Arcadia B-Craft Black Double IPA

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Had it on tap at World of Beer in Evanston IL. Poured a coffee hue with a light white head and thick even lacing. The aroma is very slight and the taste is IPA smooth.

This poured a medium cloudy brown with a beige head. Aroma was soapy hops and cigarette ash. Flavor was ashy and soapy. Fairly offensive to the nose and mouth.

Bottle: The aroma consists of chocolate, fruit, perfume, citrus, and pine. It pours a dark brown, but when held to the light, it;s an orangish-brown with some transparency. It has a one finger khaki head that quickly fades to a thin film outlined by a thicker ring. There is some very sporadic and thin webbing left on the sides of the glass. The flavor starts with a quick dose of light fruit and chocolate. The chocolate builds into the finish and the fruit is quickly dominated by orange, orange peel, floral/ perfume flavors, pine, and roast. It’s medium bodied with mild carbonation. Overall, the fruitiness up front and the citrus/ pine/floral hops in the finish are strong enough that this is one of the few Black IPA’s that lives up to the name...as opposed to just another hoppy Porter. With that said, on the hedonistic scale, I like some of the "hoppy Porter" versions of Black IPA’s better.

12oz bottle. Pours black with a thin light tan head. Aroma of grapefruit, orange, with some dark chocolate like notes. Taste is citrus, roasted coffee, chocolate, and pine.

Draft. Dark brown in appearance with a white head. Tastes of bitter pine hops, roasted malt, chocolate. Very bitter in the finish, sticks with you for awhile. Solid brew.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown, with a thin head that dissipates too quickly. Aroma led by coffee, other malt notes, and a touch of hops - pretty nice. The flavor starts out with fruit notes (mostly apple), which gives rise to malts (coffee, toasted notes), and the finish is driven by citrus and pine hops. Fairly light on the palate, while still complex. Not a typical black IPA, but pretty good - it manages to avoid being out of balance, which seems to be such a common black IPA pitfall.

Backlogged rating: Black with frothy head. The aroma has notes of resin, grassy and catty hops. Charred and roasted malts with some yeasty esters. The taste has sharp hop profile, acidic with some cat urine and medicinal notes. Espresso coffee notes as well. Moderately carbonated with chalky and ashy finish. A solid offering.

Pours a deep brown with a thin tan head. Aroma of dark roasted malts, sugar and light pine. Flavor of roasted malt and coffee.

Pours black with hint of brown around the edges, frothy off white head great lacing. Nice molasses and brown sugar some pine hops. Medium to light body, a bit watery, slight dryness coupled with bittering hops and licorice. Interesting, could use more hops, but quality.

Bottle. Nose quite hoppy, of the piney-resinous sort, with strong caramel and a hint of spice; with eyes closed, this is a strong IPA. Deep brown-black pour with a short light-brown head. Taste dry on the level sugar content but benefits from some balancing sweetness from the hop oils, medium bitterness that’s blunted by the sweetness and caramel. Malt character is too straight here, but in concert with the hops it’s actually contributing something nice. Hops are much stronger, especially when the pine/resin dominate the finish. Fullish body with some crispness but only mild alcohol (more like 6% abv), so bravo. Not getting much roast or astringency or even a hint of burnt or black malt, just a little bit residually toward the end.