Sam Adams Longshot Blackened Hops.

The last unique installment of the Longshot 6-pack. After the dismal Friar last time, I was hoping this would better. And it is. But only marginally. I suppose this is supposed to be akin to a Cascadian Dark, formerly known as Black IPA (THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE). The pour is pretty rich-looking and the head is creamy, so it almost looks like a stout. However, the mouthfeel is creamier than a regular stout. So the first few sips, I wasn't too impressed but now that I'm not distracted and actually paying attention, I'm getting hints of chocolate. It's a bit like drinking a non-viscous chocolate syrup though the sweetness and cocoa intensity are quite low. There is a nicely balanced roasted malt bitter as well as hop bitter towards the finish. The finish is also pleasantly clean, no metallic off-flavors.

Again, this is a self-proclaimed hop punch but I'm finding it to not deliver, which is not a bad thing. I think the level of hopping in this just right, considering everything else. It's restrained and mostly grassy, pine-y, leafy than tongue splitting. I really think the mouthfeel is probably the most outstanding characteristic though. It's cohesive but not terribly viscous like heavier stouts. Like heavier stouts though, it carries a good amount of roast and a somewhat heavier body. It's extremely smooth and pleasant on the palate, a constant low simmer of carbonation keeping it from sticking too much.

I am still not a huge fan of Cascadian Darks, mostly because I have yet to try one that really impresses me and pulls off what it claims to be doing, but this is a nice one. It's stout-like leaning makes it a unique alternative with cheese plates. Perhaps a bit too heavy for an apertif, but I think if the meal were simple, small, and hearty, it'd go over well. I'm thinking of it as a good well-into-fall-heading-into-winter kind of beer, after you get sick of pumpkin beers, tired of harvest ales, but not cold enough for heavy stouts.

• Appearance: Opaque black, barely translucent reddishness against the light. A constant but thin head, very fine and creamy.
• Smell: That unique Cascadian Dark aroma of roast and hops, but fairly subdued on both fronts. It is still a confusing one to me.
• Taste: Fairly toasty and burnt, there is some chocolate sensation as well as a leafy, pine-y hop on the back end, though contributing rather little bitterness.
• Mouthfeel: Superbly smooth and silky. The low viscosity belies the weight of this one. A very nice combination. Cohesive is the best way to describe it.
• Drinkability and Overall: It does not finish as cleanly as I would like, but it is still a pleasant beer. At 7%ABV combined with the stickiness, I don't think I would drink more than one or two.