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Redhook Double Black

November 12th, 2008

Redhook Double BlackI popped open the bottle of Redhook Double Black I received last month with lots of anticipation; this was a beer I’d first (and last) had way back in the 90s and Redhook stopped brewing it after 2000. I’m a big fan of these big bold beers (as you all know) and even though this isn’t as big as many these days (7% alcohol for an Imperial Stout seems paltry by current extreme beer standards), a 22-ounce bottle will still do ya.

I even had a bit of the Dagoba dark chocolate they sent with this beer; they pair well together and overall, I really enjoyed it.

Appearance: Black, dirty motor oil-colored with a nice dense froth of foam (though I didn’t pour it rigorously enough to be overly thick). Opaque and quite attractive.

Smell: "Roast" is an apt description—it’s full of coffee and roasted barley and some deep bittersweet chocolate notes. Almost a coffee liqueur thing going on.

Taste: Black as night and tastes every bit of it. "Char" notes—in a good way—make me think "burnt wood"; French roast black coffee (Turkish?); lots of black malts; a touch smoky. Fairly dry even as it has a silky texture. Very "roasty" here too.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, well attenuated, a silky smooth feel overlaying other subtleties. Finishes dry with a coffee aftertaste.

Overall: Very good, very rich and lots of roasted goodness happening here. The more I drink, the more I notice the long, dry finish—it’s fairly pronounced and enhances the coffee character. Holy smokes, it accompanies the Dagoba dark chocolate really well.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of A-. (RateBeer is still down.)

Posted by Jon at 11:35 pm: 4 comments

4 responses to “Redhook Double Black”

  1. Your wife writes:

    You didn’t share the Dagoba with me :(

    @ November 13th, 2008 at 07:37
  2. Mario (Brewed For Thought) writes:

    I thought the same thing about the beer and the chocolate. They really bring out the subtleties of one another.

    As for the wife, you’re so inconsiderate. Thankfully, my wife hates dark chocolate. More for me.

    @ November 14th, 2008 at 08:15
  3. Nick writes:

    Dagoba? Actually never heard of. I’m wondering a little bit how this would taste. …

    @ November 15th, 2008 at 07:37
  4. Your wife writes:

    Mario,

    WTF?????? That was uncalled for

    @ November 15th, 2008 at 20:37