Bootleggers Black Phoenix
Black Phoenix melds rich bold coffee with the smokey flavors of chipotle peppers, giving it just a touch of heat. To insure the freshest coffee available, we had our local Orange County friends, Kean Coffee, custom roast a batch for us. Notes of chocolate complement this complex and bold stout. This special release will only be available in limited quantities so enjoy it while it lasts.
3.6
210 reviews
Fullerton, United States
Community reviews
Bomber. Phenolic nose with tons of berries, chocolate, bell peppers. Dark brown with orange tints, lace. Big berries flavor, some chili, cola, burn in the end. A touch oxidized. Ok.
6th December 2015
The Pigs Ear wrap up tasting at ChrisO’s. Clear deep red - amber beer, thin pale head. Palate is smooth and semi dry. Decent fine carbonation. Tangy dark malts, some fluffy malt cream. Mild coffee. A chilli burn begins but never gets too much. Tangy dark fruits. Light semi dry finish. Just another chilli stout. Okay.
Bottle split at Chriso pre Xmas tasting, 06/12/15.
Light black with a decent tan covering.
Nose is light smoke, charr, spice, dark malts, toffee, cocoa powder, dark fruit tang.
Taste comprises Chipotle, light roast malts, toffee sauce, green pepper, sweet’n’sour vibes, chocolate.
Medium bodied fine to spritzy carbonation, semi drying close.
Ok spiced stout ... not OTT in this respect.
Bottle share at Chriso’s. Thanks! As ’Bootleggers Black Phoenix’. Black, opaque, small foamy tan head. Aroma is earthy, touch of mint, red peppers. Body is medium to light, tingly carbonation, slightly foamy. Mouthfeel is a touch thin. Taste is earthy, dark chocolate, spice, light metallic, plenty of chilli in the finish. Not bad.
Bottle shared at the chriso and Ruth pre-Christmas / post-Pigs Ear holiday tasting of 2015 - London. Cheers! Pours mostly clear brown with a tan cream head. The aroma holds dry chocolate, light roast, faint rubber notes. Light to medium sweet flavor with moderate chili spice, bittersweet baking cocoa, hints of vanilla. Medium bodied with average carbonation. More moderate chili burn on the finish, with licks of dry chocolate, mild roast, some earthy bitterness. A nice beer overall.
Bottle shared at Chriso’s Xmas Tasting, London. It pours a dark brown color with a small tan head. Aroma is sweet roasty with chocolate and coffee. Taste is sweet and lightly roasty with chocolate and coffee. Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Overall, ok
Draught at the brewpub in Fullerton, California. Black beer with a nice beige head. Roasted cocoa and dark chocolate aroma, tar, fruity, some ash and coffee. Roasted chipotle flavor, coffee, dark chocolate, soot, some hay. Quite ok.
22 ounce bottle. Pours almost black with a small tan head. Aroma of malt, chocolate, and spice. Taste is roasted malt, chocolate, chili peppers, coffee, and a bit of smoke. Nice one.
Black brown colour, beige head. Aroma of coffee, caramel, cacao, roasted malts. Light sweet, light bitter flavour, roasted malts, caramel, coffee, light heat. Finish caramel, cacao, chocolate, chili heat and ash.
(from 66cL bottle @ ZZT XII, ’Getting Joes’d to it’ Oirschot. Thanks for sharing, DutchDrebus!)
Thanks! to DutchDrebus. 650 ml. bottle sampled @ ZZT XIII. Dark brown, red amber hue, big mocha head. Nose is thin, mocha, caramel, thin with a weird vegetable profile. Taste is thin mocha, herbal, lightly vegetable, thin, roasted, mocha. Thin & grainy. Weak, body & base, the chipotle pepper appear to have completely turned to weird vegetable flavors with no heat even. Pretty clear miss.
Bottle @ ZZT, small sample. Dark color, short frothy head. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, slight smokey touch. Soft spicy peppery burn in taste, carried by roasty and coffee notes. Heat is nicely balanced and does not overpower the beer. Liked it.
Bottle @ ZZT XII. Clear dark red-brown color with a medium sized off-white to beige head that diminishes quite quickly. Aroma is malts, some coffee, roast. Taste malts, some roast, slightly old coffee, peppers though just doable even for me. A bit thin bodied, a bit fizzy carbonation. Not my kind of beer at all.
Bottle @ ZZT13. Brown to black colour with a small beige head. Smells peppery, roasty, coffee. Tastes sugar, roasty, slightly peppery. Medium body, soft carbo.
650ml bottle. Cloudy, darkest brown colour with average to huge, frothy, half-way lasting, minimally lacing, tan head. Roasty dark malty aroma, fruity overtones with hints of red berries, hints of chipotle, spiced dark chocolate, some cold coffee. Taste is roasty dark malty, moderate sweetness, hints of red berries, mild peppery chipotle spiciness, very cautious smokiness, some dark chocolate, hints of sugared coffee. Well balanced, not overspiced.
Aroma of roasted malt, some chocolate, coffee, smokey chipotle. Flavour is medium sweet with a light coffee bitter finish. A little peppery heat on the tongue. Body is fairly medium. A bit on the subtle side, but smooth and very enjoayble.
Bottle from Ales by Mail. Dark brown (almost black) pour with a beige swiftly dissipating head. Aromas of smoke, burnt wood, coffee, spice and black pepper. Lots of coffee in the flavour followed by a pronounced warming chilli hit. Interesting.
Bomber:
Almost black beer. Creamy head.
Aromas of coffee, coffee roast, mocha, chocolate...
Flavour is peppery, roast, bitters, nutty, malt roast, cookies, nice...
Aftertaste is roast, bitters, spice/peper...
Low carbo, creamy spicy mouthfeel, more than just medium bodied.
Bottle @ Aarhus tasting. Almost black with a light brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, chocolate and heavy coffee. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Sweet and moderate bitter finish with a chili bite. 250615
Bottle @ Christers. Pours almost black with a small creamy offwhite head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, sweet licorice, chilli. Flavor is light sweet, malty, caramel, chocolate, light chilli. Medium body, average carbonation, light chilli heat. 250615
Bottle, 6.7%. Very dark brown with small beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, ho, caramel and a little vegetable. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, caramel, medium sweet, little vegetable, little chipotle, hop and medium bitter.
Bottle. Nice head with good duration. Color is dark brown. Aroma and taste are roast malt, chocolate, coffee, chillies and hops. Nice and smooth. Lovely.
bottle sample from bomber bottle, poured a black colour with a tanned head, notes of dark coffee, roasted malts, dark burned chocolate, plums, spiced pepper heat, spices are pretty well balanced, nice
Really malty, breadlike aroma, smoked sweet oaky.. its is hard to explain. Nice dark colour, firm off white head. Creamy, round flavour, tinckles on the tongue. A little dry with hints of oak batrels, roasted bread, oatmeal and coffee and cote d’or chocolate candy. Little dry, soft pepperish oaky aftertaste.
Pitch black offish head.
Smell is Quite subtle. Milk chocolate and toaster nuts, cottage cheese, touch of something sour. Leather, maybe some sourwood and sold.
Taste is bitter sour with teach chocolate sweetness. Evolves info fizzy bitter freshness and finishes Quite smoothly. Oily creamy feel. The peppers have a subtle présence throughout. More like a part of the fizz than being really hot. Touch of yeast.
This is the first beer with this is the first beer with peppers that I think is even drinkable. The spices very mellow but there and not all that much coffee either. good stuff.
On tap at the source. Nitro. Pours dark brown to black. Creamy mocha head. Aroma is coffee and malt. Flavor is slight coffee slight roast. And a nice very slight burn on the finish. Really nice beer.
Dark pour and dark malt aroma. Coffee flavor similar to a mild Belgian roast. Finishes dark malt bitterness without being astringent.
[2/18/15] Draught at Bootlegger’s Brewery in Fullerton. Dark brown to black with tan head. Aroma of roast, coffee, a bit of cocoa and a light chili hint. Roasty flavor with coffee, some sweetness, a bit of chocolate and a mildly hot chili finish. Medium-bodied.
Bottle. Deep opaque maroon brown color, beige head. Nice aroma of coffee, dark bitter chocolate, more coffee. Taste is very roasty cofee grounds, some heat from the peppers. Very tasty.
"At first, I was wishing this were an imperial. A sturdier backbone would do wonders for this beer. While that still holds, this 6% stout opened up VERY nicely. Not getting any real smokuness from the chipotle peppers, but the interplay and balance of coffee, pepper, and roasted malt was great. Smooth brew too