Mountain Goat Before the Dawn

Brewed by Mountain Goat Beer
Style: Black IPA
Richmond, Victoria, Australia

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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On tap at Archive. Poured the colour of dark back oil with no light coming through at all. Very hoppy in both the nose and the mouth.

Bottle, 10C. Black with an inch of pale beige head that fades to a coat. Aroma of nectarines, orange blossoms, mocha, pineapple. Bittersweet and very choc-orangey. Little sweetness. Silky mouthfeel, alive with moderate carbonation. Firm bur unobtrusive bitterness. Earthy cocoa note, suggestion of roasted barley. Another good BIPA (!) from the Goaters - lovely texture as ever, perhaps slightly less interesting but more harmonious than the Thorny Goat.

On tap at the Alehouse Project. I think they nailed it. Aromas of liquorice, caramel, chocolate, some cola and grass. Taste is sweet and bitter, long lasting. Palate is creamy, and full bodied. Black with a frothy head.

Sampled at an ESBLS tasting. It poured a black color with a foamy tan head. The aroma was of caramel, chocolate, a little cocoa and a touch of grassiness. The taste was similar with sweetness, but bitter and hung around for a while. A very good Black IPA.

Not in the class of the Thorny Goat. Lean palate, by comparison, with more obvious hops drying out the palate. Cut grass and roast on the nose, both of which are subtle. Some smoke and slate in the back palate provides some interest but otherwise a bit pedestrian.

Bottle from Mane Liquor. Pours jet black with a medium, dense lightly tanned head leaving great lacing. Nose is smack full of piney hops and light bitter sweet chocolate undertones. A hint of liquorice as it warms. The chocolate and pine are balanced in the taste. Liquorice slowly takes over with warmth. Super easy drinking. Solid stuff

Pours dark brown with a large, lasting head. Nose shows a fair bit of grapefruit and tropical fruit-like hops. Underneath is some roasted malt. Also some resinous notes. Pretty rad! Fairly roasty flavours but still quite approachable (especially for a BIPA!). Lots of hops in there too, providing big tropical fruit flavours. Excellent balance between the hops and roasted malt. Could use a bit more carbonation. Amazing stuff.

Maybe it’s because I’d suffered a few dark hours Before The Dawn, but I thought this was a ripper. Looked great: as dark as you’d expect and the fat, lacing head was a real stayer. Hop-dominated aroma of mixed tropical fruit - passionfruit, pineapple. Galaxy mainly. Also some faint dark malts in the background. Good aroma balance. Quite a full mouthfeel, with that slightly syrupy texture that seems characteristic of highly hopped Australian ales. It works well here with that hefty 7.4% abv. Bitterness seems spot on for this weight and the malt bill provides a sold base. Ticks all the boxes for me. I liked this as much as their pepperberry collaboration with Mikkeller. I’d like to see a black IPA in their regular beer stable - I’d pick up a six-pack of this regularly if I could get it. Highlight of a poor day on Planet Earth. (640ml bottle from Carrington Cellars, Katoomba. 2012 vintage)

Bottle. Pours jet black with a dense light tan coloured head. Hangs around for a while leaving some delicate lacing and a thin film throughout. Aromas seem very typically of th style. Resiny and slightly spicy citrusy hops, light roasted grain and some dark caramel. Nicely balanced. Taste shows probably more of the roasted grain than expected. A hint of astringency in the bitter finish adds to the resiny hops. Quite full mouthfeel. I like it.

Pours totally black with a brown head. Aroma is malt with fruits, chocolate, roasty notes and hops. Taste is light to medium sweet leading to a hoppy and fruity finish. Very very good!