Anderson Valley Bahl Hornin’ Nettied Madge Black IPA

Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Boonville, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Dark brown with a fizzy tsp head. Huge hoppy citrus and dark roasted grain aroma and taste with a smooth silky palate and well balanced sweet and bitter.

On tap at The Big Hunt. I had higher hopes for this beer. It poured a nice dark black color and had a nice aroma of pine and spruce. Tasted smooth but there was a flavor that didn’t jive with me. I don’t know if it was due to dirty lines or a bad keg but something didn’t seem right. Will try again when i get the chance.

16 ounce sample on tap at Woodstock’s Pizza in Davis, CA. Aroma is roasted with mild sweet chocolate hints. Not much hoppiness in the nose, though. Pretty weak on the hops, with a light pineiness present. Moderately transparent dark mahogany body present with a relatively small light tan head. Decent lacing. Starts roasty, chocolatey, and a bit sweet. mostly malty with some piney hop flavors present in the end. A little burnt. This has a decent hoppiness, but the choco-roastiness outduels it. Wish this were more balanced and closer to a black IPA. This seems more like a hoppy porter.

Served on tap at Dublin’s Sports Pub. The appearance is a deep brown black without much head. The aromas are lightly roasty and hoppy. A fairly muted nose. The flavors are the same. Very tame roasted malts and a light kiss of citrus hops. Nothing special here but decent.

On tap at Frisco Grille (Columbia, MD): Pours a mostly opaque black with dark mahogany edges and a small ring of light tan head. Has a fresh piny hop nose with a touch of lightly roasted malts. Starts with good fullness and a light malty sweetness with some crisp resiny hop flavor and the slightest hint of soapy hops before a drier finish with some light lingering roastiness. Pretty true to style and drinkable.

On tap at The Federal, Durham. Very substantial pour, with a deep inky body and a lively, fluffy head. Nose smelled a bit more floral than some black IPAs, which often trend towards the sharper end of the hop spectrum, although the dry notes are certainly there to taste. Moderate stickiness in the body, carbonation understated but certainly there. Pine and bitter chocolate complement the orange zest flavors, with mild malts, some roasts, a faint hint of pepper in the finish. Really nice stuff.

On tap at Brewforia Beer Market, Meridian, ID Deep nearly opaque dark brown black, with a modest but dense creamy dark tan head. Lots of up front resh hop aroma that overpowers the roast. Like I think it should. Flavors are again mainly hops. Plenty bitter but lots of late hop flavor. The coffee and roast are here a bit more, but still second fiddle to the true nature of what a west coast IPA should be. Bold bitter and hoppy but definitely "black"

Tap at Paradiso Dupont. Well I wasn’t expecting much but damn this was good. The pour is clear blood ruby with a healthy, tan head that has good retention and leaves rings of tan lace. Aroma is grapefruit, Yakima valley fresh hop forward with additions of dark chocolate, vanilla, and pecan pie in the nose. Taste is dry and full: massive 90+ IBU bitterness wrecks your palate while big roast and bitter 75% cacao chocolate add nothing but more complete bitterness. As it warms and opens up, some nice vanilla ice cream comes in for sweet balance. No olive or brine character. Somehow the palate is a bit lactic, coating, and full never going dry or chalky. Probably my favorite Black IPA thus far.

On draft at CAH downtown. Dark brown pour with chestnut highlights and fair creamy tan head. Nose is sweet fresh green piney pellet hops. flavor brings the nutty malt underpinnings. Extremely bitter lingering finish. This is a hoppy nut brown ale for sure.

On tap at Churchkey in DC. Pours dark brown with a one-finger light tan head an pretty good lacing. The aroma is rather hoppy, mostly of the piney form, with riasted malt poking through. Pretty good IBA flavor - a little more paler malt, caramel and such, than I like. Piney hop punch is substantial but not too assertive. Medium-bodied with a mildly resinous mouthfeel and average carbonation. A solid black IPA, but nowhere near some of the elite in the style.