Alaskan Pilot Series: Double Black IPA

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co
Style: Black IPA
Juneau, Alaska USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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UPDATED: OCT 2, 2010 On draft at O’Briens. Arrived black, opaque and thick, with a small beige head that leaves moderate lace. Aroma is resplendant with dark roasty malts, fudge, earth and bold hops. Rich chewy flavors of chocolate, anise and heavy roast, are subdued by prominent resiny, west coast hops. Medium to full body and slightly prickly carbonation.

Deep copper to brown, clear, tan head. Flavor: toffee, burnt sugar, piney hops are subsiding on this 2009 bottle consumed in 2008. Flavor: toffee, leather, nutty notes and toast, balancing bitterness, hop flavor has diminished on this 3 year old bottle. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle, shared with Parksy. Very dark brown with a persistent light brown head. Aroma is equally roasty and hoppy, leaning more toward the roasty side actually, which appeals to me greatly. Sweet dark malt base, roast and chocolate, some molasses too. Piney slightly resinous hop profile, not too aggressive, but allowing the luscious malts to have their say. I like this interpretation of the style, where there is an equal (if not greater) emphasis on the dark malts as there is on the hops. Loving this Pilot Series so far!

Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured black with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted earthy hop with a small alcohol aroma. Medium body with a dry slick texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy dark bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate duration. This is a good complex beer.

Name: Double Black IPA
Date: November 19, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: black, wispy beige head
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma, citrus hops
Flavor: sweet chocolate flavor, balancing roastedness, nice citrus, light bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Bottle:   Deep deep brown, ruby highlights, moderate to large frothy beige head, fairly nice lacing.   Hoppy nose, slight roasted malts, carob, campfire, charred wood, and miniscule cow pasture.   Semi-sweet citrusy hopiness, a little citrus rind, some astringency, touch of roasted malts.   For its color its not as roasty/burnt as I would have thought.   Remains with the citrus rind towards the backside.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   The 8.5% ABV is well hidden.   As this warms I get more lactose like cow pasture.   Body and mouthfeel are fairly moderate.   Remains citrusy, with a mild sweetness towards the finish.   Certainly more towards a regular IPA than a Double IPA, and certainly not as "Black" as others.   Otherwise, not bad, clean, but perhaps a simple Black IPA would be more appropriate.

Bomber pours nice and dark supporting a mocha head. The aroma offers up a mix of dark roasted malts to burnt malts as well as a blending of pine hops and chocolate malts. Nice. The taste is similar dark roasted malts, some burnt malts and a dash of dark roasted coffee. These notes are mixing with lesser amounts of chocolate, toffee candy and spicy black licorice. Behind those sweeter and roastier flavors are moderately strong notes of various hoppiness consisting of mostly pine hops. It comes together nicely. Yum.

On tap at OBriens, backlogged rating. Sweet malt throughout, with much more roasted coffee overtaking the bitterness, unlike most other black IPAs. Subdued bitterness on the back end; mild hops bite.

22oz bottle thanks to Sparky
Appearance: Dark brown with a big foamy beige head and lots of sticky lacing
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and pine resin
Taste: Full mouthfeel of dark roasted malts, coffee with a bitter finish
A very nice Black IPA, enjoyable and easy drinking

This beer rocks. Pours very dark blackish with a good head and a silky canopy that lingers. Smells of fresh ground espresso beans with a touch of malty sweetness. Full and rich on the palate with excellent carbonation. This brew exhibits staggering hop essence that mingles with a dark roast component like a pimp dressed up as santa clause at a sorority sleepover. A mild touch of sweetness help to balance this beast. The finish goes on and on. Fantastic!

bottle 9/9/10. dark woody brown shade of black with a spotty head. aroma and flavor are similar... grapefruit, pine and dirty spicy hops out in front of roast, brown sugar, chocolate, cream and sweaty earth. it is full bodied, slick and creamy but still prickly and easy to put away. 7/4/7/4/16