Mendocino Black Eye Ale
Black Eye Ale is a unique blend of two of our popular brands - Black Hawk Stout & Eye of the Hawk Select Ale. Black Eye Ale is big in flavor and smooth in finish. The high percentage of dark & specialty malts in Black Hawk Stout enriches the silky warming character of Eye of the Hawk Select Ale, making Black Hawk Ale - Truly the Ultimate Blend.
3.4
342 reviews
Ukiah, United States
Community reviews
Bottle. Pours black, thick beige head. Toffee and cocoa aroma. Medium body very malty, Smooth finish.
Bottle. Close to black with light beige head. Aromas of toffee, cocoa, dark fruit. Flavors of toffee, cocoa, coffee, dark fruit. Sweet finish. Medium body with tacky mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.
Bomber. Appearance: pitch black, thick sponge yellow colour head. Aroma: chocolate at first, malt, digestive biscuit, tan, leather smoke and molasses. Flavour: biscuit malt at first, leather, smoke, delicious hints of bacon hiding in there too, iron, somewhat bitter, a good deal of malt in the finish. A very decent brew.
22 oz bomber from Canal’s Hainesport. Pours a deep dark brown/blackish body with a bubbly super light beige head. Aroma is realy nice with notes of dates, figs, toffee, raisin, toasted brown bread, prunes and nuts. The body at times seems a bit thin for the big aroma and the carbonation is soft and subtle and the aftertaste is watery and short lived. The flavor is very watered down compared to the aroma with some burnt notes and flavors of toffee, raisins, nuts, prunes, dates and figs. Interesting beer that is a great value for the money, I paid under $4 for a bomber.
Never would have guessed this was a porter. The aroma of dark ripe fruit and the wine like taste would lead you away from a porter. Very nice aroma of wine and fruit like I said and the taste is similar. Feels full bodied and a bit more alcohol than the 6.5. Quite tasty and worth the 1.50 for a 22 oz bottle.
Really interesting aroma of wort coming off this. Smells like homebrew! Nice tan head on a dark brown with an orange tinge (although it appears black before you hold it up to a light). Interesting taste of iron followed by a roasted, woody flavor along with coffee, dark chocolate and butterscotch notes. The hops are there to balance the sweetness, but they’re in the background. It’s actually a fairly thin beer and resembles a traditional porter. Goes down smooth and invites another sip!
Pretty good beer whatever style it is or it’s being called. Poured with a great, foamy, frothy, thick, tan head that lasts and lace. Color is a clear to almost opaque very dark brown. Aroma is a clean roast, malt, toffee, cocoa. Flavor is like aroma plus bittersweetness stands out. Body is good and so is carbonation. Finish is like flavor, of medium length. And leaves me with a wish for another swallow. Session beer.
A really interesting brew. Not sure how it is a porter as it is suppose to be a cobination. Overall this is a good brew, typical fro the brewer.
Brown pour. Light tan head. Malty and light chocolate. Porter? Brown ale? Black and tan? Who knows. It’s ok whatever it is.
Maybe a new style needs to be created, "Black and Tan" instead or making this a porter, but oh well. I thought it was still pretty decent. Serving:Bottle
A bit more red than most porters this is still quite dark with a one inch tan head that lasts a couple of minutes. A sweetish aroma of dark fruit, licorice, and light smoke. Flavor is similar with some coffee thrown in. Bittering hops are noted with warmer temperature and those hops reign in the slowly building aftertaste. Toffee, dark chocolate flavors. This is not really a porter and doesn’t claim to be one. Its kind of like when a rock band makes a greatest hits CD of songs you already have. Mendocino, please brew new stuff.
The deepest mahogany pour, with ruby hues to the fringes. It’s head is a 3-finger creamy-tan that reduces to a ring of suds that leaves light soapy lace down the glass. The nose is malty, with some dark fruity notes and coffee. Roasted coffee flavors, alongside toasted malt and some dark esters. Light herbal bitters grace the lingering finish. This feels more like a "black and tan" than a true porter, but appreciated nonetheless. I think it’s a nice combination of styles, providing an easy quaff inside layers of complexity. The silky mouthfeel, medium body and superbly integrated carbonation levels integrate well. Tasty, and would make for a great sessionista!
$3.50 / 220z bomb - This is not offense, but not the best "black & tan" or blend that I have consumed. Has a pleasant bitter bite, but has some hop and malt balance issues. Palate is thin and quickly fades. Overall: an okay and affordable 220z.
Pours very dark brown with a small off white head. Aroma is roasted and light malts with a hint of chocolate. Flavor is roasted malts, cocoa, toffee and dark fruit.
bomber from liquor loft. dark brown pour with medium tan head. aroma of pine, mint, caramel, dark fruits - nice. tastes are ashy harsh malts mixed with a lively fizzy carbonation. little one dimensional - but works ok that way.
The aroma on this is old ale with caramel, toffee, a hint of water, and maybe some paper. The flavor is slightly sweet, minerally, paper, ash, watery, and generally not that awesome. Again disappointed by Mendocino.
Smell is like a fruity stout with a slightly hidden gingerbread smell, overall though the smell is subtle. Appearance reminds me of a very dark ale, but you can still see through the drink near the bottom; there is a very small head that does not cling to the glass at all once tilted. The flavor is strange, it is a little metallic near the very end and during the very beginning but the roasted malts and a mild hoppiness help to mitigate it. Unfortunately, I would say the the overall flavors are most similar to the ale side of the spectrum and the stout portion is disappointingly diluted. The feel in my mouth is a little off too; imagine skim milk, creamy but still pretty watery. Honestly I’m a little disappointed, as the beer appears to have very little body behind it but is still enjoyable.
on tap-pours a rich tan head and mahogany color. Aroma is sweet medium malt-roasty. Taste is sweet medium malt-roasty/some chocolate, earthy hops. Medium body. Soft carbonation.
Bomber from Eddie down at express liquor in PB.. Pours a very dark chocolate with red highlights when head up to the light..smells of toffee and I catch some sweetness maybe molassas and a bit of coffee as it slowly warms.. Very thin to the palate, I know it not a true porter but rather a blend but still very thin and honestly almost enough carbination to taste like a flat coca cola.. I taste very light licorice upfront w another flavor my palate cannot fully comprehend, possibly a roasted flavoring of some sort.. There is some syrupy sweetness on the finish and a light tartness.. All that being said, there is something I find very soothing with each sip and the balance between bitter and sweet is done pretty well.. Definitely a beer you sip and take your time.. Im not taking her home to meet the parents just yet, but shes worth a second date during the week..
(bottle from bhensonb) Pours dark brownish/black with ruby highlights and a tan head that eventually dissipates to nothing. Aroma starts out kind of tart, with a berry-like character and additional smells of chocolate and roasted malt. Similar to a foreign stout in some respects. Further warming reveals some dark fruit, light smoke, beef jerky, and spent coffee grounds. Taste is simplistic, with dark roasted malt, cocoa, smoke, and coffee that’s been sitting out for too long. Also a bit of berry skin tartness in there too. Mouthfeel is really thin, and the carbonation is really high for the style. An ok beer, nothing all that offensive, but the mouthfeel could use some thickening. Thanks Bill!
Mendocino Black Eye Ale is just on the edge of brown and black. The big, fluffy, beige head has outstanding retention and lacing. It has a slightly sweet, roasty aroma, with tangy malt on the nose. There are notes of brown sugar and something slightly herbal. It’s medium bodied and smooth. The finish is a little scratchy and metallic. It’s a little sweet, a little bitter; good balance. It tastes roasty with notes of dark chocolate, licorice and black cherry. The rumbly, boozy finish makes it taste stronger than it is. Green bitterness provides the aftertaste. It’s reasonably complex; not for chugging.
Pours black with copper edges, frothy tan head with good retention. Aroma of milk chocolate, toasty malt, some citrus, dark fruit. Taste is sweet chocolate malt, with a bitter hop and coffee finish. Very rich smooth texture.
22. Pours nearly jet black with a loose tan head that falls quickly away to nothing. Plenty of dense sheeting lace coming down the sides. Very mild roasty nose Loosely sweet brown bread notes knocking around, but, really, very little happening. Creamy medium body with mild carb. Brown bread, a little cola, and maybe some white sugar on the mid-palate. Fairly neutral finish. Is this beer too cold or something? Seems to have almost nothing going on.
Mendecino Brewing Company--Black Eye Ale--The Ultimate Blend--2008 Release--22 oz. Bottle. 6.50%--25 IBU’s? (4.2 / 5.0) Black & Tan--Rich lacy mild espresso head. Clear dark bronze red brown color. Mild chocolate toasted mild hop front. Smooth thin refreshing mild sweet toasted bisquit creamy chocolate hint mild fruit body. Mellow hop spice fresh lingering malt end. Sampled 5/27/2008. $3.29 Each
Mendecino Brewing Company--Black Eye Ale--The Ultimate Blend--2005 Release--22 oz. Bottle6.50% ABV--45 IBU’s? (4.25 / 5.0) Black & Tan--Mild tan lace head. Clear dark mahogeny red black color. Tangy mild hop front. Smooth creamy mild roasted sweet caramel espresso mild fruit ester body. Clean mild hop spice hot end. Rich smooth UniqueBrew. Sampled 11/9/2005.
Bottle. Pours deep brown with a thin off white head. Light roasty and sweetish aroma with some strange herbal notes. The flavor is well balanced with some light roasted malt and floral/herbal hops. Not bad.
Rating 301. Woop.
A - Musty caramel, fruit, chocolate, hops, dark malt, and roast.
A - Pours brown. Ruby to bright light. Light whitish head.
T - The sum is greater than the parts, I imagine. Not sure what d-bag in marketing came up with this, but it wasn’t the BEST idea. For a blend, both beers are still present. The ale probably more dominant. Not sure if that’s a strength or a weakness. Hoppy and caramel malt upfront, with stout/porter qualities in the mid and back. Caramel, pale and roast malts all there. Chocolate and some dark fruitiness. Chocolate and hoppy caramel linger. Finish is still stout-like.
P - Pretty silky. Bitter like an ale, but creamy smooth like a stout. Hops and roast both make strong points here. Somewhat like a porter. Probably the best asset this beer has to offer.
O - Really wish I had the two to mix for myself, side by side with their rendition. 50/50 or 60/40. Sometimes, I guess you DO get what you pay for. A low-end Rogue would be a better choice. $2.99 was good for this, though. Glad I tried. For the affordability, maybe try again. Pretty sure this was fresh from the store, unless transferred from another location. Tastes somewhat old Not the best. Not worth seeking. Mendocino brews come off pretty tame and uninteresting to me. Think their “limited’ winter IPA was pretty good though.
The beer looks tasty when held to the light. When i bought it i was a little skeptical about the blending of the beers and rightfully so. the initial taste is sweet, but that is about all this beer has going for it. The finish of this beer is similar to that of a cold coors light but slightly maltier
2009 Bottle - Pours a thin dk brown with a large beige head...aroma is dk malt and olives, light fruit with some roast as well...flavour is sweet and thin, charred wood, grain, sweet malt...not a sticky beer by any means, but no component dries this brew out, so the normal sugar level goes unchallenged by any of the other ingredients...finish is watery and tame...I don’t get the motive...
650 ml bottle from Henry’s. Pours a dark brown color with amber highlights when held to a light. The head is light khaki colored and ample with fair retention and some lacing. The nose is earthy with roasted malts and some nutty hops. The flavor is dirt and caramel with some biter hops and an abundance of brown sugar. The palate was just a bit thinner than I would have preferred with lively carbonation. The finish was long and sweet. Overall: A good value for 2.99 a bomber.
Pour dark reddish brown. Nice Porter. Easy to drink and very pleasant. Would definitely have again. Yum.