Black Metal, otherwise known (according to Jester King) as Iron Sword, Suds of Northern Darkness, or El Martillo del Muerte, is one of the best imperial stouts being made in Texas right now. If you’ve never had it, change that and get it immediately.
I had this as part of “operation clean out the fridge and drink what’s in there”. If I remember right, I purchased this about 9 months ago and it’s still just as delicious as ever. Upon first look, the beer pours a dark black with a dark brown, frothy head. The burnt malt flavor gives it heavy notes of coffee and bitter dark chocolate, which pleases me just fine. What I noticed was the boozy alcohol flavor intensifying as the beer warmed. In fact, it only gets better in taste as it warms, so drink it in a snifter.
This is one of the most fantastic imperial stouts I’ve enjoyed in a long time. Considering most stouts are barrel-aged these days, it’s refreshing to see a beer like this hold up without needing to add the complexity of bourbon barrel-aging into the mix. Surprisingly clocking in at 10% ABV, it drinks smoother than most double-digit brews. As always, Jester King excels at putting out top notch brews.