3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Roasted malt aromas, soon followed by a waft of citrus hops.
Dark red brown appearance. Thick head and thick swatches of lace.
The flavor is dryly sweet malts, with a burnt cookie finish. The hops have a citrus that come at the end. The malts have a dual roasted-nutty and sweet-sugary character that balance pretty well.
Slick, oily palate with a chalky finish. Overall, it’s rather malt heavy for sure, and works well as a hoppy stout.
3.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 14/20
On cask at Sweet Afton in Astoria. This is more for your hardcore hophead. My greatest objection is that it burns the back of my throat. On the other hand its nose is full of sweet deceptive sweet chocolate and cola. The flavor is all bitter hops. It means well.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
22oz bottle thanks to mora2000.
Near black pour with a nice creamy head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malt, nuts, pine and resin hops. Grapefruit, chocolate, and roast in the flavor - almost like a hoppy Porter as opposed to a Black IPA.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On cask at the Cask Republic. Deep, dark, opaque black color, with a thin off white head. Malty roasty aroma. Creamy mouth feel with an astringent finish. Flavors are bold and bitter like a light Imperial stout. Smoother than that, and with some IPAesque bitters in there.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Black beer with a white head. Aromas of fresh, clean hops, and black licorice. Taste of chocolate is stronger than one might think. Bittersweet herbal hops mix with tastes of black licorice, mild coffee, and dark chocolate. The chocolate dominates the hops in this one, but it works. Dry finish. Tasty stuff.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Have sampled two bottles of this, both purchased locally, 2 weeks apart.
Appearance is a very dark brown, with ample creamy tan head. Good retention and lacing for the dark/roasted malts it contains.
Aroma is citrus hops up front and then coffee. Taste mirrors the aroma, as it is hops up front with a coffee/chocolate dry stout finish. Very unique due to the combination of malts and hops - unlike other IPAs, more akin to a hoppy stout.
Creamy, moderate viscosity mouthfeel - would have preferred a touch lighter given the profile of flavors.
I had a second bottle after enjoying the first, and had it after sampling Stone’s Sublimely Self-righteous Ale. I got much more hop flavor and aroma from the sludge than from the SSRA, which to me was purely stout-like.
Since this is a limited production run, I will be looking to corner the market on this one, as it is still unique and remains more available than other Black IPAs.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours a dark brownish black color, with a nice head. Nose is sweet with citrus and piney. Taste is bitter and balanced by some deep malt, with some subtle licorice. Finish is bitter and moderately long. Quaff Score 7 / 10
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Can Poured into a glass. Dark Brown appearance with a very light brown head that laces a bunch. Smells chocolaty and hoppy. Some coffee in there too. Taste is a little thin. Some light coffee, dark roasted malts, bitter hops. tastes pleasant but a bit bland.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap. Pours an opaque black with a dense foamy coffe colored head. Bright aroma of hops, coffee notes. Very full body, slight carbonation makes for broad & smooth feel. Wonderfully balanced initial salty mellows to sweet with a smooth finish. Really nice take on an IPA.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Deep dark brown coloured body with a bit of a cola glow at the bottom and a thinnish, two centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, nuts, caramel, toffee, light grassy hops and some good coffee. Medium-bodied; Assertive hoppy flavour at first dies fairly quickly and shows a lot of malt, some good caramel and sweetness but also a little nutty and earthy quality at the end. Aftertaste shows a great complex flavour with the roasted malt coming together quite nicely with the caramelised sugars and the earthy and herbal hops. Overall, a nice Black IPA with more of the focus on sugars and roasted malt - but it works out well without a ton of hops! I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Liqour Outlet in Boonton, New Jersey on 20-November-2011 for US$3.75 sampled at home in Washington an hour before heading back up to New York on 26-February-2012.
|
