Black Metal
Jester King Brewery in Austin, Texas, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Rotating|
Score
7.67
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Black Metal, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. Blackened Death, a.k.a. Suds of Northern Darkness, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte, is a cruel and punishing beer fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will.
Brewed with Hill Country well water, Texas-grown pale malt, British caramel, brown, and chocolate malts, and Belgian candi sugar and fermented in with British yeast. 9.3% alcohol by volume.
Note: This entry is the original Black Metal. Beginning around the time of their first anniversary, Jester King switched to a farmhouse yeast for all of their beers. All ratings after this switch should be entered under the Farmhouse Black Metal Imperial Stout entry. The original Black Metal bottles feature a small sticker on the neck; the Farmhouse Black Metal bottles have the word "Farmhouse" in small print on the label.
**Update** In 2023 Jester King has brought back the original "Farmhouse is Dead, Black Is Back"
Brewed with Hill Country well water, Texas-grown pale malt, British caramel, brown, and chocolate malts, and Belgian candi sugar and fermented in with British yeast. 9.3% alcohol by volume.
Note: This entry is the original Black Metal. Beginning around the time of their first anniversary, Jester King switched to a farmhouse yeast for all of their beers. All ratings after this switch should be entered under the Farmhouse Black Metal Imperial Stout entry. The original Black Metal bottles feature a small sticker on the neck; the Farmhouse Black Metal bottles have the word "Farmhouse" in small print on the label.
**Update** In 2023 Jester King has brought back the original "Farmhouse is Dead, Black Is Back"
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7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
This is now a 12.0% version. Solid beer. Treacle flavor with overt roast. Overt licorice on the flavor leads into anise. Astringent. I started rating it higher and the. Seems to keep downgrading.
Tried
on 05 Jun 2026
at 04:11
8.3/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Backlog September 2012 as 10,4% version. Black body under a big beige head. Strong aroma of dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee and alcohol. Taste is sweet, dark malt, molasses, chocolate, coffee, nice bitterness and warming alcohol. Fine body with long lasting aftertaste. Solid and nice.
Tried
on 10 May 2026
at 18:41
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to snifter.
Appearance: black in color with a thin film of a khaki foamy head which dissipated inward to leave some concave lace
Aroma: black coffee, roasty tones, smoke, dark fruits, earthy scents, and some musky vibes
Flavor: roasty to smoky with an underscore of sweet & earthy hints offer up a nice combination then finishes somewhat earthy and roasty & smoky
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper, some smoothness then that musky to earthiness I smelled earlier seemed to be the trigger to the dryness
Overall: I liked this impy stout, it seems a bit different than alot of others I've had but I could have this again.
Can to snifter.
Appearance: black in color with a thin film of a khaki foamy head which dissipated inward to leave some concave lace
Aroma: black coffee, roasty tones, smoke, dark fruits, earthy scents, and some musky vibes
Flavor: roasty to smoky with an underscore of sweet & earthy hints offer up a nice combination then finishes somewhat earthy and roasty & smoky
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper, some smoothness then that musky to earthiness I smelled earlier seemed to be the trigger to the dryness
Overall: I liked this impy stout, it seems a bit different than alot of others I've had but I could have this again.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Feb 2026
at 00:47
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Pint can - labeled at 12% abv - pours mostly black with a faint ring of lace - looks a little like cola - creamy texture, medium body - pretty standard old school American imperial stout - coffee, chocolate, a little bit of smoke - moderate warmth - some blueberries and cream late, touch of vanilla - finish is slightly harsh/abrasive, with lingering smoke and alcohol burn - it’s perfectly fine.
Tried
from Can
from
Mr. B's Wine & Spirits at Stanley Marketplace
on 24 Dec 2025
at 03:02
8.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
Can from Tavour
Appearance: dark brown with a tan head
Aroma: roasty, chocolate, coffee
Flavor: medium sweetness, medium bitterness
Texture: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish
Tasty
Appearance: dark brown with a tan head
Aroma: roasty, chocolate, coffee
Flavor: medium sweetness, medium bitterness
Texture: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish
Tasty
Tried
from Can
from Tavour
on 17 Oct 2025
at 18:19
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Canned 11/2/23, drunk 12/22/24.
Large, greyish-dark-beige head is well-retained atop a very dark body.
Lovely yeast in the nose is earthy, plastery, heavy with mineral and moderate fruit. Restrained raisin, mild milk chocolate, caramel and a bit of dark chocolate with no alcohol or excess sugar.
Big, fluffy, chocolatey beer with a bit of chewy sweetness and a very, very fruity yeast. Raisin, caramel, vanilla and cherry are heavy with no alcohol or all that much bitterness. Not over-roasted. Fairly simplistic with a chicory and brown sugar sweetness and just a touch of warming alcohol and bitterness on the very end. Nice balance though, with good attenuation (though it took a year to get there; the stuff was close to undrinkable when fresh). I do like the slight chewiness and moderate sweetness yet very good attenuation overall.
Large, greyish-dark-beige head is well-retained atop a very dark body.
Lovely yeast in the nose is earthy, plastery, heavy with mineral and moderate fruit. Restrained raisin, mild milk chocolate, caramel and a bit of dark chocolate with no alcohol or excess sugar.
Big, fluffy, chocolatey beer with a bit of chewy sweetness and a very, very fruity yeast. Raisin, caramel, vanilla and cherry are heavy with no alcohol or all that much bitterness. Not over-roasted. Fairly simplistic with a chicory and brown sugar sweetness and just a touch of warming alcohol and bitterness on the very end. Nice balance though, with good attenuation (though it took a year to get there; the stuff was close to undrinkable when fresh). I do like the slight chewiness and moderate sweetness yet very good attenuation overall.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Dec 2024
at 22:13
8/10
Thanks Clark, smooth, chocolate, malt, coffee, chicory. Taste is silky smooth, nice amount of bitterness. This is really good.
Tried
from Can
on 17 Jan 2024
at 20:29
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
From Good Times Oakland, canned November 2nd 2023.
It pours black with an inch of tan foam that shrinks quickly, very little lacing.
The smell is roasted malt, various tart fruits, mostly black cherry, bitter chocolate with some coffee.
The taste is roasted malt and dark chocolate, light black cherry (other berries?) tartness, some fairly noticeable alcohol, which my can says 9.3%abv.
Heavy side of medium bodied, good carbonation, this is tasting pretty good. I like it.
It pours black with an inch of tan foam that shrinks quickly, very little lacing.
The smell is roasted malt, various tart fruits, mostly black cherry, bitter chocolate with some coffee.
The taste is roasted malt and dark chocolate, light black cherry (other berries?) tartness, some fairly noticeable alcohol, which my can says 9.3%abv.
Heavy side of medium bodied, good carbonation, this is tasting pretty good. I like it.
Tried
from Can
on 13 Dec 2023
at 15:28
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
This pint can was found at a Dallas Total Wine not too far back, my first Jester King beer. I have an ABGB snifter ready, keeping it complete in Austin. The pour is coal black topped by a vigorous dark brown head that steadily settles. I smell chocolate certainly, grain and toffee. The taste is pleasant without being a breakout. Chocolate malt, a hint of strawberries, vanilla, scorched wheat bread and enough char to not offend. Distressingly thin for an imperial stout, unfortunate. Glad to have a sampling, just not all that exciting.
Tried
from Can
on 15 Jun 2023
at 01:18
6.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 10
Overall 5.5
Thick, black and oily with a medium sized brown head. Bitter, roasty and astringent with coffee and floral hops. Very long finish. Moderately full bodied.
Tried
on 29 May 2021
at 04:16