Pipeworks Close Encounter

Brewed by Pipeworks Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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750 ml bottle. Black poiyr with tan head, lots of lacing. Aroma of roasted malt and chocolate, strong notes of pine, citrus. Flavor is hoppy, roasty, smooth. Tons of grapefruit, tangerine, and pine hop flavors. Some resin. Mild earthiness. The stout surfaces as brownie and chocolate cake. Some nice roast and coffee notes as well. Palate is slick, medium carbonation. Finishes on a bitter hop note. Really nice beer from the guys at Pipeworks. It tastes great.

Bomber bottle, just as shown at right. If a hefeweizen slept with an imperial stout and procreated a baby beer, it would come out like this one. Easy drinkin’! As far as double stouts go, they don’t get much easier than this. It was medium bodied, pitch black in color and packed with a hoppy, citrus flavor that really surprised me in a good way. There are still the traditional malty and chocolate stout flavors present, but they take a definitive back seat to the grainy, limey hops. It’s a stout that fits nicely into summer conditions, and one for the masses to enjoy.

Bottle shared by MrPickles...thanks Andy! Pours deep black with a thin filmy tan head. Chocolatey malt with lots of juicy citrus and pine hops. Not roasty and not sweet--just well-balanced and smooth, with very pungent hops. Lots of citrus rind and pine resin in the taste, with a nice smooth maltiness in the background. Big sweet roastiness, chocolate and a touch of sharpness on the finish. Pretty big body with smooth carbonation. I’d say this is a hoppy imperial stout, but I can see the black IPA too.

batch 7 bomber thanks to pantanap. black pour with a cream head. nose is fresh sticky hops, roasted malts, and chocolate. smooth on the palate, chocolate, hops, heavy roast, excellent.

Bomber, Batch 7. Poured deep brown with a dense, well-retained dark tan head. The aroma picked up mostly pine hoppage over a substantial dose of dark malts (baker’s chocolate and coffee mostly).. overall fresh and hoppy. The flavor found similar stuff.. black patent and chocolatey malts at the core, with fresh, aggressive pine and herbal bitterness around.. some citrus bitters showed toward the back.. grainy in the end with residual roast and bitterness. Medium-bodied and hop-driven through the palate, but there was a big enough malt bill to hold it in check.. filling carbonation.. really dry and grainy in the end.. not the best flow, but it was a good brew overall.

22 oz. bottle pours an opaque dark brown (almost black) with a decent sized tan head that lasts. Smells of piney hops and roasted/burnt malts. Aroma is the same but with some dark chocolate, coffee, and citrus hops. Taste is mostly bitter with the malts and coffee coming out in the finish. Mouthfeel is between creamy and oily, and texture is full. Although the bottle says Double Stout, I agree that this is a Black Umperial IPA) because of all the hoppiness. Alcohol is well hidden. Gets better as it warms up. A very good, substantial, and somewhat weird brew with a classic label, giving Three Floyds Alpha Klaus some competition.

22oz bottle from Dunt, thanks man. Dark brown almost black with a thick, foamy, tan head. Aroma of citrus, bitter chocolate, pine resin and dark roasted coffee. Flavor is bitter hops and roasted malt with some coffee and caramel. Fullish body with average carbonation and a dry, roasty finish. This is a really nice, big black IPA/Imp Stout, lots of bitter hops and roasty qualities but still fairly balanced and drinkable.

Bottle from Binny’s Lincoln Park. Pours near black with dark tan head. Aromas of chocolate, good dose of roast, citrus and resiny hops. Flavor has chocolate and roasted malts up front with good healthy amount of piney hops and grapefruit. Has a fair amount sweetness in the finish. Borderline between black IPA and imperial stout. Another solid beer from Pipeworks.

Bottle from Maria’s. Pours a deep brown black with a resilient brown head. Nose is cocoa and light roast, resiny hops. Similar to Alpha Klaus. Some light booze notes are also present. On tasting, a big and firm bitterness and a light roasty charcoal note. Again, lots of resiny hops and some light cocoa. Clean overall and a good level of carbonation. Not much in the way of booze here and it just continues to improve as it warms. Really great stuff.toast,

Bomber shared at DLD, thanks some dude. The gentle hops in this one are set off so brilliantly by the sweetness/tartness of its blackness that it is incredibly balanced and supple. I normally go for extreme beers, but this one is so extremely perfectly flavored, and the flavor dynamics are so balanced.