Moylan's Orange & Black CONGRATS ALE!

BevMo bomber. I went to a SF Giants game today (8-1, Giants) as part of an event so I thought it was appropriate to crack open this one tonight. Brewed, presumably, in response to the Giants' World Series win last year, pale two-row, crystal, black, and flaked Canadian malts make up the grain bill with a variety of sources. Mt. Hood and Liberty hops came from Yakima with oranges sourced in-state. 6%ABV

I initially dove into this beer without reading the label or BA. I picked up orange tones and initially thought this was a porter. A quick read on BA said this is actually a American Black/Cascadian Dark ale. My suspicions on the orange were validated after taking a read on the label. I've actually more appreciation for Cascadian darks now that they've finally put a name on the product. The whole "black IPA" just never jived with me and always left me disappointed. I found this beer to fairly enjoyable overall. I approached it more like a porter going in and liked it that way. I don't have enough experience with Cascadian darks to make a good judgment on its representativeness. So I'll abstain on that regard. A drink is a little creamy and balances well with the level of carbing. The orange flavors get drowned out for the most part during and as the pint wears on. After most of this bomber, I don't feel particularly full, which is a nice feature of Cascadian darks. It's under-hopped, but, in this case, acceptable to preserve the citrus. Overall, it's a decent beer and probably more interesting for Giants fans.

• Appearance: Fairly opaque black with a ring of a head on top.
• Smell: Orange chocolate candy. A good swirl later gave a deeper chocolate aroma with some sweeter tones.
• Taste: Roasted malt with a sliver of sweet citrus on the finish. Not enough hopping for the style but too mild in the malts for a porter or stout.
• Mouthfeel: Light in body and viscosity despite the color. In a nice place for Cascadian black/dark. Carbing is decent and appropriate.
• Drinkability and Overall: I think this is a nicely flavored ale with depth that belies its weight and its weight is deceptively light, given its appearance. This is a fairly drinkable beer, goes down smoothly.