Plague Doctor
Trap Door Brewing in Vancouver, Washington, United States 🇺🇸
IPA - Black / Cascadian Dark Regular|
Score
7.02
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Crisp and hop-forward with a restrained malt backbone, Plague Doctor is a modern take on a Black IPA built for balance and drinkability. Piney citrus leads the way, layered with dank resin and subtle tropical notes from a blend of Simcoe, Columbus Cryo, Superdelic, Nelson, and Chinook.
Munich malt and flaked rye provide just enough structure and body without getting in the way, keeping the profile light, dry, and focused on the hops. Columbus Cryo brings a firm, classic dankness that ties the whole beer together, bridging old-school character with a touch of modern New Zealand expression.
Clean, balanced, and quietly aggressive, this is a Black IPA that leans into hops first, with malt playing a supporting role.
Munich malt and flaked rye provide just enough structure and body without getting in the way, keeping the profile light, dry, and focused on the hops. Columbus Cryo brings a firm, classic dankness that ties the whole beer together, bridging old-school character with a touch of modern New Zealand expression.
Clean, balanced, and quietly aggressive, this is a Black IPA that leans into hops first, with malt playing a supporting role.
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7.3/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
16 oz. can, pours a deep dark brown / near-black with a small tan head. Aroma has plenty of toasted malt, tangy hops from the NZ varietals (odd to have those in a black IPA), and some earthiness. Flavour has plenty of toasted malt, earthy hops, a touch of pine, gentle hop tang that’s kind of buried, and an earthy, bready malt base. I don’t really understand why one would put NZ hops in a black IPA, but regardless, this is well-structured if a bit timid, especially in the malt department. Good stuff, but I want something more powerful.
Tried
from Can
from
The Beer Junction
on 23 Apr 2026
at 03:17
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Poured from 473mL can. Hazed chestnut brown with small beige head. Tangy NZ hop with some feint pine and citrus hops, fairly soft toasted malt, needs more roast and resin. Okay.
Tried
from Can
on 23 Apr 2026
at 03:16
7.5/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 8
Dark brown. Thin head. On the nose, the malts have a little bit of sweetness. I'd say the NZ hops show on the nose, but I'm not sure what to make of that...not entirely congruous with the malt. It's got quite a bit of bitterness, though. Orangey, peachy, and kiwi on the palate. The NZ hops seems to make more sense here, as they are paired with the bitter c-hops that go so well with dark malts. The malts are a bit on the weaker, more crackery side of the style. Solid.
Tried
on 23 Apr 2026
at 03:15
7.4/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
473mL can. Pours black with a beige head. Woody pine, dank resins, and some toasted malts on the nose. Flavour has woody pine, dank resins, toasted malts, and some of that tangy Nelson coming through. Fairly bitter, but not the deepest roast. Very nice, though I'm not convinced Nelson is the right choice for this style.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Apr 2026
at 23:19