After brewing all day at Full Sail’s Riverplace location, recording a segment for the Beer Goddess, navigating Portland rush hour, checking into my hotel out by the airport, then navigating Portland’s MAX, I finally made it back down to the riverfront for the Oregon Brewers Festival Brewmasters’ dinner. They were serving beers that weren’t on the Oregon Brewers Festival list, so I thought I’d jump right in and try some cool, interesting beers. I’d never heard of an Imperial Black ESB, but the paper next to the server said, “dark and smooth as a Lou Reed lyric, the chocolatey maltiness and rich, fruity body are balanced perfectly with a subtle hop bitterness and dry roasty finish. Complex, yet light enough to enjoy in the summer sun, grab a pint and you’re sure to have a perfect day. 8.7% ABV, 21 Plato, 56 IBU.”
It was very black in color, and had a small thin, creamy tan head. It had a roasty, black patent malt bitterness type aroma.
It had a pretty big body, but had a creamy mouthfeel and went down very smoothly. I noticed a chocolately and caramelly malt flavor up front, followed by both a hoppy and malt bitterness. The aftertaste reminded me quite a bit of a black licorice type flavor.
Overall, this was a very smooth beer for its size. I’m not sure if I’d necessarily pair this with any food… I can’t really think of anything right now that would compliment that black licorice flavor. This is one I think I’d prefer to enjoy on a cool fall evening, not necessarily on one of Oregon’s hottest evenings.
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