4.5 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
A very aromatic dark beer ... not very familiar with Black IPA’s but i must say that this rocked me! Slight resiny hops with a hint of citrus laying on a bed of sugary toffee caramel with no intention of ever getting up...
A nice semi persistant white foam covers the beer as the carbonation is very light and "fluffy" ... hard to describe! In the background there’s a faint fruitiness, too faint for me to try and name any particular fruit, but it just rounds up perfectly the experience!!!
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
My Bottom Line:
This cushiony and ever-so-aromatic Black IPA hypnotizes with its gorgeous leafy hop resins, their citrusy tips and the jazzy nutty caramel malt character which accompanies them throughout.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A thick sheet of foam bobs and laces atop the hazy reddish-brown.
-The body is a feathery pillow of malt and soothing carbonation.
-Malts are also a tad chocolatey.
-Some fruitiness seems to come from the malts as well.
-John Kimmich is the east’s king of the dry-hop. Know that. ;)
On tap at the brewpub.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: JUL 10, 2007 Dark ruby body topped by a long-lasting medium beige head. Powerful aroma of roastiness dominated by citrusy hops. Tasty and original beer. Cleverly blends tasty american bitter hops (pine-tree and citrusy) with lots of roastiness and caramel wrapped in chocolate flavours. Brings together an American IPA and a dry stout and it works. Assertive hops (Simcoe?). One of the most darkly roasted of this new trend of India Dark Ale I’ve had. Nice body that mixes dry roastiness and juicy hopping. At the pub, described as having 6.66% alcohol and 66.6 IBU !!! Mortal Sin, the Decimal of the Beast.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: JUN 24, 2007 Draft - 6/23/07 update - Surprised to see this one. This batch was particularly hoppy with lots of grapefruit/citrus. Truly delightful!! = Original rating - A new entry for the master brewer from Vermont. Pours a quite dark, almost brown, amber in color with a thin whitish head that faded quickly. The strong aroma of hops only begins to prepare you for the *big* hop flavor that is to come. HOPS is what this beer is all about, but there is a balance with some malt that removes some of the "bite" that hops sometimes can give. Nicely strong piney/grapefruit hop flavor that fades to a fairly long and bitter finish. Very clean on the palate. A wonderful addition to John’s offerings and one that hope to experience again and soon!
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