Name of beer:  Black Phoenix

Brewing Company: Bootlegger’s Brewery

Brewing Location: Fullerton, CA

Type of Beer: Coffee Stout – ABV: 6.7% – IBU: 39.8

Beer Description: From website:

Black Phoenix melds rich bold coffee with the smoky flavors of chipotle peppers, giving it just a touch of heat. To insure the freshest coffee available, we had our local Orange County friends, Kean Coffee, custom roast a batch for us. Notes of chocolate complement this complex and bold stout.

The Beer Guy Review:  I’m tired.  It’s been a long day at work, and with the kids.  I hadn’t picked out my beer to review yet and it’s late on Wednesday.  My local beer specialty store was closing soon.  What can I pick?  What’s going to wake me up?  “Well, how about a coffee stout?” I say to myself.  Of course!  And that’s exactly what I found in the form of a bomber bottle from Fullerton, California’s Bootlegger’s Brewery.  There it was: Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix.

I opened the bottle, after refrigerating it for a few hours, and poured into the pint glass.  I was paying too much attention to the medium caramel color of the beer (observed during the pour against the glass, perhaps due to lighting) that I didn’t realize most of the glass was quickly filling up with the light tan head.  Whoops.  The beer settled into a dark brown/black ale in the bottom of the glass and the head slooooowly fizzed away.  It’s as if the beer knew how exhausting this day was and was toying with me even further as I waited for the airy head to settle to a level where I could pour a little more and enjoy that first taste.

When it did, I took a whiff…smokiness.  Then, a taste.  And another.  And another, and another.  I just wanted to get that chipotle, coffee, chocolate taste…or whatever the beer had to offer…right away.  But at first, the only thing I could tell was what I thought was a lightness in body, with some taste of pepper.  But when I got halfway through the pint, swirled the beer a little more and allowed the beer to warm a little, a medium body beer full of dark chocolate smokiness came through.  My lips began to warm up a little, as well as the back of my throat, from the heat of the chipotle.  Wow!

As far as The Beer Guy rating, I give the Bootlegger’s Brewery Black Phoenix a:

Yes, living in the land of milk & honey & beer…& a chipotle, chocolate, smoky heat as well as (perhaps) a coffee buzz.  Later, after finishing my second pint, there was another kind of buzz forming.  Hey Bootlegger’s Brewery, I was ready to go to bed.  Then, I had your Black Phoenix.  And much like the legendary phoenix, your beer rose up…and it bit me in the taste buds.  Also, because of your great friends at Kean Coffee, your beer is messing with my brain chemistry and keeping me awake.  Now, I’m watching the 3rd re-rerun of the West Coast Sportscenter on ESPN.  Maybe the morning session of Wimbledon (live) will be on soon.  Oh, yep…here it is.  Go Djokovic.  Darn, I was ready to go to bed.  Thanks a lot, Bootlegger’s.  But you know what?  At least I’m up enjoying this beer.  Multi-faceted in taste and the development of how it impacts various senses, that’s Bootlegger’s Brewery Black Phoenix.  So yeah, Bootlegger’s, thanks a lot.

So, what do you think?  Have you had this beer?  Do you like it?  Do you not like it?  Send me a note at The Beer Guy’s mailbag, TheBeerGuy@lifeofdad.com.  You can follow me on Twitter (@TheBeerGuyLOD), Facebook and LinkedIn as well.  Take care, happy (and safe) drinking, and enjoy your weekend

About The Beer Guy – A dad, husband, friend and drinker of beer. I review & blog about it all on LifeOfDad.com, the premiere social networking website for Dads.  The Beer Guy enjoys IPA’s and Pilsner’s, but will really try any kind of beer.  You may disagree on some of his opinions.  Let The Beer Guy know.  Reviews are published on Thursdays.  Blogging is done on Tuesdays.  Read more here to learn about The Beer Guy, who he is and his beer rating methodology.

The Beer Guy, and Life of Dad, promote responsible drinking.  Never drink and drive.