, herbal hoppy nose. Moderate malty, flowery/herbal hoppy, some caramel and touch of alcohol with pretty strong bitterness in the finish. Not bad at all.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Jan 2015 at 05:04


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle at O’Hara Zagreb with Ribafish, huge thanks Marin, Hrvoje & co! Poured a lovely clear amber bod ywith a medium sized off white head. Perfumey herbal flowery aroma, rosehip. Taste... sweet herbal taste, flowers, rosehip, ending in bitterness. Light fresh grapefruit, some rosewater. Just slightly on the malty stide though. Quite interesting, I must admit.

Tried from Bottle on 23 Jan 2015 at 16:44


6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle thanks to timfoolery: Poured a murky mahogany brown with red edges, the head was two finger tan to off white. Aroma is grassy, hops and light malts. Taste is metallic hops, sweet malts, and light veggie. I probably should have drank this sooner since I think the hops mellowed.

Tried from Bottle on 30 Aug 2014 at 22:06


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Reviewed from notes.
This was poured into a snifter.
The appearance was a hazy amber to red color with a decent half finger-ed white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute. There was some light lacing sticking around the glass in a messy sort of way.
The smell had a decent boozy strong caramel/sugary sort of sweetness with a glossed over sort of weird melon thing going on.
The taste was exactly the same.
On the palate, this one came across fairly sticky straight up coating of my tongue. It sat about a medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. The carbonation was there but constrained to an extent.
Overall, this was a decent American Strong Ale I think I could have again.

Tried from Can on 16 Aug 2014 at 23:04


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle. Pours muddy reddish amber with tan head. Nose and taste of resin, sweet caramel, red fruits, pine and grapefruit rind. Medium body.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Oct 2013 at 18:12


7.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy deep reddish copper color with a 2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, orange peel, orange rind, floral, caramel, toast, brown sugar, pine, grass, brown bread, and floral earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of hop and malt notes; with good strength. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, toast, caramel, brown sugar, floral, grass, pine, brown bread, and floral earthiness. Fair amount of floral/pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, citrus zest, toast, caramel, floral, grass, pine, brown sugar, brown bread, and floral earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of hop and dark malt flavors; with a good bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy, lightly slick, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is good. Overall this is a very nice imperial red ale. All around nice balance and complexity of malt and hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Tried from Bottle on 16 Jul 2013 at 20:58


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

22oz high shoulder bomber pours with a clear amber body with deep ruby red hues and supporting a tan head. The aroma offers up some roasted malts, anise like black licorice and light citrus and earthy hops. The taste is all over the place yet somehow still cohesive and harmonious. I get roasted malts, some dank shallot and garlic earthiness and then a pleasing degree of citrus hops to about midway. All of the flavors go so well together. This is really hitting the spot today.

Tried on 06 Jun 2013 at 19:36


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Location: 22 oz bottle from State Line, 4/22/13

Aroma: The nose of this one is a nice mix of caramel, fruit, pine, and grapefruit
Appearance: Pours a dark reddish color with a small, bubbly, beige head and some medium lace
Flavor: The taste is medium-sweet, rather malty, a little fruit, and medium-plus hoppy/bitter
Palate: The body is medium-full, with mid-plus carbonation, some stickiness, and a dry finish
Overall Impression: I thought this was a pretty solid hoppy red. It isn't one of the best of the "style" but it plenty solid with a nice mix of hoppiness and maltiness. This one isn't perfect, but I enjoyed drinking it.

Tried from Bottle on 22 Apr 2013 at 16:00