Black River Gumbo Ale

Thanks to Justen Parris for bringing this bottle to the Russian Imperial Stout racking party a couple Saturdays ago. Having brought 2 bottles, he shared one with the group and let Jen and I take one back to rate, Nice!
Tasted with a black bean puree' soup with onions peppers and Indian spices as a topping over organic brown rice.

Appearance: Pour looked soft and thin. Dark brown black in color. Poor head retention or existences for that matter, like most peace tree beers. Still some light can get through around the edges, but nothing active can be seen (aka carbonation).
Aroma: Very roasted and very burnt. Some licorice comes through along with coffee and some basic caramel malt smell. I think the Belgian yeast makes this stout smell a lot different than most other stouts in a manner I cannot describe aside from...a Belgian smell. Maybe some tartness at the finish.

Taste: Less burnt in the flavor and more so illuminating a strong roasted malt presence both in the foretaste to midtaste. There are likewise some mild candied malt sugars that really pronounce this beers sweet midtaste. The finish is unique in that it takes on a dry and spiced character from the yeast while at the same time complementing the roasted chocolate malt flavor. Finally there is somewhat of a tart astringent sensation at the immediate exit of down the throat. Hops are more or less negligible in the beers
Mouthfeel: Nicely carbonated, though more on the higher end. Medium bodied but and mild texture. The texture itself has somewhat of a chalky element to it which definitely contributes to the overall feel of this beer. Not in the slightest tacky.
Overall Impression: A very interesting beer at that. I think it really brings an interesting combination between the elements of Belgian yeast and the overly roasted flavors brought through by the malt. Overall it is a very sweet stout once the palate adjusts to the roastiness. Malt backbone is thinner and tartness was a deterrent. I still give props to the interesting combination.


80/100