Jester King Black Metal Imperial Stout
Black Metal Imperial Stout, a.k.a. Suds of Northern Darkness, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte. Black Metal is a cruel and punishing beer fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will. We are pretty sure that Kreator wrote the song “Impossible Brutality” about this beer while drinking it during their Extreme Aggression Tour.
Note: This entry is the original Black Metal. Beginning around the time of their first anniversary, Jester King switched to a farmhouse yeast for all of their beers. All ratings after this switch should be entered under the Farmhouse Black Metal Imperial Stout entry. The original Black Metal bottles feature a small sticker on the neck; the Farmhouse Black Metal bottles have the word "Farmhouse" in small print on the label.
Note: This entry is the original Black Metal. Beginning around the time of their first anniversary, Jester King switched to a farmhouse yeast for all of their beers. All ratings after this switch should be entered under the Farmhouse Black Metal Imperial Stout entry. The original Black Metal bottles feature a small sticker on the neck; the Farmhouse Black Metal bottles have the word "Farmhouse" in small print on the label.
3.9
452 reviews
Austin, United States
Community reviews
Dark black. Thin mocha head. Really unique stout. Cherries. Tart. Smells yeasty. Thx carter.
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a nice thick brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of black chocolate with light sweet notes is quite nice. Taste is also a great mix of creamy black chocolate notes with some residual sugar and hints of roasted malt. Body has a nice creamy texture with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Nice smooth easy drinking stout. I am surprised at how well the bottle has aged over the years.
Bottle at the nuplastikk returns tasting in VA. Black with tan head. Aromas of chocolate, roast, caramel, light coffee. Tastes of chocolate, caramel, roasted coffee. Medium body with a dry finish.
From a 75 cl bottle shared at the 2016 Nuplastik is back tasting. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma of chocolate and caramel, Flavors of coffee and leather. Bitter roast finish.
Roast and some oxidation. Pours black with good head. Some dark chocolate. Bittersweet finish. Sobe caramel. Bottle shared at tasting.
Bottle 0.75l at Johnny Off License Roma Italy. 03.12.2015.Thank you John for this Vintage bottle.Taste with Mortlach, ippopotamo36, John, Trevor and cika Boban. Pour it dark color with small thick dark head.Aroma of chocolate, some mocha, vanilla also.Taste sweet really pleasent with pinch of bittery finish.Dark choclate, vanilla, roasted coffee.Perfect balanced and great result of aging.
Vintage bottle from the Johnny Off License catacombs in Rome-Italy. Many thanks to John Nolan for this amazing sharing. Pours black color with a minimal but persistent dark foam. Nose is terrific with nutty feel well balanced with roasted coffee beans and some mocha. Mouth is velvety, silky and elegant. Easy beer for the style which aged in a fantastic way. A real gem, I want it again!
Vintage bottle @Johnny’s Off License (Rome), thank you John! Pours oily black with a little cappuccino head. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, light coffee, nuts. Flavour is medium to heavy sweet with a light bitter end, a bit unbalanced but in a good way. Full body, light carbonation. A great beer.
Bottle shared at the 10th Annual Epic & Unusual Beer Tasting, 11/29/15. Inky black with a medium sized tan head. Good retention. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee and hops. The taste is roasted malt, chocolate, coffee. Medium bodied, low carbonation, lingering bitterness.
malty, licorice, chocolate aromas, pitch black with tan lacing, vanilla and chocolate flavour smooth with a bitter finish. just yes!
Bottle from SB. Very dark brown with a tiny brown head. malty and fruity tones. Malt, coffee, licorice, fruit and hops. Full body with a long bitter / fruity finish.
Bottle shared by Damian and Lona. Pours a deep opaque black with a slight layer of toffee colored head. Aroma of roasty malts, coffee, and some chocolate. Taste is pretty spot on with the aroma, the coffee lingers nicely.
Enjoyed at Freetail Bottleshare 2015... Dark black pour with beige head... Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate... Flavor is roasty, nuances of coffee and dark chocolate with earthy finish... Really nice beer, wish they still made this
From old notes. 750ml bottle. Black color with beige head. Roasted malty aroma, chocolate and coffee. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Medium oily silky body with soft carbonation.
Bottle. (From notes.) Bottle. Opaque black body with a big tan head. Aroma of chocolate, roast, sour cherry, light licorice. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Dry, sweet, boozy finish with a slight tartness. Taste of roasted malt, wood, alcohol.
750 ml bottle at a tasting from notes. Pours dark brown to black in color with a large rocky tan head. The aroma and flavor have roasted malts, dark chocolate, black coffee, caramel, earthy bitterness, full bodied, straight forward, big imperial stout, I liked it.
Backlog rating. 75cl bottle from Grand Cru, Rimini. It pours a dark brown color with a meidum beige head. Aroma is sweet and roasty, with notes of chocolate, espresso, vanilla, wood, licorice and citrus. Taste is lightly boozy, medium swet with a drier finish. Notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, coffee beans and wood. Full bodied with good carbonation. Overall, nice RIS
Bottle split at home with JF, acquired in an IP from some Texan dude, 16/01/15.
Pitch black with an oh so dirty tan head head - this beer is a looker!
Nose is chocolate, rich maltings, raisens, chocolate fudge, dark toffee.
Taste comprises more chocolate fudge, charr, dark fruits, black pepper, soy sauce, light spice.
Full bodied, fine carbonation, lightly warming alcohol in the close but kept well in check for a 10% beast.
Solid impy, great looker, great balance, has aged well, very drinkable.
Bottle at home. Pours completely black with a big dense brown head. Looks amazing. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla. Great taste of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, molasses, dark sweet fruits, vanilla and something sweet - anise perhaps. Above average body and soft carbonation. Very sweet and drinkable - far friendlier tasting that one would expect from a beer with this name. :-) Very good. My bottle was a gift from Barleywine in Copenhagen.
Bottle via unknown courtesy Tyler. Pours a dark black-brown, little to no tan head. Nose some funk, yogurt, vanilla, lacto. Body surprisingly thin, roast forward, sweet, arch. Some sweetness, candi sugar.
Bottle pour. Pours a thick, inky black with a khaki head of foam. The aroma is roasty, dark chocolate, molasses, toffee, anise. The taste is pretty sweet and leathery. Thick mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.
Black body with a nice brown head. Aromas of milk chocolate, dark fruits, liquorice, plums, some vanilla. Taste is phenomenal. Sweet, with chocolate, vanilla, liquorice, plums, rasins. Nice aftertaste, sweet and long. Full body with medium carbonation.
Riktigt bra, runda rostade toner med inslag av framförallt chocklad och lite kaffe. Bra balans i både smak och kropp.
Good toasted imperial stout somewhat sweet. Good dry almost English taste. Sweet yeast aroma.
Sampled at 4 Hands. Almost black with some red in the foam. Interesting aroma. Vinous almost but angry darkness, too. Big malty cocoa flavor. Nothing quite fits what I normally get in a big stout. Really good but my tasye buds are not sure how to describe it.
Shared with Zach and Brandon, pours a rich dark black color with a nice java mocha head. Nose is chocolate, malt, coffee and black licorice. Taste is mildly bitter with chocolate, licorice and deep malt. Finish is chocolate with some alcohol with a bitter sweet ending. Nice. Quaff Score 8 / 10
Pours pitch black with a brown head and aroma of strong roasted malt, alcohol, and liquorice aroma. Taste is of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, liquorice, dark fruits, light bitterness and alcohol with a burnt, roasty finish.
Bottle shared with Simonsen
A small gusher. Pours jet black with a massive brown head. Smell of smoke, roasted malts, some funk and dark chocolate. Heavy sweet, roasty malts, some smoke, hints of coffee, dark fruity malts. Medium bitter finish with some earth and soil. Oily texture, soft carbonation. Excellent imperial stout with a funky twist
Batch 1 bottle at Strangeways. Pours pitch black with a khaki head. Aroma of roasted malt and chocolate. Taste is the same with a slight bitterness. Great carb on the mouthfeel without diluting the flavors. Delicious beer
Fat på Baghaven. Svart med ljusbrunt skum. Syrlig doft. Syrlig och rostad smak.