I have driven by the Black Abbey brewery a few times. The thing about this brewery is that before I knew where it was, I just assumed their brewery was something similar to the Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh. There was a church that was going to be closed, and some enterprising individuals figured out that they could use this large space to start a brewery. As a result, you have one of the most ornate breweries that exists. I assumed Black Abbey would be similar, but it is not. The brewery looks like it should be in a strip mall. So far, the lower overhead of their brewery does not appear to have negatively impacted their ability to produce beer. And the beer stands on its own, anyway.
First sip is good, if bland. The malt isn't nearly as heavy as I expected it to be, and the spices are also very light. While the beer is crisp, the flavor itself is a bit watery. With my recent experience with Pilsner Urquell, my idea of what a pilsner should be is dramatically changed. Mind you, that doesn't mean I necessarily like the kind of beer that Pilsner Urquell set the standard for. Instead, I like more modern versions of a pilsner. This beer has shades of both. I'm not sure where it stands.
Tip-in is sweet bread malt and light spice. The middle sends carbonation to burn the top of the mouth while the center is much less watery than it was in the sip, but a slight skunk comes up to meet the spices in a not altogether pleasant way. The finish is where the bread malt and skunk clash with the spices before leading to a slightly skunky trail off.
Bottom Line: Not great.
1.5/5
