With colder weather comes heavier, denser beers.  For my beer of the week this week I selected a stout from Mendocino Brewing Company out of California.  It’s Black Hawk Stout, and I found it in bottle at World Market.  They have a bazillion different beers and wines, and you can do a mix and match six pack, which is fun.  The Black Hawk Stout is a traditional Irish Stout, with a thick, rich mouthfeel.  It doesn’t overdo the coffee aspect, which can be present in porters and stouts.  They have managed a perfect balance of coffee, chocolate, malt and carbonation.  If one of those is off, a stout is a bust to me.  I like my coffee for breakfast, not in my beer.  This is a solid stout, and packs more of a wallop than Guinness at 5.2%.  Stouts are always more impressive on tap, but this is one of the better offerings I’ve tried out of a bottle.  Considering the time of year, something tells me I’ll enjoy trying out more stouts…