Beer of the Weekend #102: Black Hart Irish Style Dry Stout
The beer this weekend is Black Hart Irish Style Dry Stout brewed by the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California.
I’ve had Black Hart before, but it’s been two and a half years since I last drank it. When I was first settling in SoCal, living with my aunt and uncle, I went through a stout phase. Not only did I drink a lot of Black Hart, but I also quenched my weekend thirst with Stockyard Stout and Mackeson Triple XXX Stout. Until my hefeweizen epiphany last summer, stout, especially milk and dry stout, was my favorite style of beer. It’s only been supplanted by hefe, so I’m really eager to start drinking. I haven’t had a stout or porter since the little sample of Anchor Porter I had in San Francisco; before that it was probably March.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured a deep black. Not sure if light can penetrate because I don’t have a lamp at the ready. Two fingers of thick, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave a billowy lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell the chocolate and coffee immediately after popping the cap. Roasted cocoa and coffee malts dominate, and there’s a hint of plum. It’s an enticing aroma.
Taste: There’s an immediate coffee bitterness that gets the tongue and cheeks tingling. Very dry, which lives up to the beer’s extended name. The chocolate from the smell is almost nonexistent, but the faint plum undertones are still present.
Drinkability: Great stuff. Maybe I’m over exaggerating because I haven’t had a stout in a long time, but I’m impressed nonetheless. If this is truly modeled after the brews they serve in Dublin and Cork — not the stuff from St. James’s Gate — then I really admire and envy the Irish.
Fun facts about Black Hart:
-Price: $5.99/sixer at Trader Joe’s. TJ’s is the only place I’ve seen Black Hart sold.
-Serving temperature: BA suggests a usual 45-50ºF, but I’m going out on a limb and recommending 50ºF.
-Alcohol content: Unlisted on BA, but RateBeer.com, another beer reviewing website, lists the alcohol content as 5.5 ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue (I just realized I’ve been misspelling it “barbeque” for a long time), Latin American, chocolate, and smoked or grilled meat.
-The side of the carrier features this text:
My ultimate European tour — which I may or may not take next August — would start in Ireland. And of course I’d be pub crawlin’.
-I’m very surprised Black Hart has no official online presence. There is zero mention of it on the North Coast website, probably because Old No. 38 takes the stout spotlight. It’s really shameful, almost disrespectful. Could someone please tell me about the symbolism behind the label art? (Seriously, you can’t have something that interesting — a deer, a tower battlement, wings, a horn, maybe a rope, and some kind of ribbon — and not hint at the meaning.)
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
I’ve had Black Hart before, but it’s been two and a half years since I last drank it. When I was first settling in SoCal, living with my aunt and uncle, I went through a stout phase. Not only did I drink a lot of Black Hart, but I also quenched my weekend thirst with Stockyard Stout and Mackeson Triple XXX Stout. Until my hefeweizen epiphany last summer, stout, especially milk and dry stout, was my favorite style of beer. It’s only been supplanted by hefe, so I’m really eager to start drinking. I haven’t had a stout or porter since the little sample of Anchor Porter I had in San Francisco; before that it was probably March.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured a deep black. Not sure if light can penetrate because I don’t have a lamp at the ready. Two fingers of thick, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave a billowy lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell the chocolate and coffee immediately after popping the cap. Roasted cocoa and coffee malts dominate, and there’s a hint of plum. It’s an enticing aroma.
Taste: There’s an immediate coffee bitterness that gets the tongue and cheeks tingling. Very dry, which lives up to the beer’s extended name. The chocolate from the smell is almost nonexistent, but the faint plum undertones are still present.
Drinkability: Great stuff. Maybe I’m over exaggerating because I haven’t had a stout in a long time, but I’m impressed nonetheless. If this is truly modeled after the brews they serve in Dublin and Cork — not the stuff from St. James’s Gate — then I really admire and envy the Irish.
Fun facts about Black Hart:
-Price: $5.99/sixer at Trader Joe’s. TJ’s is the only place I’ve seen Black Hart sold.
-Serving temperature: BA suggests a usual 45-50ºF, but I’m going out on a limb and recommending 50ºF.
-Alcohol content: Unlisted on BA, but RateBeer.com, another beer reviewing website, lists the alcohol content as 5.5 ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue (I just realized I’ve been misspelling it “barbeque” for a long time), Latin American, chocolate, and smoked or grilled meat.
-The side of the carrier features this text:
Black Hart Dry Stout is brewed in the finest Irish tradition. Dark malts, roasted barley and a well-balanced hop profile give it a firm-bodied chocolate/coffee character reminiscent of the stouts in the storied pubs of Dublin and Cork. Its smooth finish makes Black Hart an easy-drinking stout to be enjoyed with friends.
My ultimate European tour — which I may or may not take next August — would start in Ireland. And of course I’d be pub crawlin’.
-I’m very surprised Black Hart has no official online presence. There is zero mention of it on the North Coast website, probably because Old No. 38 takes the stout spotlight. It’s really shameful, almost disrespectful. Could someone please tell me about the symbolism behind the label art? (Seriously, you can’t have something that interesting — a deer, a tower battlement, wings, a horn, maybe a rope, and some kind of ribbon — and not hint at the meaning.)
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
