Samuel Adams Black & Brew

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: American Stout, 5.8% 

Appearance: The beer pours with a 3-finger, very tan/brown/coffee head. The head is pretty foamy and thick. The body of the beer looks black in low light, but is more like dark, dark brown. There are even hints of red. There is some nice lacing, and the head is hanging around so I would guess there is good carbonation.

Samuel Adams Black & Brew

Aroma: Malty, slightly smoky and meaty, and not as coffee-forward as you might think. I smell a Rauchbier type smoke, a very earthy or soil quality note, spent coffee grinds, espresso, and maybe a hint or pull towards vanilla or bitter, earthy chocolate. 

Taste: You get quite a bit of coffee up front. I taste very earthy coffee, espresso, and spent coffee grinds left in the filter. On the back of my tongue I'm picking up some hints of dark fruit: namely raisins or prunes. The overall flavor is very, very earthy, and lots of coffee. There is actually a very sweet, syrupy, sugar-like note driving through the coffee flavors; I'm tasting molasses, maybe really sweet caramel. I would be stretching to say sweet chocolate, it's mostly molasses. 

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: This one is well carbonated, but the carbonation is kind of thin. The mouthfeel is medium-light, and kind of watery. I would say this has moderate complexity. On the front is carbonation, thin sweetness (molasses, sugar), and lots of spent coffee; the middle is more coffee with supporting sweetness; the back is lingering coffee, and manifestations of dark fruits from the sweetness.

Rating: Average
Score: 72%

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Comments: New to 2011, Black & Brew is a Sam Adam's seasonal available from January to June. The website says it is only available in the Winter Classics pack, so I'm not sure if you'll actually be able to get your hands on this beer in June. The website states that this beer uses 1.5 pounds of Sumatran coffee beans per barrel, and that the brew finishes with roasty malt notes of chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit. The beer uses the Sam Adam's ale yeast and East Kent Goldings hops. But this is mostly a malt and coffee beer, using nearly-espresso roasted Sumatran coffee beans, and at least 5 types of malts. The beer clocks in at 5.8% ABV, and packs 24 IBUs. One bottle nets you 208 calories, if you care about calories.

I think this addition to the Winter Classics pack is awesome. A Coffee/Breakfast Stout seems to fit well into the holidays. My only complaint with the Winter Classics pack is that it still includes Boston Lager. Why not substitute the Boston Lager with the Winter Lager and throw in an additional winter beer? You still get the Boston Lager and the Winter Lager in the 2011 Winter Classics; along with the Old Fezziwig, Chocolate Bock, Black & Brew, and the Holiday Porter. 

Conclusion: It's too bad I had Founders Breakfast Stout before trying this beer. I understand that it's not a fair comparison. The Founders is a Double Stout and packs a lot more heat than the Sam Adams Black & Brew.

But still.

Black & Brew is a perfectly competent beer. There's a lot of good things going on here, from the wonderful appearance to the prominent coffee notes in the taste. My biggest gripe is the slightly watery mouthfeel, and the unbalanced sweetness that works as a backbone to this beer. Having said that - minor quips aside - this is a fantastic entry from Sam Adams, and a great addition to the Winter Classics.