5.8

Appearance - 2 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 3 | Overall - 11

On tap at Dark Horse. The brewpub bills this as a brown IPA. I guess it was inevitable considering the popularity of black IPAs. But this doesn’t work near as well and, in fact, is a strange concoction of earthy tastes with none of the roast found in either browns or stouts. Unappealing in appearance, the body is a muddy brown. Tan head, mostly diminishing. The aroma displays notes of resin, grapefruit, citrus and a hint of floral hops along with notes of toasted grain, bread and earthiness. The flavor is lightly sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. It finishes lightly sweet, lightly acidic and moderately to heavily bitter. Medium body, sticky texture and lively carbonation. Slightly alcoholic finish. The aroma is pretty nice, but the flavor leaves an odd aftertaste of dried plant stems.