The Kernel India Pale Ale Black VI

Brewed by The Kernel
Style: Black IPA
London, England

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Dark dark brown to black with creamy (but not very long lasting) beige head. Aroma of fruit, mainly dried, some citrus and roast. Flavour follows the nose, with a good dose of bitterness from the hops, a good amount of citrus as well that turns more caramelly and fruity as the roast component kicks in. Must add that this beer is not very roasty, it’s just a gentle complement to the sweeter malt and fruity hops. Some alcohol. Very nice, easy to drink. Doesn’t feel as heavy as it could be.

Fairly soft hop notes in a mostly dried fruit and balsamic keen nose. One shade away black, brown body with a touch-and-go beige head. Smooth roast with a mellow hop undercurrent, a fairly soft carbonation and lacking the (for me, offputting) dryness of many Kernel efforts. Finishes very cleanly with a turned soil/cut grass kind of blend
Really well boxed off, especially to last well past six months on initial brew day. Fresh and roasty but with a tapered, foamy over fizzy and creamy over dry palate.

Bottle, THREE months past DB date, Nina’s, Edinburgh

330 ml bottle bought @ beermerchants.com. Pours dark brown with a rather small frothy and bubbly gray head that quickly dissipates without leaving much trace on the glass. Smell is sweet, salty and fruity with roasted malts, soy sauce, grapefruit juice, salty liquorice, pine, resinous wood, tropical fruit hard candy, black pepper, burnt cookies and hints of perfume like lemon. Taste is bitter and salty with roasted malts, lemony soap, oily pine, resinous wood, pineapple, mango, star fruit, soy sauce, salty liquorice and dark bread. Mouthfeel is slightly astringent, tiny round and medium bodied. Finish is bitter with roasted malts, grapefruit rinds, dark bread, resinous wood, black pepper, oily pine and salty liquorice. I possibly held on to this a bit too long.

Bottle, thanks to _angst_. Black beer with a rich lasting offwhite/beige head. Malty milky aroma, vanilla, lemongrass, bitter hops, grapes, chocolate, cocoa powder, caramel, perfume notes. Hoppy caramel flavor, metal, grapefruit, citrus, metal notes, pears, chocolate, cocoa powder, hay, some lactose. Good beer but not as powerful as most Kernel beers.

Dark amber and subtle red colour with a fine creamy white head that leaves a fine lacing. Nice balanced light sweet fruity and grape hoppy aroma. Medium pluss body with a balanced sweetness and a fine bitterness. Oily texture. Lovely fruity and grape hoppy flavour. Yummi!
Rating #1 - 2013
[Bottle from a trade with tommann]

The head is ok, the body black. It smells hoppy, fruity, intensive, citrus, creamy, roasty, sweet plum. The taste is bitter-hoppy, a bit dry. Then bitter-medicine, very bitter, hoppy-nice. Overal a special and bitter, tasty IPA. 12/11/12/12/12/12

330ml bottle shared with Magne at The Queens Head. Lasting, bubbly, fawn-coloured head. Spotty lacework. Near-clear, dark amber. Rich aroma of pine needles together with a backdrop of semi-sweet malts. Flavour of dark grapefruits, red oranges and dark grapes on a malty backbone. Spiced bitterness to a long tail. Rounded mouthfeel. Very nice (London, 23.11.2012).

Tasted from the bottle @Kernel brewery, in July 2012. That one was quite bitter, with elegant, a bit malty sweet taste, having interesting undefinable notes. Recommended. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

33cl bottle shared courtesy of JMGreenUK Thin off white head. Hazy amber aroma. Lovely citrus fresh bitterness.

Bottle from Stirchley Wines and Spirits, Birmingham. Poured a dark reddish brown with a long lasting white head. The aroma is hoppy and spicy, leading to a bitter spicy pepper flavour with lots of bitterness on the palate. A classic from The Kernel.