Confluence Thomas Beck Black IPA

Brewed by Confluence Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Des Moines, Iowa USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Had this on draft at Confluence Brewery in Des Moines. Almost black pour. Fluffy white head. Light hoppy stout taste. Pretty average beer but would for sure get this if I came back

A vigorous pour into my Teku glass produces a two finger thick, pale brown tinged, tan colored head. The beer is a concentrated brown color that shows a lightly hazy, purple tinged, concentrated amber hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of a mix of toasted dark malt and herbal / pine like hops. Ample whole grain notes, toasted brown bread, roasted citrus hop notes, light pine aromatics.

This has a prickly carbonation and a full citrus hoppiness to it up front, while the finish focuses on toasted brown bread, and nutty dark malt. The fruit notes up front definitely have a roasted edge to them from the dark malt; tangerine, grapefruit, Curacao orange, some lychee notes, and kumquat, all with a roasted overlay to it. The bitterness has a nice bite to it, though it isn’t overly aggressive, in fact the beer is fairly smooth, which helps let the dark malt come through a bit better. The malt competes pretty well with the hop character; ample roasted nutty notes, toasted whole grain.

This is nice, I like the balance between hop and malt here, it is perhaps a touch more balanced than many an other Black IPA I have had, though it is clearly still a hop dominated beer.

Growler thanks to randomgarbage. Dark dark brown with a medium light brown head. Aroma is piney hops with some coffee/chocolate roasted notes. Taste is more stout/porter than IPA with the roasted malt coming in stronger than the hops; mild-medium bitter, mild sweet. Finish is dry, with some hoppy and roasted bitterness. Medium bodied, soft-moderate carbonation. Solid Black IPA.

Keg on the RBWG 2013 Bus. Pours dark brown with a creamy, tan head. Dark bread in the nose, grapes, pine. Medium sweet flavor with standard dark malts, light roast, juicy grapefruit. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Moderately earthy to finish with some ripened citrus fruits, mellow roast, toasted pine. Very drinkable, if a bit simple.

Courtesy of jcwattsrugger. Thanks for bringing this all the way to NH. Pours a deep cola brown with a thin white cap. Strong citrus hop aroma. Taste is dominated with fruit flavors, a touch of peach perhaps. Some light roast. Not as dark as the average Black Ipa. Light, crisp palate with plenty of carbonation.

Tap - average size foamy head, black color, citrus hop aroma and flavor with mild roasty notes ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

64 ounce growler thanks to John shared with a ton of people at Hunhapu, poured a dark brown almost black color with aromas of roast amd light hops. Flavors were roast, some chocolate and light hops. Black IPAs are not my style but decent overall. Thanks for the growler John.

Pours a medium brown black .. . mild foam .. low lacing .. . odd smell .. . light roast .. . no character, oh well .. . . You’re just saying that because I said it to you. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean anything.

Pours a trsnslucent brownish-black from the bottle with fluffy off-white head that dissipates to leave light lacing. Aroma is pretty much all hops, but a slight toasted chocolate malts backbone. Taste follows, with a bittersweet finish. Damn good stuff.

[On-tap] Pours deep cola-brown with a good sized beige head. Aroma is nice, with pine really bursting out of the glass. Taste really integrates roasted (a little ashy at times) malt and piney hops again. Decent mouthfeel, smooth, and a long finish. Overall, a very solid beer which makes me eager to try more from this brewery.