“Psst. Hey there. Yeah, you. Are you interested in
buying some beer? We have a special today. That’s right. A special. Two for
the price of one, that is. That’s because you get two beers rolled into one
in every bottle of Mendocino Brewing’s Black Eye Ale. And yeah, you’d
better buy some. Because, you know, a bottle of Black Eye Ale beats a real
one anytime.
Humorous Beer Geek Interlude
A man walks into a bar and asks for a Black Eye. The bartender, a bit
perplexed, shrugs and says “Whatever you say, bub” and socks him straight
away in the left eye. The beer geek, undeterred, gets up from the floor
determined to get his beer, but decides it might be better to order another
brand. “Ok, Ok, he says,” give me a Shiner instead.” The bartender, a bit
perplexed, shrugs and says “Whatever you say, bub”......
And Now We Continue with Your Regularly Scheduled Beer Review, Already in
Progress
….the famous Black Eye Ale. In fact, Black Eye Ale is a blend of two
different beers from Mendocino, Black Hawk Stout and
Eye of the Hawk
Select , a hoppy pale ale. Such a blend is known as a Black and Tan,
the most common example of which is a blend of
Bass ale and
Guinness stout. An expert barkeep can pour a blend of the two that
allows the lighter Bass to rest at the bottom of your glass while the darker
Guinness (which is lighter thanks to the nitrogen infused into the liquid
during the pour) rises to the top. This is something you can’t experience
with a bottled half and half. Still, you can get a halfway decent beer this
way.
Mendocino Black Eye Ale pours to a dark brownish black color; still,
it’s not opaque, and if you hold it up the light you will see some pass
through. A thick creamy head forms atop the brew, and a decided roastiness
comes through in the nose. Sipping the brew reveals an average body and
mouthfeel. Right away, however, you’ll get some very roasty espresso notes
going on that intensify into the finish.
That’s where the beer sort of goes into two strange directions. Obviously,
mixing a stout with a pale ale is going to give you a lighter beer than a
stout alone might be. And that’s what I get in the finish, as the beer seems
to thin out on the tongue. But while the body peters out a bit, the flavor
certainly doesn’t. That’s because there’s a really interesting interaction
on the tongue between the minty-herbal hop bitterness from the excellent Eye
of the Hawk and the roasty bitterness from the Black Hawk stout.
An interesting beer overall, and one worthy of three and a half stars in
truth. Like all Mendocino beers though, it’s a bargain at just $2.49
for a 22 ounce bomber.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft