Brau Brothers Rubus Black Review

Name: Brau Brothers Rubus Black
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: N/A

Today I've got a new offering from Brau Brothers....or do I? I give to you Rubus Black, an Imperial Porter made with blackberries. When I first picked up this bottle, I had never seen it before and assumed it was a brand new beer that was just added to Brau Brothers' regular lineup and thought nothing of it.

Upon doing some research, it turns out they made a small batch of this stuff back in 2006 when Brau Brothers first opened their doors, and has seen limited release over the years, with the most recent release having been within the past month or so. While we're on the topic, if there's one beer I want to see from Brau Brothers again, it would be their Barrel-Aged Quad from 4 years ago; That was some good stuff!

Appearance - Pitch black with an initially foamy light brown head that quickly fades away after a few moments. The lacing left behind, however, is somewhat sparse but present.

Aroma - Strong chocolate and roasted malts with some blackberry undertones. I'm also getting some light smokiness in here as well and maybe just a hint of caramel sweetness.

Taste - Potent blackberry and bitter hop notes upfront with some chocolate malts and roastiness towards the back, along with some light smokiness. The back end of the palate consists of more blackberry sweetness and just a light touch of hoppiness to compliment everything else.

You know, as much as I enjoyed it, I would love to see made with raspberries. It's hard to explain, but I'd like to see a version of this made with raspberries. However as it stands, the blackberries make this beer stand out from other Imperial Porters I've had so far and it's also one of the best Imperial Porters I've had in a long time. If Brau Brothers decides to release this again, I will definitely seek it out.

Brau Brothers Rubus Black - 9/10