Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle from Secret Santa 2010. Pours black with light brown head. Aromas of roasted malts, bourbon,coffee and chocolate. Similar flavors. Medium to full body with minimal carbonation. A really good brew. Thanks Andrew.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draft pint at Bavarian Lodge. Dark brown draft with a thin head. Despite dark malts, I can still see through the glass. Clean brown ale malt smell with no telltale spices. Taste has some nuttiness of brown ale malts, maybe a tough of hazelnut. Some toastiness from the hemp, if those seeds are toasted. Plus an earthy hop spice. Not really roasted so much as grilled is the impression I have. A bit of phenol actually helps the taste out here. I can’t say what all the pieces are, just that it’s a wonderfully spicy complex brew. Some fruity ale esters to the bottom of the glass.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Key Foods, Flatbush Ave six-pack ($13) Pours a nice color with a proper looking white head. Basically, the most west coast a west coast IPA gets. Resiny hops all over the place, sufficiently bitter and plenty of citrusy fruits. Balanced perfectly well and has enough flavor to compete with the best of them. My only gripe with this is that they charge $13-$14 for a six-pack of this when all other Firestone Walker beers are a lot cheaper (especially at Trader Joe’s).
jake65 (5821) reviewed Black Xantus from Humboldt Brewing Company 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle: Near black with a modest, creamy brown head. Aroma is very sweet; bourbon, espresso, and chocolate. Thick body stands out. Vanilla, chocolate, espresso, and bourbon blend together in the taste. Just a litle bit of char. Very enjoyable.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
I really wanted to like this one more than I did but despite some solid elements it did not quite work for me. Shipped to me by my wife on a trip to Portland. Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured thick, black and oily with a large foamy dark brown head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was toasty malts, vanilla, cocoa, anise and bourbon. The flavor was almost overwhelming with bourbon - incredibly boozy. There were undertones of cocoa, vanilla and roasty malts. A strong licorice presence eventually made itself known and lingered but boozy bourbon overwhelmed everything. No noticeable coffee. Thick and full bodied. Interesting yet disappointing at the same time.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Big thanks to my last years Secret Santa. Bottle looks really good, the beer in the glass also, deep black, nice head. Starts very strong, heavy-malty with some vanilla notes. Finish well balanced, shows some woody notes, still warming malty. Really a beer to enjoy!
Jow (8309) reviewed Black Xantus from Humboldt Brewing Company 15 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9
on tap at stags head. this beast was perfect for watching snowy pats bears game. Pours a squid ink black and tastes of all that is wonderful in the world including chocolate, vanilla, coffee, bourbon, caramel, dark fruits, and bourbon. slight bitter hops. really great
Sledutah (12313) reviewed Red Nectar from Humboldt Brewing Company 15 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
12oz bottle from the state wine store
Appearance: Pours crystal clear copper with a medium sized off-white head with some lacing
Aroma: Sweet malts, caramel and floral hops
Taste: Malts, caramel with a slightly bitter finish
A nice solid Amber Ale
Drake (22934) reviewed Black Xantus from Humboldt Brewing Company 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bomber courtesy of Irish Boy and shared with some of the Richmond, VA crew. Pours pitch black with a thin brown head. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, nutty notes, sweet malts, caramel and vanilla. The taste is roasted malts, bitter hops, caramel, vanilla, coffee, bourbon and faint fruity notes in the finish. Medium-full bodied. Nice beer.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Ebony with massive deep brown head. Massive chocolate aroma. Hershey chocolate taste. A little too bitter/biting at the end. This is a great beer!