Toxic Sludge

Sampled from a 16 oz can this beer poured a black color with caramel highlights and a huge foamy brown head that lingered and left decent lacing. The aroma was malty, toasty, malted milk and floral hops. The flavor was bitter, roasty and almost sour with cocoa, malt, anise, floral hops and that terrible old McDonalds coffee that always reminded me of rancid battery acid. Medium length bitter old school McDonalds coffee, anise and floral hops. Not good.

Can shared at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Slightly transparent dark brown with a beige head. Aroma of piney hops, "green" notes and some roastiness. Bitter favor with hops, piney and a bit citric, some roastiness and a bit of coffee. Medium-bodied. Decent.

16 oz. can from Top Shelf Brews. No date on the can anywhere. Dark brown with ruby highlights when held to the light. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate and a strange fruit note. Taste is exactly like the nose. Yet the hops are not really bold at all. My other problem with this brew is the body. The texture and body is really on the thin side. And at 7 % I taste a hint of ABV. Damn, overall this really falls short of what I was expecting from Six Point.

New Beer Distributors, NY 16oz can ($3): Pours a dark brown with a light brown head. Aroma is grapefruit and light hints of chocolate and coffee. Taste is moderately bitter, but not so much really. The porter aspects are not really that present. The body is also comparatively light and does not really have much sludge. It is easy to drink, but it seems to be just a tad unbalanced.

Odd but neat looking can reminds me more of an energy drink than a beer. Pours a solid dark brown color with ruby highlights and a huge creamy tan head that persists forever leaving lots of stickiness to the glass. Smells slightly ashy with a hint of wet cardboard on top of light chocolate and earthy floral hops. The nose is kind of disappointing for a black IPA really. The flavor is a bit better with a solid malty chocolate mixed with an earthy spicy hop flavor. Firm but pleasant hop bitterness rounds out a caramel butterscotch malt sweetness quite well. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet creamy mouthfeel. Decent beer that I could drink, but middle of the road and honestly not worth purchasing again.

Can. Pours deep clear chestnut with a large creamy tan head that slowly dissipates with nice lacing. Aroma is pine, with some caramel and roasty notes as well. Light bready sweetness and light bitterness lingering to the finish where it becomes almost a bit lemon-zesty. Medium body.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 11/15/2012. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense light tan head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, orange zest, roasted malt, cocoa, light char, floral, grass, light pine, toast, and brown bread. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity; much weaker than I expected for the style. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, cocoa, roasted malt, pine, toast, brown bread, light char, floral, and piney spiciness. Good amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, roasted malt, chocolate, pine, brown bread, light char, and piney spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Nice complexity of flavors with a nice malt/hop balance; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a nice Black IPA offering. Good complexity and balance of flavors, and very smooth to drink. This was not as robust as I expected for the style, but it was still a pleasantly enjoyable offering.

16 oz can. Pours dark brown color with tan head. Citrus and roasted malt aroma. Similar flavors. Medium body with average carbonation. The best beer I’ve had from this brewery.

Can: Metallic, weak pine neeedle aroma. Clear brown, thick light tan head, abundant lacing. Pine needle, thyme, and anise seed flavo, all very complimentary. Medium body, easy carbonation. Balanced with a pleasant level of intensity. Not spectacular, but distinctive and unique. A very nice spicy IDA.