Blue Point Toxic Sludge

Brewed by Blue Point Brewing
Style: Black IPA
Patchogue, New York USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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UPDATED: JAN 1, 2011 Thanks to djrn for sending me this bottle. The beer pours a medium brown color with a cream-colored head. The aroma is heavy on the roasted malt and chocolate. The beer smells more like a porter than a Black IPA because I don’t get any hops in the nose. There are definitely hops in the flavor. In addition to the chocolate and roasted malt, I get quite a bit of pine-flavored hops. Low bitterness. Medium, creamy mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A good beer for a good cause.

Bottle shared by ryandevilhorns at my beer tasting. Black pour with brown head. This was hoppy and roasty with a nice smooth finish. Pretty good black IPA.

I poured a 16oz can into a goblet. I believe there was a Julian date of 11/15/12 on it but I’m not sure (which would make it about four and a half months old).

Appearance: Opaque black in the glass, though it’s brown coming out of the can. Forms a large, fluffy, white, frothy head which retains and laces extremely well.

Smell: Slight earthy note with a hint of flowers or other clean scent, though muted overall.

Taste: The black IPA is meant to be a hybrid of the stout and India Pale Ale style, but lately it seems every brewery is making a standard IPA and throwing in dark malt just for coloring. That’s how I feel about Blue Point Toxic Sludge since it tastes like a traditional American IPA but is lacking the roasty quality that should be found in a true black IPA. Not that it’s a bad beer, in fact it’s pretty good for what it is, but more could’ve been accomplished.

Begins with a prominent, slightly sharp, somewhat dry bitterness. It doesn’t change or develop much throughout the swig. It’s not in the typical citrus or pine hop flavor, but rather the sheer bitterness. Blue Point’s website says it’s only 40 IBUs, but it seems a little stronger than that. A hint of pine or resin on the back end with mild coffee or dark chocolate flavors in the aftertaste. It’s a rather simple palette to be sure, but the taste that’s here is pretty good. Unbalanced yes, but not cloying or gimmicky in any way. Just a solid, standard Black IPA.

Drinkability: Blue Point Toxic Sludge is an ideal Black IPA for beginners or those not appreciative of overly hoppy beers. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, but never intense. There’s a creamy, smooth texture to it which makes it easy to quaff or sip and savor. At 7% ABV it’s right where it should be - big enough to be a truly bold beer, but light enough to not be anything obese or intimidating. An ideal brew to pair with a hearty meal.

UPDATED: MAY 31, 2011 Bottle thanks to Brooha. Pours black. Tan head. Nose and taste of hops, pine, chocolate and malt. Smooth, almost coffee finish. Some tobacco notes.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 11/15/2012. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense light tan head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, orange zest, roasted malt, cocoa, light char, floral, grass, light pine, toast, and brown bread. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity; much weaker than I expected for the style. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, cocoa, roasted malt, pine, toast, brown bread, light char, floral, and piney spiciness. Good amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, roasted malt, chocolate, pine, brown bread, light char, and piney spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Nice complexity of flavors with a nice malt/hop balance; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a nice Black IPA offering. Good complexity and balance of flavors, and very smooth to drink. This was not as robust as I expected for the style, but it was still a pleasantly enjoyable offering.

A - Pours a deep black color with just a touch of brown with a finger of off-white head. The retention on the head was okay and there was some nice lacing left behind. S - Heavy amount of sweet roasted malt and some nice piney/grassy hops. Touch of toffee and chocolate elements are also blended in. T - Starts off with some sweet roasted carmel malt flavor with hints of grassy hop in the background. Also a bit of sweet brown sugar. Slight bitterness. Through the middle the hops gain some power and there is some very nice bitterness. The finish has a lot of flavors going on including some black licorice, chocolate/coffee taste, and some hop bitterness. M - Medium bodied with moderate to moderate-low amount of carbonation. Smooth and just a bit creamy. Slight dry finish. D - Very drinkable. There is a nice balance here of malt and hop. There is a slight alcohol presence, but nothing that gets in the way of the beer. Overall very smooth and crisp.

Pours like cola with a THICK off white head. Aroma is heavy roasted malts (almost burnt) & molasses. Taste is a disturbing but interesting blend fruity hops and heavy roasted malts. I think it?s the alcohol that makes it work by giving it a sweetness that ties the coflicting flavors together. As it warms you can taste tropical fruits with a burnt chalky background.....I?m thoroughly confused, but I?m still drinking it!

Pounder->shaker. Pours a deep brown with foamy white head. Aroma: hops over caramel malt. Taste: chocolate malt with hop bite. Really good.

Awesome, heavy coffee nose and palate. Nutty. Creamy head, reddish, dark. Same palate as nose, but some grit and nuts in the palate too. On tap at McGregors.

Bottle:   Deep cola in color, huge rocky tannish head, nice lacing.   Soft ash and toasted malts on the nose.   Minor hop up front, slightly sweet, a little roasty.   Certainly a lighter IPA, but with some hop flavor without being overly bitter.   Good roasted malt background.   This is pretty good, not heavy or big, but smooth and flavorful.   Moderate body and mouthfeel, but for not being heavy its very smooth.   Faint sweet citrusy hops on the backside, moreso ash and roasted malts with a touch of bitterness.   Its like a sessionable Black IPA.   Thanks BJ for the bottle!