On tap, Yin’s rich chocolate malting outdoes Yang’s tropical fruiting for resilient B & T. Roasted chocolate, cocoa and vanilla contrast currant-spiced black cherry tones. Betters most competitors.
Enormous 32-ounce can brings tinny metallic derision to slick caramel malting and phenol-hopped acridity of understated, lackluster porter-bock mix. Despite boasting ‘glacial mineral water,’ crispness lacks. Obliging brown-sugared cocoa-powdered chocolate roast overrides ashen cola-walnut singe consuming astringent purple grape, prune, and cherry whimper, weakening to chalky mocha tartness. Slight barleywine lick detected at blah dried-fruit finish. Serve to less discriminating brown ale consumers.
Tar-blackened mocha presence and stifled barley haste form basis of smoothly unassuming black and tan. Instead of being profoundly bitter or ‘toot’ sweet, its meandering grains get top billing. Closer to mainstream lager than well-crafted porter and thankfully, priced accordingly.
Dry-hopped black malt bitterness chafes dark-roast barley essence, but chalky mocha spunk damages tepid B & T. Problem may be it’s too drab and superficial while lacking expected dried fruiting and black chocolate creaminess for its lofty class.
Gentle overriding carbonation consumes faintly mocha-scented deep brown body, degrading insignificant black & tan. No bittersweet malt thickness exists and plain toasted hop finish stumbles.
Durable ale-porter mix permeated by sour mocha waft, rich chocolate malting, and lactic cocoa absorption retains milky vanilla creaminess, careening towards robust stout instead of lighter pale ale. Arguably the best bottled b&t, avoiding indistinct murkiness of floundering challengers. Brewery defunct: 2006.
Pert roasted hop impression greets dry chocolate malt sweetness and receding cocoa hint. Though better than most bottled B&T’s, oily finish disturbs deep mocha assertion.
Weird, abstruse, dim amber-hued b&t places unexpected dry orange sourness above roasted barley and spiced hops to sullen finish. Too light and vaguely defined for its class.
Complex ink black burgundy-highlighted hybrid (67% IPA/ 33% stout) propels oat-dried black coffee-chocolate sentiment above pureed black cherry, grapefruit, and pineapple fruiting while ashy cedar-pine bitterness advances. Coarse hop-charred cocoa-powdered coffee-roasted souring underscores creamy maple-sugared toffee-vanilla sweetness at busy licorice midst.
Brewed to honor Ireland’s heritage, though lacking efficient strength of true Irish lager-stout. While caramel-scented cola-colored Black & Tan mix is quite curious, it would be wiser to concentrate on one style (perhaps the stout, since its chocolate-y notes overwhelm grain mesh). Up-front creamy mocha sweetness diminishes to soothing caramelized barley roast.
Sullen dark chocolate presence weak compared to bolder stouts while grain resilience lacks crispness of golden lagers. Incomplete soured fruit esters interrupt moderately creamy mocha sweetness and bitter coffee usurpation. Infrequent raisin-licorice illusions surface as lukewarm nuttiness diminishes flat burnt-toast finish.