Black India ale - so a BIPA I assume - by Metalman, one of those new generation craft brewers in Ireland; can from Dranken Geers. Thick and frothy, cobweb-lacing, mousy, irregularly edged but dense and stable, pale yellowish-beige head on a clear, very dark chocolate brown beer, as good as black really, but still with warm, 'autumny' mahogany edge, misty and more brownish with sediment added. Indeed classic black IPA aroma of pine resin, fresh bayleaf, salmiak, grapefruit peel, cedar essential oil, fried black olives, near-burnt toast, roasted walnuts, bitter chocolate, spruce wood, burnt raisins, sweet dried fig note after adding the sediment. Crisp onset, minerally carbonation piercing through some dried-fruity notes but generally clean, restrained in sweetness with a dried porcini-like umami aspect, smooth and oily body; deeply toasted malt body, toasted brown bread crust, roasted walnuts and eventually coffeeish roasted bitterness mingled with a piney, peppery, leafy hop bitterness, outspokenly resinous and long-stretched, with a tonic water-like aspect in the end. Toasted bitter malts also linger on. Definitely a black IPA or Cascadian dark ale in all respects, as typical as it gets for this style; very piney and decidedly hop bitter balanced perfectly with a dark toasty-bitter malt body. BIPA has become old school meanwhile, perhaps, but I love it.

Almost black and hazy with soapy head. Aroma and flavour have some dark roasted malts and also earthy, piney hop.

Cask (handpump) @ #MBCF19 - Day 1 🧙‍🍻🇬🇧, [ Manchester Beer & Cider Festival 2019 ], Manchester Central Convention Complex, Windmill St, Petersfield, M2 3GX Manchester, Great Manchester, England.

[ As Metalman Moonbeam ].
ABV: 5.0%. Cloudy medium brown amber colour with a average, frothy - fizzy and open, good lacing, mostly lasting to diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, dark malt, sweet malt, fruity malt, plastic notes. Flavor is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average duration, dark malt, sweet malt, fruity malt, hop bitter. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20190123]
6-3-7-3-14

Keg @ The Black Sheep, Dublin [240913]
Dark brown caramel, thin tan head, some lacing
Aroma - Soft roast, some berry fruits
Taste of caramel malts, berry fruits, some dark roast, touch of chocolate, quite a lot going on here
Palate - Medium carb and body, sweet berry fruits with bitter roast, nice balance. Finish as main flavour, fairly bitter roast finish
Overall - Good well-made robust beer

Draught. Dark brown to black with a thin head, excellent lacing. Thin dark fruity aroma. Flavour is liquorice, dark fruit, dry light burnt malt. First casuals were disappointing but it really grew as you go through it.