Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1787
54 / the tasting panel / august 2009 Beer Reviews Session Black A premium dark lager from Full Sail's retro spin-off brand, this one isn't exactly black—more of a rootbeer brown with hints of reddish amber. But who's quibbling when it opens the sinuses with inviting hopsy notes and some underlying tones of cokey coal smoke. Definitely ses- sionable, it keeps the retro faith alive. FULL SAIL BREWING Allagash Black Belgian Style Stout A curi- ous and delicious cross between a Belgian bottle-fermented ale and an English stout. Pitch-like color, feral nose. Bitter black fla- vors (and a tinge of Pedro Ximenez sherry) with an intensely herbal edge. Fascinating, but not for the faint of heart. Köstritzer Schwarzbier If you think you don't like black beer, this one is the place to start. The brewery in Thuringia first opened in 1543 and has made its black beer continuously for 466 years. The German writer Goethe was a fan, and so am I. Elegant, mid-weight texture, rich flavors and a crisp, refreshing finish. BITBURGER IMPORTS Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale Seriously insane beer. This stout-by- any-other-name will kick your beer- lovin' butt from Humboldt County to heaven and back again—not just with 8.6% alcohol, but with pure, driven flavor. Delicious, dark malt tones on a texture like molten asphalt. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sum- mer float. Deschutes Black Butte XXI A massive porter brewed with chocolate beans and coffee to celebrate the brewery's 21st birthday. Viscous bordering on syrupy, it drives right up and delivers a panoply of dark flavors that include mincemeat, espresso, horehound and a few others I'm too stunned right now to name. Like many of Deschutes's other brews, frea- kin' awesome. Xingu Black Beer Brazil drinks lots of beer, but Brazilian beer imports to the States are scarcer than clothing on Copaca- bana Beach. Xingu and its sister brew, Palma Louca, are the exceptions. Cervejaria Kaiser (jointly owned by Coors Molson, Heineken and Mexico's FEMSA) produces this sultry beauty, now one of my more frequent quaffs. Dark to the eye, it's supple and soft in the mouth and as refreshing as streaking through an open hydrant. EUROBREWS Summer used to be just for hefeweizen, but this season Black is the New Beer Gadd's Sixpack by David Gadd