Like cooking, brewing can be viewed as an art. Indeed, in many respects, a brewer is a dedicated chef!

The brewer, like the chef, is concerned with the same basic tasks - Selecting the best ingredients, knowing what the recipe will produce, and controlling time and temperature to achieve the desired results.

Stout, perhaps more than any other beer style, suggests this comparison.

One of the original brews from the August 1983 Grand Opening, Black Hawk Stout 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.

The specialty malt known as Black Patent is combined with Pale and Caramel malt in the mash to provide a contrast in flavors - On the one hand, rich and malty and on the other, dry and crisp. A third dimension is added in the kettle when whole Cascade and Cluster hops are boiled with the wort to provide a subtle hoppy finish. During fermentation, our special proprietary yeast along with the malt imparts a signature dryness characteristic of our ales. Black Hawk Stout is creamy and smooth with a long dry finish. Black Hawk Stout, with 5% alcohol by volume, is full of rich, roasted malt flavor.

Today, there are myriad types of stouts, with many bold flavors and characteristics - Bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, dry, or heavy, to name a few. At the Mendocino Brewing Company, however, the intent was to create a Stout that did not overpower the palate. Rather, Black Hawk Stout, for all of its body and flavor, exhibits a subtlety that quite often surprises and converts even the most reticent stout drinker.

We recommend Black Hawk Stout as an accompaniment to a wide variety of foods, from fresh or cooked shellfish (especially oysters), to rich desserts and chocolates. For a unique beer-drinking experience, we recommend Black Hawk Stout.

Red Tail Ale • Red Tail Lager • Eye of the Hawk Select Ale
Blue Heron Pale Ale • Black Hawk Stout • White Hawk Select IPA