Dark Penance
Founders Brewing Company

Dark PenanceDark Penance
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From:
Founders Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
8.9%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 9.9%
Reviews:
343
Ratings:
2,557
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 18, 2021
Added:
Jul 01, 2014
Wants:
  155
Gots:
  727
A heavy malt foundation includes Crystal malt for sweetness and just enough Midnight Wheat malt to push the color to black. The bitterness is huge, but balanced by malt sweetness and alcohol burn. The hop flavors and aromas range from citrus to floral to pine thanks to a delicious blend of hand-selected Chinook and Centennial hops.

100 IBUs
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ThickNStout:
Photo of ThickNStout
Reviewed by ThickNStout from Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
12oz bottle from Sprayberry Bottle Shop (Marietta, GA). 11.99/ 4 pack. Bottled 09/10/2014. Served in a Founders snifter.

Pours a deep, opaque brown with chestnut highlights against the light. Its two finger head pale cream head lingers before settling to a healthy ring around the surface that laces quite well.

Smells almost exactly like an American black ale should. Pine, roasted malts, citrus peel and some vague sweetness.

Flavor is an appropriate blend of roasty and bitter. Citrus peel, roasty malts, pine, faint bakers cocao, a little coffee, toasted nuttiness, slight hop spice character and a little earth. Great blend of roasty and hoppy with almost no noticeable alcohol.

Creamy, vaguely oily, medium full body with moderate carbonation. Pine, citrus peel and roasty malts linger in the long fininsh.

Founders really did a fantastic job with Dark Penance. It may not be perfect but it may just set a new standard that I will use in evaluating American black ales henseforth. I'm glad this is year-round because I'll be enjoying this a great deal.
Sep 29, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.13 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Oct 18, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.63/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
355 ml bottle, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.9%. Black colour, dark brown in the highlights. Moderate to low creamy beige head. Aroma of piney American hops, the roasty notes are fairly subdued. Distinctly hoppy flavour, piney and grapefruity hops galore, dry roasty notes and bittering hops in the finish.
Apr 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by TallGuyCM from California

Jun 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4.12 by Insomniac from Canada (ON)

Jun 10, 2020
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours dark black with a khaki head. Smell is roasted malts and piney hops. Taste has a huge malt presence coupled with bitter hops,some floral and citrus noted ,mout feel full bodied.
May 24, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by wvsabbath from West Virginia

Sep 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.63 by Mr_Beer_Belly from Illinois

Jul 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.56 by Jussei from Ohio

Jun 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Apr 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by BrewsOverHoes from Georgia

Mar 20, 2019
Photo of BIABrewer
Reviewed by BIABrewer from Indiana

4.54/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
An intensely hopped and richly flavored black IPA. a sharp hop bitterness is balanced by an evident malty sweetness. Aroma is mostly of pine and grapefruit with faint hint of citrus. The mouthfeel is thick but not syrupy and seems needed to provide further balance to the powerful hop presence. I absolutely love the way this beer came together.
Oct 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.6 by atone315 from Wisconsin

Apr 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.98 by Goofster from Sweden

Feb 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by Rostie from Michigan

Feb 09, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by jet812 from Indiana

Jan 13, 2018
 
Rated: 1 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.19 by Dankdrank from Tennessee

Dec 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by ADKbeerguy from New York

Dec 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by beaulabauve from Louisiana

Dec 07, 2017
Dark Penance from Founders Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 2557 ratings