4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20 sheep (93) - FINLAND - DEC 22, 2012
650ml bottle, bottled 30/12/11. Pours dark brown like coca cola with a small khaki head. Leaves some lace. Aroma is creamy caramel, light roast, a little piney hops and some red berries. Taste is caramel, chocolate and piney hops, slight alcohol sweetness. Smooth mouthfeel, medium carbonation. Really nice and well balanced.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20 mnurda (959) - Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA - DEC 21, 2012
Bottled sample. Great beer. Full of flavour. Great coffee tones. Love the Black IPAs
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20 jfb (2569) - GERMANY - DEC 21, 2012
(draught) pours a pitch black colour with a frothy beige head. aroma of mango, caramel, brown sugar, kiwi, light toasted malts, a hint of peanuts, herbal hops and chocolate fudge. flavour is toasted malts, perfume and rose pettles, with a hint of earth and apricots. medium to heavy-bodied with soft carbonation.
4.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20 bigwesticle (37) - Nashville, Tennessee, USA - NOV 26, 2012
12oz from ST’s variety pack. Awesome "black" ipa here. Lots of cocoa sweetness and subtle hops on the nose, reminds me of a barley wine. Sweet finish on the taste with some banana and cream flavors. Not crazy hoppy but very delicious... only like Stone SSR better.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20 Nisse666 (3159) - Göteborg, SWEDEN - NOV 21, 2012
Bottle at ÖÖWF cons 2012-11-17 Örebro
AR: thick oily chocolate, coffee,
AP: watery pitch black, no head
F: watery, oily, apricot, wee grainy, brown sugar
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20 cards04 (826) - Steinbach, Manitoba, CANADA - NOV 17, 2012
Not very IPA’ish....but still a great beerk. Barley Wine notes in the aroma..corn syrup, and milk chocolate - maybe even some dark fruits. flavours are sweet syrupy and chocolate notes with a dark chocolate and roasted malt finish. Quite flat on the palate...but still a really nice beer...alcohol is undetectable.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20 northropfrye (1352) - Steinbach, Manitoba, CANADA - NOV 17, 2012
Nice aroma of cocoa, malts, bread, sweetness, booze. Black in colour with white head, quickly fades. Taste is sweet with very little hop characteristics typically found in this style, a touch of bitter aftertaste, but actually sweeter than most Black IPAs. Soft palate. Nice.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20 Darwenus (386) - Virginia, USA - NOV 10, 2012
A smooth and rich black IPA. The color reminded me of a breakfast blend coffee, dark brown with rust highlights, and there was only a brief head. The aroma had chocolate and malt, and the flavor featured a huge rush of chocolate in the front, then finished sweet and mellow. There were hints of bananas and grainy breakfast cereals, and the finish was crisp and light. Not a lot of hops in the flavor, not a lot of bite, this thing is smooth, but I liked it.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20 AxlLives (230) - Maryland, USA - NOV 7, 2012
Draft - pours dark black with medium fluffy tan head. Big roasted malts, orange and citrus on the nose. Taste is roasted nuts, slight coffee, buttering hops and orange on the finish. Medium to full bodied with long finish. Awesome.
4.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20 kimjongill (180) - - OCT 29, 2012
Have now tried from both bottle and tap. I must confess I’ve only had a few Black IPAs, so I still don’t feel that I’ve had an adequate baseline for what one should be. However, I can say that this is not that baseline. Black IPA or Black Ale, whichever it may be, this could present as both maltier and hoppier simultaneously. I also feel that it’s lacking both aroma and mouthfeel. I would say this is definitely up there though, and superior for dark beer lovers to the sub-par 2x stout from Southern Tier. Highly recommended for the price.
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