From tap at Dopey's Elixer, Amsterdam. Piney hoppy aroma with roasted malt, sweetish chocolate, tropical notes, and some coffee. Flavour is moderate sticky piney sweetness with a medium bitterness. Body is medium. Solid Black IPA.

Bottle. Ambery brown colour with a small beige foamy head, that leaves some lace. Aroma is roasted malts, some floral and pine tones with mild wood too. flavour is sweet malts, some roasted tones with mild floral, wooden and mild pine tones. Fermented until quite dry palate, which is nice.

Black IPA by Birrificcio Rurale – the ‘rural brewery’ located in Lombardia in northern Italy; thanks Jonathan for sharing! Greyish off-white, irregular, moussy, uneven-bubbled, slowly opening but partially retaining head, misty very dark chocolate brown robe with burgundy hue. Aroma of burnt pine wood, hard caramel, old bitter chocolate, elderberry, hint of smoked meat or bonfire ashes in the background, roasted pecan nuts, diluted coffee, prunes, dried figs, wet leather. Fruity, somewhat sweetish onset, a touch of dark sugar sprinkled over dried figs and prunes, with a very subtle porcini-like umami touch somewhere, fizzily carbonated with a full, oily body; hard-caramelly, pecan-nutty dark maltiness ensues and fills the mouth, aspects of fondant and coffee, with a sourish streak subtly but undeniably running underneath. The roasted bitterness is there but remains generally soft, with caramelly sweetness prevailing; still a firm dose of leafy, herbal and even lightly piney hops provide enough end bitterness, spreading out over the root of the tongue. This beer never becomes harshly hop bitter though, with that sweet aspect remaining all too strong for the intended genre; could do with a bit more New World hop aroma as well. Otherwise a very decent attempt, even with a bit of that typical Italian elegance to it.

Bottle. Color: Very dark ruby, off-white head. Aroma: Grassy and floral hopbitterness, dark malty background. Taste: Floral, grassy and bit citrus hopbitterness with a floral dark and slightly roasted malt background, some caramel and hints of dark fruit. I like the bitterness, but it's a bit monotonous. Medium body, just below average carbonation. Ok.

Draft at Lortica, Bologna, Italy. Pours dark intense brown with limited whitish foam, very fine. Aroma is a nice roasted and herbaceous mix. Body is fairly dense, with moderate carbonation. Taste is markedly bitter, with a bit of sweetness behind. Finish is average.

Draught. Creamy off-white good mostly lasting hed. Dark red amber colour. Moderate malty and heavy hoppy aroma. Moderate bitter flavor. Long heavy bitter finish. Licorice dominating. Creamy palate.