Samuel Adams Dark Depths

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Black IPA
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Malty chocolate aroma. Dark, nearly impenetrable blackness, pours a frothy, falling head. Medium sweetness mixes well with the medium bitterness. The texture was a little sticky, which I don’t care for, but it has a nice long finish. Very tasty beer, good for sipping on a warm night!

The nose receives hoppy notes like any IPA, but there are some deep roasted malts in there. Blindfolded, I don’t think I could decide what I was inhaling. Head is white and fluffy, settling to suds that float on the top. Thick laces are left behind. Brew is very dark, and held up to light, red pokes through like a cherry cola. The taste is a wonderful mixture of IPA and Baltic Porter. I have not had anything quite like it. I’m not sure that it is my type, but if it were offered year-round, I would snatch it up. The brew is silky-smooth and, at the same time, is treated with a mild, hoppy bitterness. This is such a good brew, that I will be seeking out similar recipes from other, smaller breweries from now on.

Aroma was nice but the hops were not to mike liking. A bit rough and not much of a toasted backing. Not a terrible beer but not great either.

Head pours thick and lingers. Its color is light tan. Body is black. Aroma is slight spice, caramel, and coffee. Taste is mildly smokey and bitter which creates a roasted flavor. Palette is smokey and dark chocolate. The hops aren't intense or overly sweet but the hops do come through the smokiness of this porter/IPA. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

On the front label, it says its an IPA, on the back it describes itself as a porter and then as a lager. So, its... Something. I can?t help but feel the IPA label is only on here, because it A) sells beer, and B) they wanted to put it in their special IPA mix pack. I?m known on here as being a fan of Sam Adams, but this was a cynical macro-like move that I can?t give them a pass on. Make whatever kind of beer you want, but label it correctly. Beer tastes like a somewhat hoppy porter with a bit of lager smoothness, a little Guinness-like (More hops than Guinness, but not up to IPA levels). I took a full point off my score for mislabeling. Otherwise, it?d be in the 3-3.2 range. It?s not a bad beer, but corporate greed is getting in the way of it being properly labeled. If they tell me its an IPA on the label and sell it to me that way, I?m grading it as though its an IPA. Shame on Jim Koch- I love his beers and expected so much better than this kind of cheap trick (I prefer the kind that plays rock and roll ;) ). I feel like Ed Reed after Tom Brady slid and kicked him in the shin. An ipA is an ALE and has a lot more hops taste than this.

Rate Beer calls this brew a Black IPA, Beer advocate calls it a Baltic Porter, I think it’s a hybrid of the two styles. It certainly has the hoppyness of a Black IPA but there is also that middle of the tongue dark malt taste of a Porter or a Stout. It’s just sweet enough to work with the hops. It’s really a pretty good beer.

From bottle. Pours a deep brown/black in color with small head. Aroma was interesting with a fruity hop and roasted malts. Taste follows with coffee, dread and hops. Medium mouth feel.

Pours a cola brown with creamy tan head. Aroma of grapefruit, coffee, and roasted malt. Grapefruit, chocolate, roasted malt, with a coffee and hop ending. Creamy body. Decent

Deep mahogany pour with a beige head that fades fairly quickly. Aroma is an earthy combination of pine, grass, and tea with subtle coffee in the background. Taste has more of the roasted malt character with piney citrusy hops as well. Burnt aftertaste. Medium body.

Draft at Baileys. Very dark cola colored pour with a short tan head. Aroma is rather hoppy with dark malts, caramel and floral notes. Taste is hop tinged but more sweet with caramel, sticky malts, soft citrus, brown sugar and toffee. Body is medium with a soft, dense carbonation. Slightly sticky as well. Ends with more caramel, sweet malt, floral hops, citrus notes, toffee, brown sugar and candy is having notes. Tasty!