Phillips Black Toque India Dark Ale

Bottle at Volo - shared with tupalev & DougShoemaker. Deep mahogany colour with a small tan head. Awesome nose - hops, smoke, coffee, malt. Equally awesome flavour that manages to balance elements of roasted coffee, juicy hops, wood smoke, and a hint of bitter chocolate. A very unique & enjoyable beer.

In short: Superior India Dark Ale combining rich roasted malts and citric hops with strong bitterness
How: Bottle, probably 2 to 3 months old
The look: Dark ruby body with a long-lasting large beige head leaving good lacing
In long: Attack of toffee and citrus moving into a chocolate and citric finish. A touch of smoke and quite a bit of roasted wood. Roastiness level in the medium-high range. Fresh leafy hops are citric/lemony and pine-needles. This beer offers a lot of contrast between the rich maltiness and the citric hopping. Fruity notes are light with distant fruit cake feeling. Balance is slightly towards the hops and that’s ok. Strong bitterness that is both resinous and citric. India Dark Ale and I are like baggy pants and a rap singer, it’s a new trend that suits me just fine.

Bottle (650ml). At Volo. Poured hazy dark ruby-brown with a big creamy-foamy rocky tan lasting head. Solid aroma of resiny hops, milk chocolate, dry roast malt and a hint of lemon juice - a little sweet, a bit like a roasty and hoppy scotch ale. Flavour is almost burnt roasty chocolate malt, with balancing resin/citrus hops and a hint of roast coffee beans - has a quick finish and is well balanced - the bottle went incredibly fast and easy. Mouthfeel quite creamy, lightly carbonated and somewhat sweet - very nice; oddly roasty for an APA, but a great beer - well done! We’re sure proud of this brewer up here in the Great White North.

Deep mahogany brown with a foamy tan cap that stays around for the duration. The aroma is all IPA-- lots of resinous hop aroma, some citrus and tropical fruit. The palate is initially very roasty, a little earthy, but then the bold hops take over with delicious graperfruit, ending in a bittersweet finish. I had some roasted almonds while drinking this and it really drew out the faintly smoky roasted character. A complex beer that is a little beguiling, but extremely enjoyable and delicious.

This is a gooder! Great pour with thick, slightly brown head. Aroma that seems very balanced, nice to breathe, but not overwhelming. Taste is where it’s at. Perfect balance of malt and hops in this beer that is on the dark dark side of the force. Mouthfeel is surprising...not as heavy as the colour would indicate, but refreshing, without being overlight or watery. Definitely a beer that makes my "standard drinker" list!!

Phillips have been brewing very nice West Coast style IPAs. Pleasant brown colour wih mocha head. Grapefruit and dark malt aroma. Smooth taste with grapefruit juice and dark malts, with bitter English finish.

Chestnut brown colour. Aroma is a strange mix of lemon, chocolate and toast with a little lit match sulphur getting in the way. The flavour is of bitter chocolate, wood, citrus and caramel. I like the bitter brown ale concept. And this beer has really improved in recent months, too.

650ml bottle with chinesehercules. Looks like a Brown, smells like an IPA, grapefruit and pine. Lasting light foam. Flavour is malt like a brown ale and the finish is smoky porter and piney IPA. Maybe the first black and tan mixed style that I really like. Great mix of dark malt and hops. Inspired and delicious.