Got in a trade with icetrauma. 22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours clear almost pitch black color with a 2 finger dense khaki head with incredible retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, orange zest, lemon zest, roasted malt, light char, cocoa, floral, pine, grass, and floral earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of hop and roasted malt notes; with decent strength. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, orange rind, pine resin, lemon zest, floral, roasted malt, cocoa, light char, toast, grass, and floral earthiness. Good amount of pine resin bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, citrus rind, pine resin, floral, roasted malt, light char, toast, and floral earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity of citrus hops and roasted malt flavors; with hop over malt flavor balance; and minimal cloying bitterness after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly slick and very sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice black IPA. Good balance and complexity of malt and hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Cask at Hay merchant during Craft Beer Week. Pours a cloidy orange with large creamy off white head leaving spotty lacing. Aroma is a strong floral hop and resin. Medium mouthfeel with a sweet hop and light bitterness with the port coming out in the finish. A good one off of the Rodeo Clown. Hope to see more one offs from Karbach.

Tap at the Hay Merchant, Houston, 21/05/13. Very lightly hazed golden amber with a big white head, good lacing ensues. Nose is grass, pale malt, light citrus. Taste comprises pale malt, bread dough, touch of bitter orange, grass, citrus, a little hop bite. Medium bodied with fine carbonation, crisp dry finish. Decent enough lager.

Can at home, imported from Houston, by ’the Beast’. 23rd June 2013. Cold, windy mid summer day, but this goes down well. Tasty, fairly typical American iPA. Decent stuff

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours pitch black color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of caramel, raisin, chocolate, roasted malt, floral, pine, toast, licorice, molasses, light coffee, and roasted earthiness. Ok aromas with solid balance of flavors; but is very weak and lacking prominent roasted malt qualities, with much more fruitiness present. Taste of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, raisin, floral, pine, brown sugar, toast, licorice, and roasted earthiness. Good amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, toast, brown sugar, floral, pine, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Nice balance and complexity of roasted and dark malt flavors; with moderate amount of hop presence and some fairly astringent bitterness lingering after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy, slick, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very solid imperial porter. The weak aromas and astringent hoppiness really knocked it down for me; but this was still an enjoyable offering overall.

Location: 12 oz bottle from Central Market, 6/18/13

Aroma: The nose is resiny and floral, with some musky notes, citrus, and caramel/toffee
Appearance: It pours a dark orange-reddish color with a small off-white head and some sticky lace
Flavor: Tastes medium sweet and medium-plus bitter, but as it finishes, the bitterness takes over
Palate: The body is medium, it has an almost flat carbonation, and a long, rather dry finish
Overall Impression: I thought this was a solid DIPA, though not a top of style offering. Still, it works well. Sorry it isn't another St. Arnold beer, Dave, I heard you like their name.

Tap at the Hay Merchant, Houston, 21/05/13. Mid black with a good sized light tan head. Nose is juicy jammy hops, pine, cocoa dusting, blackcurrant, grapefruit. Taste comprises hop, pine bite, bitter grapefruit, light mineral notes, touch of roast. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, hoppy bite in a dryish finish. A great Black IPA !

Location: 22 oz bottle from Central Market, 6/4/13

Aroma: The nose has a mix of Belgian yeast, grassy hops, spice, and a some fruity notes
Appearance: A clear golden-orange color with a larger, lasting off-white head and heavy lacework
Flavor: The taste is much the same, spicy, yeasty, and a little fruity, with a fairly bitter finish to it
Palate: The body is medium, it is soft, with a light spice tingle, and a lengthy, dry finish
Overall Impression: I actually found this to be a very solid example of a Belgian IPA. I really quite enjoyed what they did here, it isn't amazing, but it is north of solid.

Cask at the Flying Saucer, Houston, 21/05/13. Mid black with a mahoosive light tan frothy head - looks the bollocks! Nose is dark roast malt, chocolate, dark fruits, toffee. Taste comprises light roast, malt, molasses, sugars, chocolate, toffee fudge, dark fruits, booze. Full bodied, soft carbonation - worked well via cask dispense, boozey dryish finish. Decent enough stuff, no world beater tho’.