Magic Hat Heart of Darkness Stout (-2006)

Our inky-black, oatmeal stout has a smooth, round palate with a dreamlike undercurrent of bittersweet chocolate. This dense liquid-silk summons hope from hibernation and balances winter’s endless white snows with a rich swirl of creamy black rapture.
Available in the Winter, reintroduced in Winter 2012 after a hiatus.

3.5

235 reviews

South Burlington, United States

Community reviews

3.6 A midnight beer with a brown head. Smooth, coco nibs (not overpowering), delicate spices. A great affordable stout in a dandy of a bottle

4.0 Subtle chocolate aroma. Pours black, almost like looking into the heart of darkness, with very little head. Rich and flavorful oatmeal stout with chocolatey notes.

3.8 Overall it is a good oatmeal stout. Creamy start with a sweet and slightly bitter aftertaste.

3.4 Dark chocolate, caramel on both aroma and palate. Medium body, medium alcohol.

3.1 On tap at driftwood in Plymouth. Pours black with an off white head. Aroma is of malts, some roastiness, a little coffee and nuttiness. Medium bodied. A little lighter for my taste when it comes to stouts. Favors include malts, some coffee, smoke, a little roastiness, and some more malts. Leaves a malty finish. This would have been something special 10 years ago, but now a days there’s so much more expectations on stouts and this was kind of a let down.

3.1 Beautiful oatmeal stout. Smooth. Oatmeal and chocolate flavors are subtle, I would like to be able smell the chocolate better. Has a dry bitter aftertaste that makes me think I just ate some dark chocolate. Great winter stout.

3.3 Black pour. Corse but thick tan head. A lot of lacing. Chocolate/malty aroma. Medium carbonation with chocolate flavors. I get that oatmeal silkiness. The sweetness from the oatmeal and the bitterness from the chocolate is a mix. A slightly dry/bitter finish. ---Rated via iPhone

3.2 This was genuinely a good stout. It did however produce a light fizzy head that disappointingly disappeared rather quickly. Good strong taste with a nice easy finish.

1.9 this is the wateriest "stout" I have every had... not really a stout, maybe an OK porter, but there are many other better ones. not worth the high price.

3.8 So a friend of mine finds some beer in his cellar that he forgot about. We have no idea how old this bottle is, but we drank it on 6-11-08. Bottle opened with a big hiss, and when poured seems a bit over carbonated. Pours a nice black with slight brown highlights on the edges. Creamy tanish head that stuck around for a while. This beer smells amazing. Dried plums and raisins, chocolates, coffee. Taste is creamy smooth chocolate, some coffee, some fruits, a little bit of oxidation, but not horrible, and a strong roasted grain that lingers at the end. Body is medium and mouthfeel is creamy. I was surprised at how well this one held up given that its at least 2 years old and low on the alcohol side. I would have loved to tried this fresh! Yet another great brew that Magic hat wrongly decided wasn’t worthy.

4.1 I used to love this beer. Dark pour. Nose and taste of sweet malts, coffees. A little dry finish. Rated 6/8/02

4.0 An old review from 2003 (I miss this beer!)... Growler direct from the brewery. Nice black colored body with a tan, creamy head. Taste of dark chocolate. Very enjoyable.

3.3 Tap at Blind Tiger. Dark brown/black beer with a thin brown head. Aroma shows light cocoa on the nose. Some light cherry fruitiness but it’s fairly non-descript. A bit toasty on the back, but I still can’t say it’s all that good.

3.6 Tap @ Blind Tiger in NYC. Pours black and thick with a tan head. The aroma is quite sweet and smooth with a slick aspect. Medium body that is fairly slick with some fairly gentle sharp carbonation. The flavor starts off fairly sweet with some chocolate then it turns quite a bit drier with roastiness and dark chocolate. A nice start to my New York beer exploration.

3.6 Tap @ Blind Tiger. Aroma is slightly malty with earth notes thrown in as well. Taste is sweet, with malt and chocolate, and a noticeable earthy and oat characteristic thrown in. Watery texture, but it doesn’t take away from the quality of the beer. It’s not spectacular, but it’s more than solid.

3.4 Tap at Blind Tiger. Not too shabby. Aroma of cigarette smoke/tobacco, brine, thin malts. Odly sweet flavor, minerals, more tobacco. Lightly lactic. Pretty interesting and different, likely due to its age.

3.0 Draft at the Blind Tiger. Black pour with some white film around the top. Aroma is some oaty malt and grassy yeast. Flavor is the same, sweet oats, light roast, and grassy yeast / spice underneath and in the finish. Strange beer, and not so good.

2.8 Date: 05/02/1998 Mode: Bottle Source: Chevy Chase, DC black, frothy tan head, strong roasted aroma, rich roasted malt flavor, hints of chocolate, high carbonation, bitter malt finish Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20 Rating: 2.8/5.0 Score: **/4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

3.6 From my long lost notes. On tap at the brewery October, 2003. Served in a 3 oz. sampler glass. Poured black with a tan head. Pleasant aroma of chocolate along with some lightly roasted malt. Flavor is sweet chocolate along with some light roasted malt and some coffee. Full bodied and fairly smooth.

3.4 A smooth bodied, better than average stout. Has subtle and lingering chocolate sweetness that lasts from aroma to finish.

3.5 Ok, not an impressive #500 to rate, but it may be fitting, since Magic Hat was one of the first (actually, I think it was the first) broadly distributed / bottled American Craft Brewer that got me into Craft drinking (beyond Yuengling and Sam Adams). Sampled this one straight from the bottle. Aroma was of light roasted chocolate. The flavor was similar (not so much "burnt" or roasted flavors, though) with a chocolate richness noted. A touch of bitterness to finish. A nice close to the evening of drinking.

3.3 Pours a very dark brown with a smattering of red tinting topped by a medium thick tan head with some lacing. Slightly bitter roasty malt aroma with a slight hoppy background. Slightly sweet and smokey malt flavor with bitter notes, some dark chocolate and a touch of hops. Full bodied and smooth with a slight tingle on the tongue. No a big stout, but relatively easy drinking.

2.7 Bottle. Stouts are not my thing. pours dark with a thin tan head. aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, thickness from oatmeal. Good body, decent brew.

3.4 12oz bottle via trade with slob! - Thanks Bert! - Pours dark brown with a slight tan head that stayed briefly. Aroma of chocolate, cocoa, and a whiff of coffee. Flavor is sweet with much chocolate, a bit of coffee, and some oatmeal. Palate is medium bodied and a tad to the watery side. Finishes with with a sweet chocolate aftertaste. Very drinkable and a nice compliment to the porterhouse steak for dinner.

4.7 Heart of Darkness, a great novel, in which a great movie was based upon. And now even better for a beer lover, a great beer. Magic Hat Heart of Darkness is an outstanding oatmeal stout. Don’t be afraid of the dark. This is a really great beer, oatmeal gives this beer a silky smooth mouth feel, like black velvet. This beer is also a ringwood beer, which means it picks up character from that distinctive ringwood yeast strain. I have been fortunate enough to have visited the brewery in South Burlington, VT, and I can tell you from first hand experience, this beer is fantastic on draught, as well as in bottles. Heart of Darkness pours to an ink black opaque color, with a nice, thick, tan head, and a good carbonation. The nose on this beer is very complex, dark chocolate malt aromas mingle with ringwood yeast earthiness. There is also some good hop aromatics present as well. The palate is rich, and delicious. More chocolate malt flavors, a touch of coffee, roasted malt flavors, and a silky smooth mouthfeel from the oatmeal. There is also a nice bit of diacetal which is "buttery" a by product of the ringwood yeast strain. This beer finishes with more dark malt character, and just a touch more earthiness, with a lingering hop bitterness. This really is an amazing beer. A very complex, rich, delicious oatmeal stout. There is a lot going on in this beer, you really can work on it, and pick up all those flavors. This beer is perfect as a night cap or would make an excellent desert beer. I would pair this with a rich and decadent triple chocolate cake, dark and milk chocolates, or perhaps fudge brownies with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

3.2 Light brownish-red pour. whispy white head. Ooohh...lots of chocolate and cocoa aromas. Kind of like a fresh chocolate chip cookie. Some sweet chocolate flavors along with notes of oatmeal and fruit (currants?). Soft finish. Decent sweet stout. I’m a bad guy for forgetting to label who sent me this bottle, but whoever it was, thank you very much!!!!

3.1 A typical sweet stout with a dark brown body and tan head. Sweet chocolate and coffee dominate in the aroma and taste. Wish I could say more about it. Decent session beer.

3.7 Black opaque body with medium dark tan bubbly sticky head. Aroma is sweet and sugary with chocolate, cocoa bean background. Flavor is sweet/sour coffee, dark chocolate roast. Palate is smooth, a little thin and finishes clean.

2.6 Serviceable drinakble stout. A half a year past expiry, I don’t believe it made a difference. Mellower stout which was nice, also noticeable watery. Refreshing. On sweeter side, Chocolate malts, modestly bitterness in mid-sip. Dark colour, understated coffee and roast.

3.6 Pours a dark mahogany colour with a nice foamy head. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. Taste is sweet caramel, chocolate,some of that roasted malt and some bitter coffee to finish.