Speakeasy Butchertown Black Ale
Butchertown Black Ale celebrates our 14th year by bringing back the long forgotten neighborhood of San Francisco where our brewery stands today. The nearby creek was once the home to over 16 slaughterhouses and was a thriving neighborhood till shipbuilding took over the waterfront in the 1930’s run up to WWII. The beer is a play on the senses: black as night, but with a deceivingly lighter body than the color would indicate and a dry-hopping regiment more akin to an IPA than a stout or porter.
3.6
154 reviews
San Francisco, United States
Community reviews
Bottle dated 2014. Pours clear ruby red-black with a 3 finger tan head. Light citrus aroma with notes of biscuit and char. Medium body, oily, with an astringent finish. Mild flavor of grapefruit peel with some biscuit. Light burnt note at the back.
Sample at the Tehachapi Beer & Wine Festival on 07/18/2015: Brown-black color with a medium rocky tan head that diminishes gradually. Small patches of lace. Aroma of roasted malt, piney hops and caramel. Medium body with flavors of resiny hops, roast malt and fruit. The finish is malty up front with a piney hops aftertaste. Pretty good overall.
This beer has it all. Nose is mostly pleasant, juicy citrus fruit. Those grapefruit and pine notes follow in the flavor profile, balanced by bold, rich roasty malt with some mocha, finishing with the perfect touch of bitter to keep it quite drinkable. There is also a hint of licorice, which I normally don’t care for, but is tasty and profile enhancing in this one. Well-done. I would like to drink this again.
With Z, pours a pitch black pour with a Java head. Nose is a blend of malt and hops. Taste is bitter , hoppy and had some black licorice notes. Finishes on the same bitter hoppy notes with a moderately long finish . Quaff Score 7 / 10
Bomber. Pours black with a tan head and aroma of hops, citrus, and roasted malt. Taste is bitter up front, lots of hops, resin, pine, and citrus with roasted malt and chocolate coming through into the bitter finish
Bottle: Deep brown to black with a frothy head and light lace. Roasted malt and hops. Clean. Dry palate, not sour and with moderate to high bitterness. The palate is fresh with high CO2 or acidity. The palate is dominated by hops followed by roasted malt.
Solid beer. Reasonable quality but one or two dimensional. It lacks complexity and maybe weight.
Pours a translucent dark brown body with limited tan head. I picked up mostly sweet malts and light roast aromas. Nutty, malty taste with some hop bitters. I was hoping for more of a robust flavor profile, but this one fell a little short.
Bottle pour at home, very dark pour, roasted hop aroma, bitter black coffee taste, hops, stout quality’s but taste like a dark IPA.
650 ml bottle from BOTW (Rochester), served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass.
App.: Deep brown-black with a full, creamy tan head.
Aroma: A nice blend of roasted malts and resinous/dank hops, a certain twang from the hops that is hard to describe..., a wee bit of coffee and dark chocolate.
Palate: Medium+ body, full, fine, creamy carbonation.
Flav.: Lots of peppery, dank hops and roasted malt, a bit of cat piss, quite resinous, some alcohol; dry with fairly big bitterness and a long, very roasted and dank/resinous finish.
Fairly good.
A really nice black IPA, maybe my favorite from the brewery. Pours almost black, white-tan head with lacing. This is a sharp beer, but pleasingly so. Taste is an attack of hops and burnt malt. Slaps your palate but finishes clean and is oddly addictive.
Very dark brown to black, persistent head. Nice hoppy flavour, with a bit of fizz. Good.
On cask,poured into a tulip glass..dark brown with a fluffy off white head..aroma of pine,vanilla,resin,hops..slightly hoppy taste with vanilla,pine and cream..very good.
"Not too impressed with this bomber. Not nearly hoppy enough to be a good black ipa. I like the slight bitterness and hints of pine. It was definitely leaning more towards the roasted malts and caramel - not a bad or great porter type brew either. Just ok."
(Backlog) Draft? Black pour with ran head. Pine, citrus, some earthy aroma tones. Pine, earthy, citrus black ipa flavors.
I poured a 22oz bottle into a tulip glass. I could not find a freshness date, though I assume the bottle is old since my beer store had it on clearance for $1.99 ($0.09 per ounce).
Appearance: Opaque black hue with ruby red highlights. Pours to a very large, khaki, soapy head which retains and laces very well.
Smell: Slight cologne or perfume-like chemical scent. Some tanginess as well, though not off-putting.
Taste: I try not to review, let alone buy, beer that’s old. However, a good-looking bottle and a high ABV at a cheap price is hard to pass up. That’s why I picked up Speakeasy Butchertown Black Ale. While this particular bottle is not delicious, it certainly has plenty of enjoyable taste and the flaws are easy to get past.
Usually, old hoppy beers tend to turn overly sweet when they age, though this one seems to have transitioned from hop flavor to hop bitterness. From front to back there’s a strong presence of dry, slightly piney hop bitterness. Perhaps a fresh bottle might be more dank and resiny, but what’s here is at least still tasty. The malt side is not all that complex – just a general dark malt composure. A hint of chocolate and roasted malt on the finish followed by a lingering dry aftertaste. I could see this beer going well with the right full-flavored meal, though a glass by itself is fine.
Drinkability: Something I notice about old beers is they tend to foam up in the mouth. That’s what happened with my bottle of Speakeasy Butchertown Black Ale. Thick with a foamy texture, though in no way cloying or sticky. Soft and smooth in the mouthfeel with an easy finish. I’m not crazy about the aftertaste, but for an 8.2% ABV body there is no alcohol warmth or other presence here.
Bomber. Roasted malt aroma with chocolatey notes. Pours black colored but with a slight tinge of ruby as well. It has a decent tan, well retained head and not much lacing. Starts with roasted malt flavors with a little but of chocolate mixed in as well. Finishes clean and dry with a bitter hoppy bite that doesn't seem to balance with the rest of the flavors quite right. Pretty good to start, but the finish was not the best.
Bomber - black pour with a fairly significant off-white lace - nose is a decently integrated mix of citrusy hops, dry, roasty malts, faint smoke, and light chocolate sweetness - creamy mouthfeel - medium body - fairly sweet at first, followed by some bitter black malt, making way for a fairly potent peppery hop bite near the finish, ending with some alcohol heat - finish has some pine resin qualities as well - nothing terribly complex - just a middle of the road black IPA.
More of a very dark brown ale that’s crystal clear ruby under light topped with a thick, persistent tan head. Aromas of charred wood with notes of cocoa along with earthy hop component. All of this comes out in the flavor with more cocoa and milk chocolate. This is more like a light, hoppy stout than a Schwarzbier style black ale. There’s also a spiciness to it but it’s hard to tell if it’s the hops or the alcohol. Slightly creamy body but not thick (think Guinness). Finishes with cocoa and earthy hops. A very tasty and interesting beer.
Clear dark dark auburn brown under a thick rocky light tan head. Nice BIPA aroma that refrains from being too piney or too roasty, with pleasant notes of dark cocoa, floral hops, a touch of citric rind and maybe a touch of melon. The flavor is a bit more bitter than it needs to be, but it’s not a big detractor. The taste greets you with this semisharp pine flavor, followed by some dark cocoa and dark black malt roastiness, with some grapefruit rind and floral resins behind it with a mild earthy sweetness.
Bottle sample at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Thanks DSG. Murky dark brown with tan head. Roast, coffee and a little floral sweetness aroma, very bitter, roasty and a little dry taste. Medium body, soft carbonation, bitter, roasty finish.
Bottle shared at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Dark brown to black with a beige head. Aroma of piney hops, some roastiness and a bit of chocolate. Flavor has a bit of sweetness, roasted malt, piney hops and a long bitter finish. Medium-bodied.
20th February 2014
Fare thee well Josh tasting at Bruce’s. Almost clear dark brown beer. Small pale tan head. Smooth light palate, slightly soft. Mild fine carbonation. Smooth mellow dark malts, no roast or bitterness. Light piney hops backed with an unusual (for a cda) mild tropical fruits. Finishes smooth and light. Tasty easy drinking bipa.
Bottle shared in London for my farewell drinks. Thanks to black IPA man himself, Kenny. Pours very dark brown, slightly clear with a nicely retained tan head. Nose is sweet citric fruits, huge grapefruit tang, covered in milk chocolate with a hint of balancing ash. Creamy vanilla like in the taste with a milky chocolate focus, nice grapefruit and some pine needles coming through. Some tangy passionfruit to finish. Very well constructed and drinks nicely. I like it
Bottle shared at Josh’s last hurrah in the smoke, thanks to Kenny - CDA top boy, 20/02/14.
Very dark mahohony brown with a well appointed tan covering that retains well.
Nose is bitter tropicals, tea leaves, earthy hops, light smoke, touch of grapefruit.
Taste comprises earthy hops, cocoa powder, pine bite, jammy berry fruits, bitter tropicals.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Solid CDA - best in class this evening.
Bottle shared in London for Josh’s farewell tasting. Pours clear, rich brown with a frothy beige head. The nose has toasted bread, a bit of pine, ripening orange. Medium sweet flavor with a good deal of earthy-ashy bitterness, soft roast, baking cocoa, charred malts, burnt pine. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Lightly resinous to finish, more bitter dark chocolate, earth, ash, some dried citrus, decent roasted malts, well toasted bread. Not bad.
Bottle thanks to Ken. It pours darkest brown with a small light tan head. The nose is fresh, pine, citrus, soapy, roasted malt, candied peel and cocoa. The taste is rich roasted malt, cocoa, toast, earth, burnt aspect, chewy malt, citrus rind and good deal of bitterness. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Punchy and tasty. Nice work.
Bomber from Whole Foods and Capone’s. Pours turbid dark black with creamy tan head. Nose is great creamy dark lactic malt, resiny hops, cacao, black pepper. Tastes rich and complex, with heavy dark malt, cacao, and a dry hoppy finish. This one is above the pack.
A steady pour into my New Belgium tulip produces a three finger thick, amber stained, tan colored head. The beer is a dark, concentrated brown, sort of approaching black color that shows a brilliantly clear, blackened plum hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of expressive fruity / floral hops, supported by roasted, earthy whole grain malt character. Rich toasted cocoa notes, amply toasted whole grain bread, touches of roasted coffee, and a bit of charcoal make up the supporting, but noticeable malt aromatics. Floral peach, kumquat zest, some guava notes and lychee just about jump out of the glass. At times there is just a touch of spicy, warming alcohol in the nose as well as a bit of herbal and spicy hop character.
Citrusy hop flavors lead into a biting, lingering hop bitterness that melds with a bitter roasted note into the finish. A bit of warming alcohol is found in the finish and it accentuates a spiciness from both the hop character and the toasted malt. The body is nice and light, but does have a soft creaminess to it towards the finish, overall this makes this beer nicely quaffable. Spicy notes of woody black pepper, linger chili pepper spice (alcohol notes), and acrid roasted character adds quite the bite to the finish. There is also some lingering essential oil like flavors of pine and menthol in the finish as well. The up front hop flavors contribute a mix of peach concentrate (without the sweetness), lychee, rounded guava notes, and lots of layered, tropical leaning, citrus zest notes (tangelo, kumquat, etc.).
The brightness of the hop character is dulled a bit by the sharp roast character and the fact that the beer is a bit on the dry side; this makes for a finish that is sharp, a bit alcohol warming, bitter, and a touch acrid in the finish. A good enough beer in the end, but a bit unbalanced in the finish which ruins this a bit for me in the end. Still a good enough beer that I am happy to be trying.The soft creamy note in the body is certainly a nice accompaniment.
Nice color and it has nice head retention. Smell is kind of mild, it doesnt have much of a smell. Taste malty and taste more like a black ipa than a black ale. Not to impressive, but i do like the label. Lol
On tap. Pours a solid black with a tan head and lacing. It has a nice aroma of earthy, piney hops and dark malts with a bit of coffee and chocolate. The flavor earth and resin up front with a coffee and hop bitter finish over a medium-heavy body.