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Blackout Stout - Indian Wells Brewing Company

Not Rated.
Blackout StoutBlackout Stout

Educational use only; do not reuse.

29 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 29
Hads: 54
Avg: 2.5
pDev: 28.8%
Wants: 1
Gots: 3 | FT: 0
Brewed by:
Indian Wells Brewing Company visit their website
California, United States

Style | ABV
Irish Dry Stout |  5.20% ABV

Availability: Year-round

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: GClarkage on 01-01-2009

Beer: Reviews & Ratings
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Reviews: 29 | Hads: 54
Photo of Pegasus
2.59/5  rDev +3.6%




Mouth feel: Thin and watery, with slight stinging carbonation.



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Photo of RyanK252
2.37/5  rDev -5.2%

Bottle poured into an Indian Wells Brewing Co pint glass

A: Pours dark ruby brown with a frothy light brown head



M: Light to medium body, moderate carbonation.


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Photo of Fatehunter
2.86/5  rDev +14.4%

Pours a half finger of head on a black body.
The taste is sweet milk start with a sweeter candy finish.
The texture is fizzy with moderate carbonation.
It's fairly sweet without let up and on the fizzy side.

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Photo of utopiajane
2.31/5  rDev -7.6%


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Photo of Offa
3.32/5  rDev +32.8%

This is another slightly-better-than-mediocre beer from this brewery. Indian Wells does, I find, produce at least a few pretty good beers. This is not one their best, although it is not one of the worst, either, and is about middle of the road for them.

Black, it has a small tan head soon thinning to a foamy ring.

Aroma is fermented charcoal and prune, singed leaves - pretty good but simple and light.

Taste is pleasant charcoal and prune, dry roasty finish after sweeter start, slight sourness. It is decent and pleasant but thin, simple, and very light.

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Photo of treque
2.73/5  rDev +9.2%

A: very deep brown, some ruby highlights, the head is very small which presents a tan color and dissipates quickly

S: some chocolate, some toffe, fruity, low esters

T: very dry finish, deep bitter, watery, crisping on tongue, there is no creamy character, low carbonation, small harshness a little soapy

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Photo of AgentZero
2.04/5  rDev -18.4%

A hardy har har to spycow for sharing this one.

A - Dark brown beer with a bit of a tan head that left a little bit of stick on the glass. Okay, so far not a disaster.

S - This smells bad. Stouts should not smell like corn and cheap chocolate. There's some malts also.

T - Lots of corn, some rottenness, and a bit of a harsh finish. Bad chocolate and wow this is just a horrid beer. Manages to be watery as well.

M - Medium bodied, lower carbonation.

O - This is a bad beer. It tastes like crap and I think it made me sick later on in the evening. Don't drink this.

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Photo of MasterSki
2.34/5  rDev -6.4%

Hell yes! A rare, retired Indian Wells tick. Thanks Chris (spycow) for sharing this gem. Unknown vintage, served in a Bruery tulip.

A - A nice half-finger of tan foam quickly settles to a thin collar, wisps, and minimal lacework. Dark brown body that has a transparent glint to it when held to the light. Nothing surprising for the style.

S - Smells like contract-brewed Guinness from St. Lucia or Canada. Generic macro aroma, with creamed corn and waxy fake chocolate dominating. There's a hint of unfermented malt beverage in the periphery.

T - Hint of malted chocolate and a shit ton of corn and generic macro aroma. Some grain, soda water, and a mildly astringent finish.

M - Surprisingly low carbonation, medium body, and no obvious alcohol. A bit watery, but relatively inoffensive in this domain.

D - My second encounter with Indian Wells was a mild improvement, but still pretty unpleasant. Tastes like a bad dark macro lager more than an Irish Dry Stout. Unfortunately, it isn't bad enough to reach comical levels.

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Photo of zac16125
2.65/5  rDev +6%

Pours a dark brown. Poured agressively and still gives almost no head. No lacing whatsoever. Aromas are subdued and no scents particularly stand out. Mild chocolate and coffey flavors are present at first, so there is a slight michalek flavor, but mostly this tastes watered down to say the least. Light Mouthfeel with a light body. It is easy to drink so you could certainly have more than one, although I choose not to. Overall, to weak and watered down, would not drink again.

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Photo of ChainGangGuy
1.8/5  rDev -28%

Appearance: Pours out a black body with an acceptably-sized, beige head.

Smell: The most incredibly faint hints of dark malted barley and, well, that's about it. Essentially smells like nothingness.

"A hole would be something. No, it was nothing."

--The Rock Biter

Taste: Scantly roasty, but then in rolls an odd, rather unpleasant lactic lacquery tone and select vegetal tastes hand-picked from your grandma's backyard garden. A curious acrid bitterness. An embarrassing, melancholy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-low carbonation.

Overall: Straight-up bad, yo.

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Photo of abraxel
2.58/5  rDev +3.2%

Tasted blind as part of Blind BIF 5, sent by sholland119. Poured into a snifter.

A - Pours an opaque, very dark brown, almost black. A bit of tan head that grew with a more vigorous pour. Looks pretty good.

S - A fair amount of booziness, but also sweet plums and raisins. A little too much alcohol, but otherwise pretty nice (it seems like a quad).

T - Surprisingly bland. The tiniest bits of the dark fruits that were so prevalent on the nose. There's a touch of alcohol at the finish and some coffee-like roastiness lingers afterward (but no coffee flavor). Other than that, I taste almost nothing. This is like an existential kill-shot: the complete lack of taste is making me wonder whether reality is contradicting itself... shit, did you just give me the red pill?

M - Not bad. A little thinner than the appearance and smell made me expect, but rather smooth. I get far more sensation from the mouthfeel than from the flavor.

Overall, this is just not good. It's not horribly unpleasant to drink (it's only slightly less tasteless than water), but it's not anything I'd ever choose.

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Photo of seeswo
2.14/5  rDev -14.4%

Pours black with a touch of head. Gives off that faintest notes of roast. Really lacking in the nose. Holy cow, this beer is watery. Like, really watery. It really tastes like an irish dry stout with the dry roastiness, poured over ice and then sat out for a while. There is some suggestion that there is a clean, dry roast flavor, but it is completely lost in the wateriness. The body is shockingly thin - probably the worst body relative to style on a beer I can recall. This beer is really unacceptable. I am surprised that it was bottled.

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Photo of Rizalini
2.48/5  rDev -0.8%

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass...

A - Pours black, slightly dark brown edges, with a very minimal brown head.

S - Roasty toffee, carmel aroma.

T - Dry toastiness, but not much more than that. A very average tasting stout.

M - Medium, almost watery. Not what I like my stouts to be.

O - This tastes more like a porter than a stout. Too light on the pallete, and defenately not enough flavor.

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Photo of sholland119
1.79/5  rDev -28.4%

A-Pours deep dark brown with a very thin tan head. No lacing and very light carbonation.

S-Light roast and heavy pencil shavings. Not ideal.

T-A little bit of roasted malt with some cola and a bit of cocoa powder. Not much like a dry stout.

M-Light bodied, undercarbonated and watery.

D-No I would not say this has "drinkability". It does have drain pour-ability however.


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Photo of Retsinis
2.52/5  rDev +0.8%

Picked this up as part of make your own six pack at Whole Foods (other than Total Wines, not sure the Whole foods in Cali offer that option) while on vacation in Chandler AZ over the new year's holiday.

Review is from notes, and just finally have the time to add this.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a large brandy snifter.

The beer pours a light hazy black with about a half inch of foamy cappuccino colored head that faded, with just a slight bit of retention. No lacing.

The Aroma's were mild, and a bit subdued. Light roasted malt, coffee, chocolate. Simple.

The flavors in the taste are a bit thin, even a bit bitter, unusual for a stout. Best description is it reminds me of the cheap, old, used coffee in a corporate pantry. A hint of light chocolate, but no alcohol taste.

The mouth feel was light and thin. Not flat, but it had this grit to it, might have been old now that I see it is no longer made.

Thankfully, I only paid for one, and looks as though it will be the last one I'll ever have if they are no longer making it. No real loss there though from this one, as it was forgettable.

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Photo of bens0n
2.69/5  rDev +7.6%

I have seen 6 packs of this stuff sitting the the shelf for months and had no idea this was a limited quantity batch when I bought it, had a tough time finding this beer without knowing the brewery name. Now I know why it has a layer of dust on the bottles and why I had never heard of this brewery before.

This beer pours an opaque black with a small amount of off-white head that fades pretty quickly.

This is one of the sweeter smelling stouts that I have had... Its got a milk chocolate backbone along with some other sweet fruity notes. It smells rather sugary and sweet for a stout, but I like that.

Beyond a pour and a couple good whiffs this beer goes downhill fast, this beer is extremely watery, and not rich like the smell would suggest. Tastes watered down and is extremely thin. There is an ever-so-slight hint of roasted coffee, but its almost not even there. Its just bland and unsatisfying.

I was amazed with how thin and watery this stout was. Its watered down characteristics make it totally drinkable, but this it not anything like the 'blackout stout' I was expecting.

This beer is far from getting drained though, its definitely drinkable, but not a good *stout*, not even close.

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Photo of GarthDanielson
2.15/5  rDev -14%

Served on-tap in a pint glass at the Brewery. The stout looks like a typical stout from afar. Light and airy head for a stout, though. Once it is within smelling distance, all that goes out the window. A nose full of berries and cherries is what I got anytime the glass came close to my face. Tied in with the aroma, the initial taste on the palate was that of strong fruit, with only the slightest, miniscule hint of coffee at the very end, almost into the aftertaste. No signs of roasted tastes in this stout. The beer itself felt far too light in mouth to even be considered a stout. None of the typical characteristics of a stout that we have all come to know and love over the years. This particular brew may do well in a second life as a brown or a porter, given the proper tweaks and modifications.

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Photo of nickd717
2.15/5  rDev -14%

12oz bottle thanks to largadeer.

Pours black with a decently formed light beige head.

Decent aroma, roasty with only a slight vegetal Indian Wells note to it.

The flavor is worse, rather acrid with roastiness and vegetal flavors.

Astringent and nasty mouthfeel, really bad.

What do you know, another bad beer from the Wells. Have to love these guys for their consistency, but you have to hate them for their consistent crappiness.

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Photo of Beerandraiderfan
2.57/5  rDev +2.8%

Ample blackness, but not eclipse black, sturdy tan head. Aroma was earthy chocolate.

Taste, not bad, choco coffee representin'. Pretty bitter and sour which is giving me some concern. Alcohol was existent, but pronounced beyond what I like in a beer. It does have a somewhat unique taste to it, so I can appreciate it on that level. Seems gritty and thin at the same time at points.

Certainly not going to win any gold medals, but the beer is serviceable in a pinch I guess. Just too much bitterness and not enough body.

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Photo of bmwats
2.5/5  rDev 0%

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint.

A: Black. Pours about a half finger, foamy, brown white head. Settles fairly slowly. Pretty much deteriorates completely. No real lacing to speak of.

S: Roasted malt. A little woody, and a little unsweetened chocolate.

T: Slightly bitter. Slightly malty. Tastes kind of like i'm eating a leaf. Just not much here.

M: Light, watered-down. A bit of an off-putting aftertaste. Reminds me of tapwater.

D: Easy drinkin' in a sense.... there's nothing there.

Atmosphere is pretty average. Appearance is okay, but nothing special; nose pretty much the same description. Flavor is almost nonexistent. There's just not much here. Overall, this is not that great a quaff.

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Photo of dwilson01
3.37/5  rDev +34.8%

poured from a 12oz bottle into an indian wells pint glass. The body is dark, not quite black, has tints of brown noticably as well as a reddish tint on the outsiteds. The head is a yellow sandy off white, not much to speak of and dissipates quickly with minimal lace.

The smell is of dark malt, not too much roast or smoke but mainly a sweeter bisuity smell combined with a refreshing floral hopping.

The flavor bascially gives me a smooth dark bready nut sweetened with molasses. The hops come through minimally but keep it from being overly sweet. I get a slight hint of alcohl during the tasting but only enough to make you want more.

it's very smooth, definitely a session stout, seems like it has a mouthfeel between a thicker oatmeal stout and the thinner Irish Dry stout which balances a sipper with a thin chugger.

All in all it's not a bad brew although I can't say I was very impressed either, I would probably pick another stout like old 38 or barney flats...

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Photo of DovaliHops
1.34/5  rDev -46.4%

Pours black with a not-so-impressive light-tan head that diminishes very quickly. Smells like chocolate metal. This beer does not smell good. The taste is not much better. Very watered down and metallic tasting. I would need to be completely wasted to find this beer descent tasting. Taste like someone took some soda water and let a couple nickels, dimes, and quarters sit in it for a while. Then they added some chocolate syrup. I think this is gonna be a drain pour. Mouthfeel was light....blah blah blah GROSS!

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Photo of EgadBananas
2.64/5  rDev +5.6%

A - Pleasant dark, nearly black look. Dark reds round out the edges in light. Frothy off white head, about a finger, sits on top. For an Irish Stout, it's just about there.

S - Slight malts, with a splash of tin, maybe a hint of sweetness. There's an Irish Stout in there, but it's muted by a good deal of nothingness.

T - Same goes for the taste. It's a little roasty, a hint of sweetness shows, and it's a bit bitter in the end. The flavour just doesn't last. It starts out decent, at about a 3, then halfway till end, it's gone. So, split the difference, and it's a 2.

M - It's watery and thin...but that's not far off from may experience of any other Irish Stout. So, yea, it's okay.

D - It's not really flavorful, but It's light, and easy to put back.

Overall, this is yet another bland offering from Indian Wells! 3 strikes and your out, I won't be trying another.

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Photo of charlzm
1.9/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 1

Consumed June 19th, 2010. Bottle obtained directly from brewery on May 30th, 2010. Consumed in "special" Samuel Adams glass.

Controlled pour results in a two finger frothy tan head that sticks a little to the sides of the glass. The beer is a deep brown with little light penetration. What does get through produces mahogany highlights and reveals plenty of rising bubbles.

Aroma is Guinness like, but with a solid mineral water backbone (as with all the Indian Wells beers I have tried). Lacking in roast and chocolate in the nose.

Flavor is a trainwreck. Lightly nutty with grace notes of roasted grain would be a fine description for this beer... IF it didn't have some sourness (to style, perhaps) and a cabbage/mineral water component. In other words, there is an acceptable example of Irish dry stout lurking in there, but as a whole the brew is utterly flawed.

Texture is a bit thick and a touch on the creamy side; they got this part right.

Just awful and undrinkable.

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Photo of GregSVT
2.55/5  rDev +2%

12oz bottle into a pint glass

A: Pours black with a decent tan head that fades to a ring and leaves a tiny bit of lacing on the glass.

S: The smell is decent with a malty cocoa aroma that resembles chocolate milk but there's a bit of a funky acidic smell in there too.

T: The taste is where this acidic aroma makes itself very known. It starts with a sour/skunky flavor that lasts most of the time and a small amount of cocoa and coffee are apparent on the finish. This would be good if it was brewed with good water like some other reviews have mentioned.

M: The feel is slightly creamy and light bodied but the nasty flavors detract from this.

D: One and done for me...in fact I may not finish this. Glad I only bought a single bottle instead of a six pack.

How does something like this make it's way to TX yet a good brewery like Russian River can't seem to distribute here? I also wonder when Great Lakes will send them a cease and desist letter about the name...

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Blackout Stout from Indian Wells Brewing Company
66 out of 100 based on 29 ratings.