Humboldt Black Xantus
Black Xantus is a rare bird and the first new release from
Nectar Ales in Years. It is the First ever “big-beer” to be released under the Nectar Ales line. Barrel aged for 6 months
in combination of Bourbon, retired Firestone Union and
wine barrels and Infused with fair-trade, organic coffee
from local roaster Jobella. Rich bourbon and coffee aromas
greet the senses. Complex chocolate and tobacco flavors
fill the palate. This beer displays a full-bodied mouth-feel
and an overall balanced presentation. It would be a perfect
pairing to rich chocolate desserts.
Style: Imperial Java Stout IBUs: 50 Color: Black ABV: 11%
Nectar Ales in Years. It is the First ever “big-beer” to be released under the Nectar Ales line. Barrel aged for 6 months
in combination of Bourbon, retired Firestone Union and
wine barrels and Infused with fair-trade, organic coffee
from local roaster Jobella. Rich bourbon and coffee aromas
greet the senses. Complex chocolate and tobacco flavors
fill the palate. This beer displays a full-bodied mouth-feel
and an overall balanced presentation. It would be a perfect
pairing to rich chocolate desserts.
Style: Imperial Java Stout IBUs: 50 Color: Black ABV: 11%
3.9
597 reviews
Arcata, United States
Community reviews
From a 22 oz bottle into a St Bernardus chalice. Pours black with brown head and lace. Aroma of dark chocolate, roasted malts. Medium carbonation and significant mouthfeel. Flavors of dark roasted malts, cark chocolate, coffee, bourbon, molassas, slight tobacco. Overall big, bold, rich and flavoful.
Aroma - sweet chocolate, sweet malt, cherry, big alcohol, roast, coffee, and spice.
Appearance - the body is black, the head is beige and around 2". Head fades slowly. Alcohol cloying, with suds wash.
Taste - sweet with a mix of bourbon, roast, chocolate, molasses, caramelized sugars, tobacco, and spice.
Palate - full body, slick and sticky texture, the carbonation is average, the finish is sweet and astringent, with very potent alcohol.
Bottle @ home from a trade. Vintage 2014. Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, vanilla. Well balanced, not too sticky. Earthy bitterness. Nice stout!
Smooth and strong tasting, but doesn’t taste of alcohol despite the strength. A bit of a chocolate flavour. Very tasty.
650 ml bottle shared with Nightfall at his place. Thank you Alex!! Black color with beige brown head. Roasted malty aroma, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, licorice, dark fruits. Very bitter in the beginning, then it becomes sweet and bitter like aroma but much better. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
Bottle from World Market in Redwood City, CA. Aroma is sweet dark malts and dark fruits with vanilla, marshmallows. Taste is sweet and boozy...not getting much of the coffee...maybe some dark chocolate. Has more of vanilla taste to me. Overall too sweet and unbalanced.
Bottle shared with Guillaume. Aroma: intense molasses, candied fruits. App: extremely dark brown, medium brown head, ok retention, good lacing. Taste and palate: full body, medium sweetness, a tad creamy, moderate bitter finish. Overall: didn’t enjoy the nose that much, not much of a molasses guy. Taste and mouthfeel on the other side is pretty good.
Black pour from 22oz bottle at the Lakehouse. Off white head. Huge tobacco, coffee and slight fruit kick to it. A massive beer, mouthful to take down. Good overall. Sneaky little guy
Nice black body. Aromas of roasted malts/coffee/tobacco. Full flavor malts/coffee and a little chocolate.
Type: 22-oz. bottle
Glass: 8-oz. (I think) clear cognac snifter glass
From: Cost Plus World Market in San Jose, Calif.
Price: $10.99 ($1 off regular price)
Purchased: April 16, 2016
Consumed: April 16, 2016
Misc.: No BOD on bottle; Think it was bottled in 2015 though
Bought this on a whim after not finding anything I really wanted at Trader Joe’s. Once I got back to the hotel I realized that this was on my want list. Sounds really good (barrel-aged for six months in combination of bourbon, retired Firestone Union and wine barrels and infused with fair-trade, organic coffee from local roaster Jobella) and it was a dollar off the original price.
Poured a very dark brown, dark mahogany color with two fingers of frothy, tan head. Below average spotty lacing on the sides of the glass. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.50)
First whiff was a bit unbalanced and a bit all over the place. Settling down I got sweetened dark tea bags (somehow), java coffee, dark milk chocolate, smooth bourbon, espresso and roasty malts. (Smell - 3,75)
Taste followed the nose somewhat, kind of reminding me more of an imperial milk stout. Got roasty coffee malts, dark milk chocolate, tea bags (still), dark espresso, hints of smooth bourbon, burnt molasses, dark cocoa nibs, caramel and light vanilla. Can’t believe this is 11 percent. (Taste - 3.75)
Full body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth, slightly warming finish. Best part of the beer by far. So smooth. (Feel - 4.50)
This was not as good as I thought it would be. Disappointing overall. Good, just not great. (Overall - 3.75)
3.81 86 B+
dark orange brown slight red. Smells like bourbon and apple cider. tastes like burnt caramel, hay horse grain super syrupy palate.
32 ounce bottle purchased at Total Wine Pembroke Pines, FL for $15.99 Very good!
Holy thick and full Batman. Heavy tobacco and leather. Sweet and thick sugars, but has the bitter even barley that is balancing it out. Dark black. Bottle
Beer tasted as described. The aroma made me want more. It pour black with little head. Great beer to try, is not over powered in any way.
Pours very dark brown almost black with a chocolate brown foam head. Like most imperial stouts. Rich and creamy first impression. Followed by some bourbon and alcholol and maybe chocolate. Follows then with some coffee flavors then finishes with a bitter aftertaste.
Pours black with a thin tan head. Sweet soy aroma. Smooth full bodied molasses, bit of soy
Bottle at tasting. Dark brown pour. Aroma of strong dark malt and some chocolate. Taste has lots of malt as well, with mild red fruit, choco and some booze. Where is the bourbon? This beer has potential, but feels unfinished.
Pours a rich dark brown. A thin head appears after the beer settles that is the color of coffee ice cream. Even though the head is relatively thin it looks right on this beer. Aroma of dark licorice, molasses and dark fruits. This beer smells very rich. Fairly creamy in the mouth, but the carbonation, rather than being bubbly, is almost sharp for a second and then disappears. Flavor of dark, rich chocolate and overripe cherries. Maybe just a hint of alcohol flavor, which isn’t surprising at 11%. The flavor isn’t as nuanced as some of the very best imperial stouts, but this is a solid entry in the category.
Anis! I was really excited to taste this beer and then I realized it was mostly anis. Love dark, stout, imperial stout, etc, but this was overpowered by the black licorice flavor.
Dark black color with thin light brown head and moderate lacing. Aroma is weak- nonexistent, maybe some malt remnants but otherwise nothing. Flavor is okay, well balanced with the bourbon and cocoa coffee notes but weak all around. Called Nectar Ales Black Xantus at the bar, but this says its retired....is this an old beer?
Bomber->snifter. Black with huge frothy tan head. A: chocolate malt, nuts, toffee, roasted malts, coffee, hint of booze. T: coffee grounds, roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, booze. Quite good.
Black, tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, liquorice, vanilla and chocolate. Bitter flavour, roasted malts, coffee, light caramel, hops. Full, thick body. Bitter finish, liquorice root, light sour note. Bit sweet, quite boozy.
(from 75cL bottle @ Let’s drink all of Rich’s American beers Tasting. Thanks for sharing, omgrich!)
15/VIII/15 - 1Pt. 6Fl. Oz. bottle @ We’re drinking all of Rich’s American beers tasting - BB: n/a (2015-1086) Thanks to omgrich for sharing the bottle!
Clear dark brown beer, small fizzy beige head, non adhesive, unstable. Aroma: very rich, vanilla, bourbon, alcohol, bit sourish. MF: soft carbon, medium to full body. Taste: very alcoholic and boozy, bitter, roasted, caramel, molasses, bit smoky. Aftertaste: alcohol, caramel, vanilla, bourbon, bit hoppy, roasted, some coffee, a lot of coffee actually. Didn’t know anything about the beer beforehand, looks like i got a lot of it right. Sourness from the wine barrels, bourbon, coffee, ... So, even at the end of such a big tasting, still got my senses serving me right! ;-)
Bottle. Pours black with a brown head. Nose is roasted coffee and maybe some bourbon. Taste is bourbon and coffee with some smoke.
65 cl bottle @ hotel room, San Diego.
Pours dark ruby red color with a small beige head. Quite appealing aroma, roasted malts, bourbon, ripe fruits, vanilla, faint coffee and chocolate, some caramel too. Quite sweet flavor with vanilla, caramel, faint syrup and some ripe fruit notes, licorice, not that roasty, some coffee bitterness and dark malts. Alcohol it’s quite well hidden. Quite sweet, maybe a tad too sweet flavor, but the aroma is quite awesome. Excellent.
6426
650 ml bottle. Pours a black colour with a small beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, rich caramel sweetness and bourbon. Flavour of roasted malts, caramel sweetness, vanilla, strong red wine notes, herbal notes and tart wooden notes. Full bodied. Oily. Aroma was excellent, but flavour is a bit overwhelming. Still nice.
65 cl bottle @ hotel room, San Diego. Aroma has sweet bourbon tones and licorice. Flavour has licorice, sweet bourbon, vanilla and rye pudding. Also some porto. Very intensive, very sweet, very great. Reminds me of Bells Black Note - this is just more oaty and malty. I would love to have a bottle of this with a great two-hour movie.
650ml bottle
Pours pitch black with a smooth brown head. Aroma of roasty malts, mämmi, licorice, hints of oakiness and vinous notes. Taste is vinous, slightly roasty and sweet with loads of licorice, hints of oak, wood and berries. Finish is heavy with vinous notes, sweet syrup, licorice, oak, wood and vanilla. Quite vinous and sweet.
Bottle. Pours black. Aroma and taste are chocolate, roasted malts, and coffee.
650 ml from Cigarette City, Seabrook. Used motor oil color with thin tan head. Aroma is chocolate, deep roasted grains, burnt coffee grounds, dark fruits. Mild bourbon notes/ leans more on oak rather than bourbon.
Flavor is bitter coffee, roasted malts, anise, light char underneath a mild bourbon treatment. Lots of dark fruit notes, raisins, red grapes, figs. Mouthfeel is nice and full with an oak finish. Very nice, wanted more coffee but I also have no idea the age of the bottle. Still a fine sipper overall.