Black Diamond Peak XV Imperial Porter
What compels a journey- Beyond the realm of possibilities?
Peak XV- The Earth’s highest mountain- Was first measured in 1856, then renamed Mt. Everest nine years later. In 20 years the ascent was proposed, but it would be another 68 years (and several unsuccessful attempts later) before the summit was finally reached.
In admiration of the human spirit and the courage required to accomplish this supreme feat, we offer this dark towering brew.
Subtle undertones of vanilla are brought forth using multiple sources of whole vanilla beans, followed by a stupendous nose of dark chocolate - Provided by locally sourced cacao nibs. The flavor is massive chocolate, creamy vanilla, toasty and malty. The finish is epic.
Peak XV- The Earth’s highest mountain- Was first measured in 1856, then renamed Mt. Everest nine years later. In 20 years the ascent was proposed, but it would be another 68 years (and several unsuccessful attempts later) before the summit was finally reached.
In admiration of the human spirit and the courage required to accomplish this supreme feat, we offer this dark towering brew.
Subtle undertones of vanilla are brought forth using multiple sources of whole vanilla beans, followed by a stupendous nose of dark chocolate - Provided by locally sourced cacao nibs. The flavor is massive chocolate, creamy vanilla, toasty and malty. The finish is epic.
3.6
154 reviews
Concord, United States
Community reviews
Growler. Pours a rich, warm coffee brown with an effervescent tan head. Aroma starts with a core of roast malt and hangs coffee, semi-sweet chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and subtle licorice notes to the sonata of scents. Lip-smacking flavor trots roast malt, coffee, toasty, nutty, vanilla, and shy licorice and woody tones across the palate. Texture is smooth and fairly thick, and fizz is firm if not lasting. Climb this peak of Dairug-beer XV!
Une bouteille bue dans mon camp de chasse. Ce porter frise le noir. Son col brun est assez solide. Les arômes sont fidèles aux fèves de cacao et à l’authentique vanille. Les saveurs bien chocolatées et caramélisées sont fabriquées avec une vanille jouxtée à des grains rôtis amers. Le corps est rond. La texture est crémeuse. Le liquide est gazéifié selon le style. La finale est rôtie et vanillée, sans sucre et pratiquement sans alcool.
I thought this was very good. I only had a small taste, definitely need to go back for more. From a bottle at an SF beer festival.
On tap at the brewery
Black with a medium sized tan head, good lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, vanilla and rich chocolate. Taste is rich chocolate, dark malts, vanilla with a dry finish
Nice, tasty
22 fl. oz. bottle. Pours a dark brown with a medium, creamy, tan head. Sweet aroma of roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel and alcohol. Sweet flavour of roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, liquorice and alcohol with a bitter, coffee finish. Medium body with a creamy, oily texture and soft carbonation.
Not a bad beer from the brewery. One of their better ones in my opinion. Pours fairly dark, but not black with a light tan head. Nose is roasted and chocolatey with alcohol presence as it opens up. Flavor is sweet caramel and roasted with some light darker fruit notes, almost fig like, but it works well. Not bad overall
Draught. Pours an almost black color with a moderate tan head on there. Nose is very coffee laden and roasty with only a hint of some cocoa coming through. Taste is a bit sweet, though some nice roasty bitterness comes through. The chocolate is very present, but doesn’t overpower. Nice brew.
Bottle from South Bay Liquor: Created a monstrous sizing of foam head while a dark brown rested below. Aroma is bold with whole grains and bread like scents but does allow room for a bit of roasted malts and vanilla bean. The drink is strange and has an unbalanced taste of roast malt and hops and doesn’t exactly come off as a porter style. Aftertaste finishes with a roasted malt profile and a bit of table sugar.
Near black. Fair fizzy beige head, partly lasting. Aroma is a beautiful chocolatey coffee roasty with lovely vanilla. Hershey syrup. Lighter Medium body. Soft. Flavor is loaded with really smooth coffee, a notable amount of vanilla, rich chocolate. Alcohol pretty well hidden. Not overly complex, this beer really comes together, with the chocolate, coffee, and vanilla joining harmoniously. I like it!
Pours a dark ruby red with a nice caramel head. Aroma is full of dark fruit and chocolate. Taste is full of chocolate, dark chocolate and figs. Reminds me of Nogne Imperial Stout.
Pours black with a thin, short lived tan head. Roasted malt, coffee, chocolate and vanilla aroma. Chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, caramel, vanilla and soy sauce flavors. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Chocolate and coffee finish.
Bottle. Pours dark brown with a big foamy head that fades fast and leaves some lacing. Aromas are tobacco, dark chocolate, vanilla and toasted dark bread. Tastes like unsweetened dark chocolate, vanilla, and burnt toast. Medium body. A bit over carbonated. Decent porter.
Pours dark dark brown, with tan head. Aroma of vanilla and malts. Tastes lightly of chocolate, with vanilla notes. Smooth and quite drinkable, thumbs up for sure.
Fairly solid but a little weird. Had a wine-like sourness. Other than that, very strong vanilla and chocolate flavors make this is decent porter.
Sweet vanilla and roast nose. Taste has a large cola component, but still dominated by the sweet vanilla, some caramel, cocoa, sweet and dark chocolate round out the flavor profile. Just eh for me, but the bottle was lacking carbonation.
Poured a cola black color with aromas of light roast, malt, cola, light earth and a touch of vanilla. Flavors are vanilla chocolate brownies with a light cola mouthfeel. This one caught me by surprise.
Fresh bottle from recent trade. Pours black with minimal tan head. Aroma is vanilla and hints of dark chocolate. The vanilla is the main showcase and it does not disappoint. Lots of interplay between vanilla and cocoa when tasting. Also a slightly sour affect - any chance of infection? Seemed like an odd background note but it could have been improper handling as well. Overall, this was a solid beer and I’d go back for more.
motor oil black, thin khaki head that fades into the abyss. nose of roasted malt, light vanilla. taste is generally sweet with chocolate, cocoa, light vanilla. body is a bit on the thin side.
Sampled draught as part of a flight at Palm Harbor House of Beers, on January 21, 2014.
Very dark red to black color, brown head. Chocolate, sweet, cocoa, alcohol taste. Chocolate, grainy, roasted aftertaste. Medium mouthfeeel, medium bitterness. Sweet, milk chocolate scent.
Probably the best smelling porter I have ever had! Perfect aroma of vanilla, coffee, coca, chocolate, roasted beans, the taste is just like it smells but you can taste a strong hint of citrus? It works perfect. Beautiful dark brown pour, this is a great porter, only down side it could use a little more ABV and sweetness, just a hint. Good beer.
On tap @ Uber. Pours somewhat thin inky brown with thin lacy mocha head. Aroma is thin roasty chocolate malt, sweet boozy bourbon. Taste is sweet chocolate malt, vanilla, muted bourbon, and a weirdly tart finish. Thin body and mouthfeel is a bit out of sync with the big flavors. Some nice notes here, but kinda out of sync overall.
Bottle: Dark brown pour with two fingers of fizzy brown head. Nose is heavy with roast, espresso, dark fruits, and booze. Sweet taste, baker’s chocolate, espresso, pitted fruits. A little bittersweet at moments and reminiscent of coffee grounds. Lightly cloying. The mouthful is very soft, but syrupy and sticky. Has a quick warming effect.
Interestingly good. I usually don't like a strong bourbon taste, but here it really works. Strangely sweet, with a good porter case.
Shared from a22 oz bottle. Pours a dark cola with a tan head. Whisky nose. Flavors of tart cherry, smoke and oak. Very tart finish. Possibly infected.
from a bottle pours deep brown with a frothy head, smells great like coffee and chocolate. Tastes a bit thin but very much like coffee, tastes like a an iced mocha, very solid beer
This 2011 vintage bottle, thanks to Myron, pours with a nice looking mahogany colored body that supports a tan head of foam. The aroma offers up sweet malts and freshly mixed chocolate milk, heavy on the chocolate that bursts out of the glass. The taste is similar and full of yum where it tastes surprising like over chocolate Nestle chocolate milk where there are thin smatterings of malts here and there. Wow, nearly straight up chocolate goodness, I like it.
Dark brown pour, minimal head. Aroma is roasty chocolate and caramel. Flavor is all chocolate and coffee.
An incredible porter. Pours a beautiful syrupy black with a brown head. Smells like raisins, coffee and vanilla. A huge amount of vanilla in the taste. Some more coffee and chocolate too. Paired with Mushroom Lamb burger, the beer is smoothed out, becomes richer, and has some more chocolate in the finish. A damn good beer! Had in the bottle.
Pours copper brown with cherry highlights and an average, tan head. The aroma is coffee and hops. The flavor is both strong and tart. I typically enjoy porters that are a little richer and sweeter than this, but this was good. I don’t know if it would pair with food as well as, for insance, Sierra Nevada’s Porter does. But it is good.
Poured into an imperial pint glass. Nice finger and half of tan head on a black body.
The aroma is chocolate with a touch of vanilla. It’s nice but tough to distinguish any other smells.
Well, this combination of porter, vanilla beans and cacao nibs is a bad idea. There’s a bitter/sour/chocolate taste throughout that ruins the whole thing.
The texture is thicker with low carbonation.
Not recommended unless you’d like a sour chocolate porter.