3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20 SlovakSniper (2123) - Candiac, Quebec, CANADA - MAY 21, 2013
La robe très brune laisse voir des contours rouges. La tête est intéressante par sa ténacité et sa présentation. Le nez est touché par des houblons en fleurs et en notes fruitées. Quelques notes de résine et de verdure d’épinette se mélangent à des malts noirs qui donnent une bonne dose chocolatée et caramélisée. Le goût est riche en céréales. Elles prennent beaucoup de place. Je peux cependant aisément goûter, à travers ces douceurs maltées, des notes franches de citron et de fines pointes de pin. Les houblons finissent aussi par exposer des saveurs très vertes qui rafraîchissent même l’haleine. Quelque chose de mentholée? Une sensation en bouche qui est bien correcte. Un corps plutôt crémeux. Des bulles modérées à douces. Une finale qui manque sans doute de mordant. Elle est plutôt très peu intense en amertume et ne montre aussi aucun signe du degré d’alcool assez élevé. C’est un point positif pour cette IPA noire qui ne cherche à rien casser.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20 Crispy34 (157) - Texas, USA - MAY 10, 2013
Bomber bottle share. Aroma is hoppy with some dark dryness. Appearance is a dark brown with some tan lacing. The taste is pretty hoppy. A nice dryness comes with the hop bitter. Overall, a decent beer. Would try again.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 adamhorror (54) - USA - MAY 9, 2013
Pours black with an oat colored two finger thick head. Aroma is crisp, pine, malt, touch of citrus. Taste is mild chocolate, bittersweet, touch of citrus. Palate is smoky, dry, medium body, with slight bitter sweetness. The glass retained a nice lace.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20 artmcd8 (655) - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA - MAY 6, 2013
On tap at the brewery tour. Pours a deep black with a huge tan head. The bitterness and maltiness were quite balanced. The beer was sweet but finished clean with a crisp bitter bite.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 charule (249) - Pennsylvania, USA - MAY 5, 2013
Draught on tour at Southern Tier. Poured dark black light tan foamy head. Malty hop aroma. Peanutty bitter finish.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20 MrHangover (1102) - Den Haag, NETHERLANDS - MAY 4, 2013
Draft @ Beer Temple. Clear black, reddish pour with small beige head that lasts long. Aroma is licorice, roasted and slight hoppy. Flavor is quite sweet with a hoppy backbone and full of molasses and dark sugar. Sticky mouthfeel and medium carbo. Quite nice.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20 JorgeLee (724) - Greater London, ENGLAND - MAY 3, 2013
Keg in Craft Brixton. Dark brown almost black colour, thin head. Surprising lack of strong pine hops in the nose, in fact the whole thing was a bit bland, Muggins doing better than me in this round with his Oat. I just didn’t get too much of either malt or the hops, it was smooth and pleasant enough but a bit boozy and a bit dull. And there’s no point in dull 9% beer.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20 redpooba (374) - New York, USA - APR 25, 2013
A dark licorice ale with a thin white head. Fruity notes on the nose and black currant on the palate. Well balanced with the hops and sweetness. I really enjoyed it.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20 MHOSKINS (27) - Cleveland, Tennessee, USA - APR 20, 2013
This was a great surprise. A really good Black IPA. Smooth. Enjoy the darkness.
MKH---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20 ansermadide (1200) - Kyle, Texas, USA - APR 20, 2013
You guessed it... this is a black ale. Its head is pretty sexy, thick and part white, part light brown in color, pocked with all sizes of craters and bubbles and leaving behind a thick, strong lacing. The aroma is pretty soft, much softer than I was expecting, with a pleasant, almost fruity and bready (dare I say fruitcake?) aroma topped with floral, earthy hops.
The flavor really takes you for a ride. The soft, almost creamy mouthfeel (you can even feel the head as it enters your mouth) slides in to first deliver the beer’s dark, roasted malt flavor, which starts to make way for a dark strong ale flavor as the creaminess subsides before faint echoes of coffee and dark chocolate lead to a finish that’s made up of all these characteristics, all at once. There is a little roasted malt bitterness, but not much - just enough to account for its darkness. Although hops are present and obviously contribute to the earthy and plant-like characteristics of beer’s complexity, they don’t stand out.
Overall, it’s a well-balanced beer and very middle-of-the-road as far as black IPAs go. Some black IPAs have hop and roast bitterness, creating an offensive combination. Some are all malt bitterness and no hop presence, while some are all hops and, although black as night, have no roast bitterness. This one is a little of everything, well-balanced, and just strong enough to really make it worth anyone’s while.
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