Hop Haus Brewing
Black Friday has become synonymous with lines outside stores that start forming in the early morning hours on the day after Thanksgiving. Shoppers turn up hours before the stores open to get the jump on special sales and one-of-a-kind items. Craft beer enthusiasts can be just as passionate when it comes to Black Friday beer releases. Last year the Hop Haus in Verona found itself in a Black Friday frenzy when it offered two limited barrel-aged brews. This year owner Phil Hoechst is set to do it again with deep dark imperial chocolate stout under the label Black on Black (black beer on Black Friday).
What is it? Black on Black from Hop Haus Brewing Company of Verona.
Style: The imperial stout is known for rich maltiness, strength, lots of body and dark black color. These stouts have varying amounts of roastedness and a range of sweet to bitter flavors. They are strong beers at 7 to 12 percent ABV.
Background: Black Friday beer releases are getting to be a big deal among craft beer drinkers. Among the most sought-after in Wisconsin is from Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery, which expects to see lines forming around 3 a.m. for an 8 a.m. Black Friday release.
When the Hop Haus offered a beer last year on Black Friday, it was such a hit that owner Phil Hoechst decided it had to be an annual thing. “Until then we had never had a barrel-aged a beer and somehow all these people found out about it ahead of time,” says Hoechst. “We never advertised what we were doing and we were busy all day.” In 2016 the Hop Haus offered both a stout and a barley wine for Black Friday. He turned to the imperial stout in 2017 because of its roasted warmth and sweetness.
Black on Black is a full-bodied creamy imperial stout that Hoechst makes with lots of chocolate and black patent malt. It gets a boost in chocolate sweetness from an addition of liquid cocoa. “It looks a little like hot chocolate or chocolate milk,” he says. “We add about one pound per barrel at the end of the boil.”
Following primary fermentation, the beer ages for about seven months in either a bourbon or rye whiskey barrel before it’s blended and bottled. There’s a one-to-one ratio of bourbon to whiskey barrels in this year’s beer. The barrels come from the Heaven Hill Distillery of Bardstown, Kentucky.
This year Hop Haus will release about 360 bomber bottles of Black on Black; each is hand-numbered and signed by Hoechst. It’s available only at the brewery beginning at 11 a.m. on November 24. It finishes at 11 % ABV and sells for $25, which includes a 22-ounce bomber of beer and a special snifter to take home.
For those who miss getting a bottle of Black on Black, the brewpub is also tapping a new imperial milk stout called Sweet Mike’s Demise on Black Friday in the Verona taproom.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Lots of chocolate malt, hints of toffee, and a touch of bourbon/whiskey spirit.
- Appearance: Very dark black color. A medium, soft, tan head.
- Texture: Full-bodied, soft and warm throughout.
- Taste: Smooth sweet chocolate with light roastedness alongside hints of caramel and toffee. There is a lot of chocolate, but it’s not sticky or cloying. There are also touches of oak, vanilla and bourbon, which serve as warm backdrop for all that flavor.
- Finish/Aftertaste: It ends with a lingering smooth chocolate sweetness and subtle roastedness of the malts. The bourbon sweetness seems to transition to a soft subtle spiciness from the rye whiskey.
Glassware: Use a snifter.
Pairs well with: warm desserts like bread pudding, or as a nightcap on its own.
The Verdict: Black on Black is a robust imperial stout with lots of sweet smooth flavor and alcohol warmth. It’s very flavorful with the richness of chocolate and toffee throughout. All that chocolate and malt meld into seductive warmth with touches of vanilla, oak, bourbon and rye whiskey. This is a bold beer with layers of complexity. Since it only comes in a bomber bottle, this is a beer that’s ideal to split with a friend or two. I suggest allowing it to warm to room temperature to bring out more of the smooth sweet character and boozy accents.
