Style tweaks are getting ridiculous. This is like two cousins having a baby. Is it a rye ale crossed with a black IPA or is it a rye IPA crossed with a black IPA? It's a pretty hoppy black IPA, regardless. Smells malty, tastes malty, feels malty. And the hops are muddy in a rich way. A little too much residue for my liking though and not terribly spicy.
I brought back a couple bottles from CA (though not from Stone), finally getting around to one.
This has been sitting in my fridge all summer, and I was tired of looking at it. Another entry from Rogue's GYO offshoot, black lager isn't a very common, but not rare, style. 9 ingredients: Melanoiden, Carafe, Special II, NBlack, Chocolate and Risk malts, Independent and Revolution hops, and of couse, free-range coastal water and German yeast. I guess this is a different strain than their regular Pacman.
It pours very smoothly, a quick black oil giving rise to a moderate mocha head. I get some salty, oyster-like aromas which is disorienting. The first sip was smooth and light, a big, round mouthful of toasty malts with chocolate tones. My first impression is like a far less carbed Guinness Draught with more bittering. To be honest, I'm not really feeling this one.
I don't drink black ales that often. I suppose that may change as Cascadian darks/IBAs become more developed. I don't think it's a style I come across very often either. From the pour to the bottom of the glass, this was a great brew. As soon as I started pouring, I got a fruity whiff. The head looked good, fluffy and I thought this might be a stout for a moment. First sip was a knockout. Deep and wide, the malt complexity is beyond even a lot of stouts I've had. Tons of coffee, chocolate, cocoa, dirt, all things good and brown. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy without going full-on Guinness Draught nitro. The density is there, just between the standard porter and strong stout. And this is a black ale. Plenty of lacing down the glass. I almost wish they had a little extra sweetness to complement the chocolate, but I'm glad they didn't. It keeps the flavor robust until the very end where there is the hint of milk chocolate. Easily a dessert beer, it'd go with a big, fat chocolate cake pretty well.
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.
And here's the Black Lager. My first thought with this was that it tasted like watered down Guinness. But then I thought that wasn't quite right. I guess it's like a Guinness Extra Stout but without the "Extra". Almost full-flavored dark but lighter than what I'm used to which introduces that "almost". Might be good for when you want just the stout taste without feeling like it too.
