Close Encounter Black IPA
Pipeworks Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
IPA - Black / Cascadian Dark Rotating|
Score
7.62
|
|
Close encounter is a bold venture into depths unknown. The best of both worlds co-exist between a rich roasted malt character and an aggressive hop presence that will probe your taste buds like nothing you have experienced before. Don't fear the unknown, embrace it! You never know who or what you will encounter...
Sign up to add a tick or review
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can, 0.473l. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, caramel, herbs and mild tropical fruit. Pours pitch black color with large creamy light brown head, good lacing and sparkling appearance. Taste starts with medium sweet caramel and fruity acidity, following is heavily roasted, mouthfeel is mild spicy, while finish is medium grassy and earthy bitter. Medium body, creamy texture and average carbonation in palate. Better to have a close encounter with such a good black IPA than with a black hole...
Tried
from Can
on 18 May 2019
at 21:36
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Can courtesy of Mallorn via the RB EU Trade. Brown with a creamy to frothy beige head that clings to the glass and lingers. Aroma of smoky, roasted grains, chocolate, and pine. The sweet smell of a good bIPA. I could sniff forever—they should make shampoos of this stuff. Taste is bittersweet, full of chocolatey sweetness up front and quickly going over to a resin-driven bitterness. Medium body, a bit oily, slightly watery texture. Overall, a very good example of the style.
Tried
from Can
on 05 May 2019
at 16:54
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can pour into nonic pint glass from Total Wine & More, Burlington. Appearance is opaque black, no discernible sparkle, 3-finger width light brown foamy head with good retention and lots of soapy lace. Aroma is pleasant roasted malt and nuts balanced with piney, light citrus hops. Taste is piney bite first 2/3, morphing into roasted malt and citrusy fruit last 1/3. Palate is light-to-medium bodied with frothy texture, soft carbonation, initial piney bite, then mild roasted malt and citrus fruit finish. Overall, all the elements are there and there is some nice hop/malt counterbalance, but would've liked a smidge more.
Tried
from Can
on 21 Apr 2019
at 00:04
7.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Can date of 11-8-18. Acquired in a trade with Tfontana, thanks Tom! Aroma is charred grain, chocolate, pine hops. Flavor of char, coffee, light citrus, and a lasting pine bitterness. Good balance. Yet, it lets you know it is a IPA. Enjoyed this quite a bit.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Apr 2019
at 21:06
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Canned 473ml. -from Pivoteka Zagreb. Black coloured, medium to big sized brownish head, roasty nose with whiff of hops. Roasted malt, caramel, light chocolate and notes of oranges with quite noticable hops presence. Strong bitterness with light roast in the finish.
Tried
from Can
on 29 Dec 2018
at 10:53
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 7
Pours a dark, cola-black, with good-sized, frothy, tan head. Aroma has some hops, some burnt toast, some roasted grain. Flavor is very roasty. Toasted grain, chocolate, coffee, pine/spruce hops. Pretty smooth, with a bitter finish. This is a really nice black IPA>
Tried
on 11 Mar 2018
at 21:17
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Can. Pours black with a grayish brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a good amount of dark grains with some earthy pines and a decent roast coming through. Flavor starts with dark grain and roasted malts with a bit of chocolate and a light pine growing through the finish.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Mar 2018
at 04:05
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap at Redbones Dark brown bordering on black with an off white head that persists. Earthy resinous pine with a bready caramel and hint of choc and roast. Pretty nice Black IPA.
Tried
from Draft
on 25 Feb 2018
at 22:27
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
16 ounce can from Lord who knows where (maybe Urban Barley). Opaque black with a rocky tan head. Chocolatey roasted malt aroma. Some resiny hops. Flavor is roasted malt, coffee and scorched walnuts. For a black IPA, the hop bill is somewhat lacking. No spiciness or complexity. Mostly dark malts and burnt sugars. Not a bad brew, just in need of an alien lupilin interaction.
Tried
from Can
on 01 Dec 2017
at 23:12
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
16oz. An in IP trade with dmac. Nice pine, roasty/chocolate dk malt. T-resin/pine hops with some bite, roasty/chocolate dk malt.
Tried
on 04 Jun 2017
at 14:59