Alpine Beer Company Ugly

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Black IPA
Alpine, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Pours a dark espresso brown / black color. Nose is sharp with piney west coast hops. Taste is good, hop flavor is there, I really like how mellow the roasted characters are, but the excess body killed it for me. It had a really heavy mouthfeel like there was a large % of carafoam used, which made it fairly difficult to drink a lot of. I have a feeling future batches are going to keep getting better as this beer gets dialed in. Aside from the body of it, this is spot on what i like in a black IPA.

Pours a dark black with a small tan head. aroma of pine, citrus, roasted malts and some coco. Taste is of pine, citrus, roasted malts, coco, and some caramel. Has a medium full body with a oily mouthfeel and a dry, bitter finnish. overall, a pretty nice black IPA.

preCBC tour on tap @the brewery-pours dark brown with a retaining light brown head. Aroma is roasty medium malt, pine. Taste is roasty medium malt, pine hops.

Black in color, clear with a thin head. Nice dark malt and hops aroma. Good floral hops flavor lingers with the roasty dark malts. Very tasty CDA made in San Diego

Draught Shortlived white head, over practically black beer. Typically mandarine/tangerine smell from Alpine hopgifts. Again this special mandarineflavour, quite delicate. Very bitter finish, but ever so slighlty empty. Dark malts are there, but very modest in flavour; touch of cigarette ashes in the finish. Not very well-bodied, bit empty in the finish. Very inviting, ends in a slighlty minor key.

(Draught) Pours a dark brown (near black) body with medium off-white head. Aroma of weed, pine, grapefruit, and grass. Flavor of roasted malt, pine, chocolate, citrus, and coffee with a dry, bitter finish.

Espresso brown body, not quite opaque. Clarity is excellent when held to the light. Huge resiny pine goodness on the nose, sharp and green. Poured from a growler into a pint glass. There’s a hint of dry roastiness beneath. Palate has a big pine kick up front, followed by coffee-like roasted malt and a little orange toward the finish that makes me think of chocolate covered oranges. Light bodied, extremely quaffable though very bitter in the finish. Quite the palate wrecker, the coffee and pine sap bitterness sticks to the tongue for ages. Alpine nails it yet again, this is my new favorite India Black Ale.

GABF 2011. Pours black with a medium, fizzy tan head, medium retention with good lacing. Aroma is dank herbal hops, roast and chocolate malt, dark fruits (prune, plum, raisin). Flavor is roast malt, dark fruits, dank hops and a dry finish. Medium body, warmth, and carbonation.

On tap at Downtown Johnny Browns. Pours black with a light brown head and a treacle aroma. There is a carbonated roasted malt flavor with a piney hop finish. The malt sticks to the palate.

On tap at ABC 09.09.2011 with Andy, James and Dallas for Dallas’ bachelor weekend. Heavy, black pour with a light mocha-colored head and an extremely heavy, opaque lacing on the glass. Aroma is major hops and minor smokiness. Palate is straight roastiness with an unappealing hop profile. Bitter aftertaste. Not a big fan.

Draft at Toronado with james and andrew. Pours a pitch black color with slight head. Flavor is hoppy with some dark malts. Slightly less cohesive than other offerings in this style, but very good.