For some reason, the label indicates that I'm supposed to make a black and tan using this and Wiseacre's Destiny Column Coffee Pale Ale. For starters, no. As a quick follow-up, also no. I don't have anything against a good black and tan, but the coffee taste should be coming from the porter (and I don't know if it will yet) and a coffee pale ale is the most horrific idea I've heard all day. Stop putting coffee in things, people.
The black is (as traditional) kind of ruby around the edges. The off-white head doesn't erupt quickly, and it doesn't hang out for very long before leaving a naked top with just a few bubbles around the ring. The aroma is a little coffee, earth, and cocoa. I don't know if this is going to actually have a bunch of coffee in the taste, but if I'm supposed to add a pale ale that already tastes of coffee, this isn't a good start.First sip is dry, coffee, earth, and cocoa. It's not so much coffee that I will necessarily dump this beer out right now, but I will likely not drink the others in the pack, depending on how the gulp goes. I'm sure you can search back in the archives of my blog to find all the times I complained about brewers not bothering to tell you that a beverage tastes like coffee or has coffee in it, but this isn't good.
Tip-in is coffee with vanilla, cocoa, and minimal carbonation. The middle swells into smoky earth with the coffee still hanging around to let you know where you stand. The finish is horrific - old coffee with bitterness and dryness before smoked coffee comes for the trail-off.
Bottom Line: Send the brewer to the Latvia and let that country deal with them.
0.5/5