I met a few guys at the local pub this evening, enjoyed a Two Brothers beer and then salivated over one of my comrades’ Guinness. While the notorious stout didn’t currently grace the shelves of my personal fridge, a brother stout, Medocino’s Black Hawk, did.

I also found this beer fitting on another level. I have become the nerd of my family. Not my immediate family, my in-laws. I’m the one to call for a computer problem or a network issue or a bit-too-difficult algebra problem. And tonight, I accepted that fact. Proudly. So, I thought to myself, what’s more nerdy than connecting the DVD to the HDTV and solving -3(x+2) = 39? A beer with a bird on the bottle. And thus, here I am, in complete nerd-dom, sipping my bird-emblazened bottle of Black Hawk and taking just a bit of pity on myself.

It poured black, almost Guinness-black, but with a much thinner, wimpier head. It puffed to two fingers and then wheezed itself to a flimsy layer of film. On its way down, it draped itself down the sides of my glass. It smelled rich, of chocolate and malt, with hinted characters of roasted something. As I often do when sipping a stout, I sought first for the mouthfeel, eager for thick and coating, and was a bit let down. A dry feeling coated, following a overly-thin-for-a-stout texture. I should let off a bit here, on poor Mendocino, as apparently this was just their aim. They claim this beer was “designed from its inception to be a brew that maintains the big traditional flavors of an Irish-style stout while providing a refreshingly dry crispness uncharacteristic of many dark beers.” I guess that means I like the less refreshing kind. The taste was less chocolate and more burnt, almost even a bit sour, ending malty again with just a wisp of hops.

Overall, a decent brew, but as far as stouts go, by now means on the top of my list. Maybe it would have been better sipped outside. Birding. Maybe.

ABV: 5.2%

Grade: B-