Week 18 of 52
Flat Earth Black Helicopter
April 28th thru May 4th
Release at the Ugly Mug
Try Black Helicopter at the Ugly Mug on May 1st for it's release party!
Brewer's Description
Black helicopter oatmeal stout has been infused with the finest roasted coffee on the planet. The beans were secretly flown to our roaster, in the unsuspecting community of Ramsey, where they were transformed into delicious coffee. Enjoy this beer with the closest of friends. You never know who is watching.
Overall Rating based on 9 reviews
3.28 of 5 stars
Unofficial Meet Up
Ugly Mug (formerly Harvey's)
106 North 3rd St, Minneapolis
Thursday May 1st, 5pm
Interesting Fact
Brewery Information
Flat Earth Brewing Company
Saint Paul, Minnesota
flatearthbrewing.com
Reviews | Learn More About the Brew52 Reviewers | Previous Beer | Next Beer
vonklebs says But you where so fugly in High School
June 27th, 2008
So, I admit I feel guilty about some gals I turned down in High School. Now that I am a bit older and presumably wiser. That is my thoughts now about you Black Helicopter. I had written (wroten, wrotten, writed, chicken scratched, angrily blogged, screw you left brain) un-interested and un-impressed by your bland offerings earlier in life. I had seen you in your Flat Earth begginings, but never knew the pottential hidden beneath.
Some one commented; cold coffe and beer. I whole hardily agree. GOOD cold coffe and BEER.
Absolutely fabulous. Better do it again Flat Earth, or I’ll have to un-friend you on Facebook.
berrywise says Well nobody followed me home in suits and black sunglasses
May 22nd, 2008
Stopped in at the Arcadia Cafe for the first time at their new location for lunch today. Asked if they had Black Helicopter on tap and ordered one up first thing. I’m a big fan of coffee beers. Even if I think of them as more of a winter beer. I’ve even brewed my own in the past. Very tasty, lot’s of coffee flavor.
Ben R says no thanks
May 21st, 2008
I went to the meetup a couple weeks ago to try the Black Helicopter from Flat Earth. All I needed was one sip to determine that I will not be buying this beer ever :) The coffee taste is simply too strong for my liking, I doubt I could even drink a pint of this, let alone enjoy it.
Oddly enough, one of my recent batches of homebrew turned out the same way, it was a java stout that had WAY too much coffee flavor - I wonder if Flat Earth gets their recipes from Midwest Supplies 
selah says If you like coffee stout, this is coffee stout.
May 5th, 2008
Perfect on those occasions when you want to get drunk and wired at the same time and don’t want to fuss with two mugs. A volatile blend of caffeine and alcohol make this a welcome alternative to vodka Red Bulls in the bipolar beverage department.I for one think coffee and stout marry quite nicely, but if you’re not a fan of stout to begin with, I don’t suspect the coffee variation is going to win you over.
ryan says Good coffee, good beer, everybody wins.
May 5th, 2008
I like good coffee, I like good beer. No surprise that I like this combination. Roasty, earthy… notes of chocolate, a hint of smoke. Very nice. Flat Earth did something that no one else has done with their coffee beer, as far as I can tell. Paradise Roasters pulled a ton of coffee through a Clover machine, a labor-intensive job, to say the least. If you haven’t had coffee made in a Clover, I implore you to visit Kopplin’s in St. Paul. In any case, the coffee comes through quite nicely… not bitter or acrid, just lovely. Yum.
Erin says Mmmmm…… cold coffee, mixed with beer.
May 3rd, 2008
OK, I know I didn’t technically drink an entire pint of this, but I can still make a judgment off of the 2 sips I stole from Becky. Yuck. I could barely choke down the 2 sips I had. It was like an explosion of different flavors in my mouth, and not in a good way. I will not be having this ever again.
flashmcduff says helicopters make me think of Rambo
May 2nd, 2008
Well, the meetup turned out to be a definite fail on my part. We were there but didn’t really interact due to our clandestine location. We walked in and snagged the only open table in the joint. You’d think that would be great…and it was. Not having to stand is nice. However, we did end up around the corner from any and all action happening aside from Big Buck Hunter 2006. *see diagram*
The plus side was far greater than the lonely table. This was the best smelling beer I’ve ever had. Black Helicopter smells like coffee - no surprise there - and good coffee at that. Not burnt coffee or like Sanka. It smells more like a cold press. The flavor is stout but doesn’t hang around long, making it pretty drinkable. Unfortunately coffee stouts seem to create some sort of negative reaction in my body. I enjoy both coffee and beer and I’m theorizing that the two of them battle for my beverage love and it leaves me unable to consume more than one in a sitting. The same phenomenon happened at last year’s Gnome Fest, I just found out after the fact…while I was biking. I digress. Kudos to Flat Earth for coming out with good new brews and thanks to the Ugly Mug for hosting - and giving me a super cheap happy hour.
Aaron says Where’s the Helicopter?
May 2nd, 2008
Black Helicopter is a darker stout that’s mixed with a bit of coffee. At first glance the pints looked and smelled almost as if they were filled with coffee. Little to no head on this beer and we joked that we could get away with this at the office if we put it in a mug. It’s about one part coffee for every twenty-five parts beer but honestly, it tastes like it’s closer to one to one. The coffee comes through loud and clear but it’s not too overpowering. It’s a smooth beer but has what I’m starting to call the “Flat Earth Flat,” the tenancy for Flat Earth beers to taste like they have little to almost no carbonation. It’s tasty though — and I don’t generally drink coffee. A very drinkable beer overall and I went through three pints without really even noticing it. Well, I noticed it a lot when I was done.
We also took the opportunity to take photos with Flat Earth brewmaster Jeff Williamson who’s a very personable and nice guy.
I’d like to have another pint of this soon.
Cross-posted on s4xton.com
Rett says Ready to take flight
May 1st, 2008
I had a great time at the Ugly Mug, although there was definitely a lot of room for improvement in the service. I’m never able to relax until I know my beer is at least on it’s way, and after waiting for about 10 minutes as the server passed us up multiple times, I just went to the bar.
Whatever, the beer was tasty, and at $2.50 a pint it was a great deal. It was also fun to hear first hand from Jeff all about the beer and how they taste-tested many different concentrations, ending up with the 25/1 beer to coffee ratio. Oh and I should mention that even though the server was non-existent, we did manage to order some food. It was bountiful, we must have had 5 enormous chicken tenders, only they were actually full chicken breasts, and the mini hamburgers were more like quarter pounders. I’d go back, but I’d sit at the bar.