Appearance: I was awestruck by the beautiful deep amber color of this beer as I poured it into my glass. It was nothing short of perfection. Once in the glass it takes on an impenetrable darkness with a this light tan head. My room is very quiet an I can hear the carbonation coming off of the Black Jack as well. I’d call myself speechless, but I am typing this so…

Smell: I stuck my nose to far into the glass and when I inhaled I got a bit of liquid. I don’t know why I’m sharing that. Now that that’s been cleared up, the smell is a bit of a let down. There’s really not much there save for a bit of roasted grain and a very slight coffee aroma.

Taste: Again, a bit of a let down. There’s an immediate taste of alcohol that really cuts in to the other flavors. I get the sweet roasted malt taste that is typical of a porter along with the familiar coffee taste, though the coffee is very tame. There is a bit of hops in the finish, but one really has to focus for it. The sweetness of the malt is balanced, and I really appreciate that, but there’s not much else going on here.

Overall: From the marvelous appearance of this beer I was a bit disappointed after tasting it. It’s definitely not bad, but I would not recommend it over half of the porters that have been featured on this site. 72/100.

Up Next: Elevator Brewing Co. 1810 Oktoberfest.