Smuttynose Noonan

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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12 oz. bottle from SoHo Organic Market, Elizabeth City, NC (listed as 5.7% ABV on the bottle). Dark brown, almost black, pour with a frothy khaki head. Aroma of light smoke, dark chocolate, floral hops, and light citrus. Beautiful marriage of the grapefruit and piney hops along with the chocolate and smoke. There is a bitterness on the front that almost melts away with the wonderful dark roasted malt flavor on the finish. Very nicely done.

Bottle from Garden City. Dark dark brown with lasting tan head and lace. fresh hop and roasted coffee aroma. Very mild sweet mocha with subdued dark fruity sweetness and very dry assertive roasty woody hop finish. Nice medium sessionable palate with enough carbo to accentuate the hops. Excellent.

Cask at GBBF 2011, Day 2. Pours opaque brown with a bubbly, tan head. Big, raw hop aroma, pine, slight roast. Medium sweet flavor, plenty of bitterness, notes of citrus and earth, dark roasted malts. Has a bit of a raw edginess to it, which I like. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Sticky, resinous hop finish, some floral character, more grass and pine. Lingering pine, roast and oily hops. Great stuff.

Pours a deep rich black color with a two finger khaki foam. Big roasty nose with touches of earthy forest floor and bright grassy pine hops. The palate follows the nose nicely with great mouthfeel and spot on flavors. Great black IPA !

Cask at GBBF 2011, Wednesday. Black - light brown edges. Burned malt, smooth body, nice medium bitterness, licorice, grassy, piney, high malty, coffee notes, nice smokey, resin. Lovely.

Cask at GBBF 2011. Fresh hop aroma, fruity, pine apple, grapes, hay notes. Hoppy grassy flavor, metal notes, fruity. Fresh hoppy finish.

12oz bottle. Amber-black body, with a big, frothy, beige head. Crisp chocolate edged aroma, pretty nice. Respectable citrus hop tones and a hefty malt backbone to balance it out....and balanced it is. One of the more enjoyable Black IPAs I’ve had. Dry, sticky bitter aftertaste. Great chocolate, caramel, graham cracker flavors. Solid offering, would be great to go back and forth between this and their regular IPA.

Review from notes, on tap at the White Birch fest this past Aug. Pours a solid dark brown bordering on black with a smallish tan head that shows moderate retention and minimal lace. Smells of earth and pine, with a chocolate and caramel maltiness that does a fair job standing up to the hop onslaught. Taste is sweet caramel and a bit roasty and chocolaty behind lots of earthy pine and citrus. Medium body and carbonation level with a resinous and slightly chalky mouthfeel. I went back to this several times that night, this is a great brew, it should be a full time beer!
Earlier Rating: 12/17/2011 Total Score: 4.1
Review from notes, on tap at the White Birch fest this past Aug. Pours a solid dark brown bordering on black with a smallish tan head that shows moderate retention and minimal lace. Smells of earth and pine, with a chocolate and caramel maltiness that does a fair job standing up to the hop onslaught. Taste is sweet caramel and a bit roasty and chocolaty behind lots of earthy pine and citrus. Medium body and carbonation level with a resinous and slightly chalky mouthfeel. I went back to this several times that night, this is a great brew, it should be a full time beer!

Growler from Big Z Beverage. Pours black with a thin tan head. Aroma of citrus, light fruits, apple skins, wood, and a hint of roasted malt. Flavor is sweet initially with lots of dark, roasted malty notes in the finish. More akin to a hoppy imperial stout (or even a hoppier Rochefort 10) in the flavor actually with dark fruits, chocolate, sweet malt, and citrusy hops. Lots of complexity in this beer, more than most of your typical black IPAs. This is a great black IPA, maltier than most. 8/4/8/4/16 [4.0/5]

Entered to celebrate my 7800th Rating. Cask @ GBBF, 2011. Pours black with small bubbles on top. Pine, grapefruit and vague roast. Freshly hopped and smooth. A bit of caramel. Very nice.