6

A deep dark ipa with a thick creamy frothy mocha head. In aroma, nice chocolate malt with dark fruits, resinous hops, herbal character, pleasant. In mouth, bitter chocolate with herbal hops, light coffee, a tad astringent. Bottle from 2013.

6.8

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Sampled at the brewery, pours a cola brown with some clumpy, white head. Nose has malt, mild pine, a little wet dog, some cola, nougat. Flavor has marzipan, malt, bread, pine, dried grass. Dry finish. Good.

8.2

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8

Bottle from The Drinkery, Derry NH. Aroma is bold contrast of roasted malts with hints of chocolate and resinous hops. Appearance is opaque black with thick, two-finger creamy beige head, minimal sparkle. Taste is mildly sweet with hints of coffee turning moderately bitter at the end--they seem to be fighting each other more than complementing each other. Palate is medium bodied, fairly thick with lively but not overpowering carbonation and moderately bitter finish. Overall, the aroma and appearance made me think we had a classic but the complex taste is not totally harmonious and the palate was good but not world class. Good but shy of great.

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

22oz bottle Batch 187 (just like pubofjefflyons)-big foamy tan-mahogany. A-resin, roasty-dk malt. T-ashy-dk malt, bitter earthy hops. 3.3 OK, style on RB-BIPA. In comment/description-Smoked Black Ale. Adjusting taste and overall by 1 = 3.5

7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle at Sander’s place, NYC. Pours dark brown with a tight, tan cream head. Loads of torched pine in the nose, some roasty malts. Light sweet flavor with dirty, roasty malts, earth, bitter cocoa, dark line. Light bodied with fine, massaging carbonation. Some burnt piney resins to finish, bit of heavy ash, dark malts, earth. Good.

7.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Had on draft at Tap takeover ; Amesbury Ale house in September 2012. Nice thick tan head with plenty of retention. Lots of citrus hops dominating the roasted malt in the nose. Flavors hit me just the opposite. Roasted malt, bitter chocolate are up front with a touch of ashy smoke then a good amount of pine hops and resin in the finish. Texture gives me a char, ash feeling. Overall this was pretty good, I had two pints worth.

7.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Pours mahogany tinged black into an English pint. Tan conglomerate head with medium retention pancakes leaving spider lacing. Sweet smoked resin aromas. Sharp with dark caramel and licorice upfront turn to mild smoke before the lasting bacon and resin finish.

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle at Paul’s. Pours black with brown head. Nose/taste of cocoa, roast chocolate malt, pine and resin. Finishes dry and roasty with some resinous pine. Body on the lighter side of medium.

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

pitch black color. Floral notes hits you hard and then some smokiness underneath. Interesting nose. The mouth starts hoppy and the becomes big smoke lots of bitterness. Moderately bitter finish. I think it is a well made beer, but just don’t think a smoked black ipa can work. Not bad at all but wouldn’t have again