Great Lakes Blackout Stout

It is immediately apparent that this is no ordinary stout. Pouring out of the bottle not like a beer but like a thin, pure syrup, it forms little head, but what foam does gather on the top is a deep caramel brown. The aroma is intense, and all at once suggests dark black coffee, rich molasses, and the mineral tang that is not as much metallic as it is reminiscent of fertile earth. On the palette it quickly grabs you and asserts itself quite fully. This is a stout for stout drinkers. Those aromas present in the bouquet have their counterparts in the flavor, certainly, but there are many layers within a sip of Blackout Stout. There are bold tones of toasted grain, evoking visions of fields of barley. Coffee and dark chocolate cross the tongue and remain until the finish. The finish itself and the aftertaste are pleasantly bitter. There is always a hint of sweetness dancing around the flavors, or they dancing around it, but one would not call this a sweet beer. The balance is pulled off so well that the bitterness is nearly always present, but not overpowering for those who have a taste for it. At nine percent alcohol by volume, this is a powerful brew. It is not like a snack, something that you knock back a few of in the afternoon. It is a meal, or a dessert, to be savored on occasion, perhaps with a bit of dark chocolate or a cigar. Available seasonally, apparently only in February and March, pick some up if you can find it.

Great Lakes Blackout Stout.