8.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle from Beer Ritz, Leeds. A hazy amber pour with minimal white head. Big resinous piney hop snout with citrus, tropical fruit. and sweet malt notes. Soft, smooth mouthfeel. Very fresh and vibrant flavour full of hoppy goodness and juicy fruit notes. Lingering bitter finish. Cracking balance and massively drinkable. Really impressed with these Magic Rock beers. Who needs the American IPAs when there’s stuff this good coming out of the North of England?
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Feb 2012
at 10:58
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle, Beer Ritz, Leeds. Black pour with a fading tan head. Enticing nose of resinous hop, citrus, roasted malt, brown sugar, and dark choc. Full bodied smooth and slightly oily mouthfeel. The flavour similarly displayed a winning combo of citrus hop bitterness and roasted notes. Maybe a hint of smoke lurking alongside more choc. Loads to admire here. A belter of a Black IPA.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Feb 2012
at 10:31
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Keg at The Hanging Bat. Clear golden body with a thin white head that quickly fades. Steady carbonation. No lacing. Aroma of lemony hops, caramel and peppery earth. notes. Flavour of bitter hops, melon and biscuit. Medium mouthfeel with an oily texture. Soft fizz. A solid IPA.
Tried
on 20 Feb 2012
at 13:28
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Keg at Cask pub and Kitchen, Pimlico, London. A black coloured pour with a very thin tan head on top. Hoppy, malty aroma. Tastes malty, hoppy, chocolate, distinct grapefruit taste in the background, slight bitterness. Rich and complex. Another quality brew from the excellent Magic Rock.
Tried
from Cask
on 20 Feb 2012
at 07:10
8.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle at home, 19th February 2012. Love the look of the bottle, looks like class. Aroma is roasted malt, dusty cocoa, a little coffee and dark chocolate, intriguing, I can’t get the hops. Pours a small head, good lacing. Taste is roasted malt a little grapefruit, pork sctrachings, burnt cracking, cocoa very smooth and perfect carbonation for me. Not bad, I love the Black IPA.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Feb 2012
at 13:15
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at home, 18th February 2012. First of all I have to comment on what a good looking bottle of beer this is, very compelling. Pours a jet black, nice head, which lasts a short time. Aroma and taste are good, leather malt, biscuit, not so much coffee and liquorice as other Imp. Brown Stouts I have had. Drinks very smoothly, well below its ABV
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Feb 2012
at 00:05
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from Great Grog, Edinburgh
Very dark brown black....ruby light edges...frothy tan head...good lacing
Aroma - Very hoppy...grass hops..bit musty...damp hay..some grapefruit in the background...dark caramel malts...whiff of car tyre...much more hops than malts
Taste - Loads of hops..grassy..some spicy hops..citrus grapefruit more prominent than aroma....resinous..dark caramel and roasted malts in the background
Palate - soft carb..medium....bitter hops......citrus tang. Finish of grapefruit and grassy hops...lots of bitterness but not too much...wee bit of coffee in the lingering tail
Overall - I prefer Black IPAs to be more ’stouty’ than this which is very much more towards the IPA part of the spectrum but the hops have great flavour in this beer. I still prefer Thornbridge Raven over this but it’s still a great beer
Very dark brown black....ruby light edges...frothy tan head...good lacing
Aroma - Very hoppy...grass hops..bit musty...damp hay..some grapefruit in the background...dark caramel malts...whiff of car tyre...much more hops than malts
Taste - Loads of hops..grassy..some spicy hops..citrus grapefruit more prominent than aroma....resinous..dark caramel and roasted malts in the background
Palate - soft carb..medium....bitter hops......citrus tang. Finish of grapefruit and grassy hops...lots of bitterness but not too much...wee bit of coffee in the lingering tail
Overall - I prefer Black IPAs to be more ’stouty’ than this which is very much more towards the IPA part of the spectrum but the hops have great flavour in this beer. I still prefer Thornbridge Raven over this but it’s still a great beer
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Feb 2012
at 03:47
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
330ml bottle. Cloudy golden colour with small creamy lacing white head. Intense hop aroma, fruit, coniferes, grass resin.Taste is less intense, slowly developing on a fruity malt basis up to a dry hoppy finish. Tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Feb 2012
at 13:47
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle from ’Jacks’ Westholme Stores, Goring-on-Thames, Oxon 07.02.12 consumed at home 09.02.12 Pours black with off white head. Good aroma, quite meaty and up front though not just with hops, some coffee, oxtail soup and pine. Taste is quite full on with good chocolate base that is loaded with hops, piney and also grapefruit but as good as the hops are, there is a lot of other stuff here, the maltiness comes to the fore and there is coffee also. Great beer. A8 A4 T8 P4 Ov17 4.1 I had this again in bottle at MyBreweryTap, North Street, Brighton,Saturday 5th May 2012 The beer was faultless, the bar however really needs to sort out some of the niggles, it just felt a bit rushed and cheap. Great beer, I cannot really add to my previous review suffice to say that it is equally good in bottle as it is on tap (I had it on tap up in Leeds). A very fine example of a Black IPA. A8 A4 T8 P4 Ov17 4.1
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Feb 2012
at 12:12
7.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
33cl bottle. Pours brown with a chestnut hue and a fawn creme. The nose has ginger biscuits with some toffee on top. The taste has crushed dark chocolate digestive biscuits. The palate is rich and full in structure and texture with a clean zing on the finish. Overall, delicious, rich and well balanced.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2012
at 14:10