Deep dark brown coloured body with a lighter cola glow at the bottom, all with a soapy-ish two centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, bunches of grassy and herbal hops, some soap/cleanser and a bit of lactose and cream in the mix as well. Medium-bodied; Very assertive and nice roasty malt flavour at first that gives way to a touch of coffee, but followed well by some smooth hop bitterness and a more obtuse bitterness at the end with hints of chocolate. Aftertaste is well-rounded with a good balance of malts and hops, some smooth sweetness and a bit of a bitter flavour more from the roasted malt than the hops, but still showing well for the style. Overall, a surprisingly nice Black IPA that shows pretty much what the style should taste like, but without a ton of complexities - still a good beer to sample if you can find it! I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from The Wine Rack (Exxon Gas Station) in Olney, Virginia on 06-March-2015 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia for US$1,50 sampled at home in Washington on 12-June-2015.

Tap. Pours clear reddish black, medium creamy tan head, nice lacing. Aroma is roasted malt, tobacco, faint pine. Flavor is light plus sweet, light plus bitter, roasty, pine, grapefruit. Medium body. Solid.

Bottle, thanks to my good friend, Chad. Thanks! Poured a dark black brown color with a small off-white head. Aroma was roasted notes of malt, with some bitter chocolates. Flavor was some nice citrus hops, with a touch of earthy notes. This was pretty nice - well balanced, without a malt blowout or an over-hopped leafy hop character.

From a 12 oz bottle at the Beer Head Meetup BBQ in Falls Church, VA. Pours clear cola with an ecru head. Aroma of toasted nuts. Flavors of grassy hops with some noticeable caramel. Smooth finish.

Bottle at Hell’s Kitchen, Norfolk, VA. Deep red-brown body, thin partial cream head. Nose a nonresonant discord of citrus peel and piny hops. Sharp, harsh body, thin and toasty, with juicy grapefruit rind, pine, and hints of chocolate. Not necessarily dismal, but rough and wild.

12oz bottle via trade with KSurkin. Pours a thick, opaque black with one ring of white head. Nose is nice, a little worrisome, tar, pine, not pinetar, some burnt malt extract, caramel, licorice, molasses, orange peel, pine sap. Flavor is actually slightly sour. Infected? I’m not totally sure, but it’s possible. Flavors of red wine vinegar, molasses, some grapfeuit, some lemon, a flat white grape flavor, some grass. Medium bodied, spritzy, sour finish. Admittedly, my wife likes sours and porters and loved this. To me, this seemed infected at best, poorly executed at worst.

Bottle. Chocolate caramel malt and resinous citrus peel aroma. Dark chestnut brown with moderate tan head. Sweet chocolate/caramel malt and mildly bitter pine/orange peel hops flavor. Nice blending. Very good.

On tap at TJ’s Restaurant on 11/04/2010. Dark black body with a small creamy tan head. Earthy bitter hop aroma on a roast and chocolate background. Roast and chocolate flavor with lots of hop characters. Medium body with moderate carbonation.

Served on draft at The Belvidere at Broad in Richmond, VA. My first O’Connor beer, and it was tasty, even if, as a previous rater said, it drinks more like a hoppy porter than a black IPA. Pours a clear dark reddish brown color with a creamy, frothy tan head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, earthy and citrus hop notes. The taste is roasted malts, chocolate, and a bitter herbal/resiny hop finish. Medium-full bodied. Nice beer.