I had a devil of a time trying to decide what glass to use for my picture. Inevitably, someone will tell me I picked the wrong one or - possibly worse - they will silently judge me in like 10 years when something terrible happens to me, and someone goes back to actually read this. Either way, I thought about my usual IPA glass, but I understand that different glasses highlight different things about the beer, and a black IPA (follow me here) is a different color.
First sip is sweet toasted grains with molasses and toffee atop seared pine. If the can had not proclaimed this to be an IPA at all, I would not likely have put it in that category. Mind you, the 7.5% ABV rockets this past the alcohol requirement, but I normally encounter a... lot more hops in my IPAs. This isn't showing me much beyond the pine, and the pine isn't carrying any of the weight.
Tip-in is an unsettled ground of carbonation (not even a tingle yet, but it's there) with the molasses and toasted grains sweetening the mouth. The middle is smooth and even with the toffee peeking in and pretty much nothing but the mixture of malts. The finish is where the pine enters, and it brings bitterness to the table as the malts ease back for the trail-off.
Bottom Line: Very drinkable and very smooth.
4.0/5
