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Blindfold Black IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- From:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- Black IPA
- ABV:
- 6.8%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.82 | pDev: 10.21%
- Reviews:
- 235
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jul 07, 2020
- Added:
- Feb 23, 2014
- Wants:
- 28
- Gots:
- 258
Blindfold blankets us in darkness yet maintains a surprisingly light body and bold, hoppy character. This black IPA emerged from our Beer Camp program and builds on Sierra Nevada’s legendary love of hops with roasted malts for depth and complexity. Like its namesake, Blindfold is a bit disorienting—the color of a stout and the intense, hop-forward flavors of a classic American IPA.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ThisWangsChung:
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland
2.74/5 rDev -28.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
2.74/5 rDev -28.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
12 oz bottle into a pint glass.
A: Pours a dark ruby red color. The head is about, um, 352 fingers high, and has a khaki shade. The texture is rather soapy, and the retention is rather inconsistent (usually the sign of a well-hopped beer). Some streaks of lacing are left behind.
S: There are some nice hops here - primarily herbaceous and piny in that typical SN fashion - but similar to the Snow Wit I had before this, its hop profile is rather restrained. But that's okay, the rest of the aroma is restrained as well. Wait...anyways, I'm only getting touches of brown sugar, touches of dark fruit, touches of chocolate, and that's it. I'm really let down by the aroma's lacking oomph.
T: It follows the nose well. The predominant flavor is hop bitterness - not much flavor, just bitterness. I'm getting some light caramel, brown sugar, and MAYBE a few espresso notes around the middle and back end, but nothing impressive. All in all though, this one is too bland and too generically bitter.
M: At the very least, this beer's lightness on the palate is laudable. It's somewhat dry finishing, too, so there is a bit of danger to drinking this quick. If only it weren't so bland...
O: Totally disappointing. SN's standard porter is far more enjoyable. Thankfully, I have three more opportunities to give this another chance - this wasn't so horrible that I never want to drink it again. I'm just not that enthused by such a prospect. This is honestly my least favorite SN offering to date.
Mar 08, 2014A: Pours a dark ruby red color. The head is about, um, 352 fingers high, and has a khaki shade. The texture is rather soapy, and the retention is rather inconsistent (usually the sign of a well-hopped beer). Some streaks of lacing are left behind.
S: There are some nice hops here - primarily herbaceous and piny in that typical SN fashion - but similar to the Snow Wit I had before this, its hop profile is rather restrained. But that's okay, the rest of the aroma is restrained as well. Wait...anyways, I'm only getting touches of brown sugar, touches of dark fruit, touches of chocolate, and that's it. I'm really let down by the aroma's lacking oomph.
T: It follows the nose well. The predominant flavor is hop bitterness - not much flavor, just bitterness. I'm getting some light caramel, brown sugar, and MAYBE a few espresso notes around the middle and back end, but nothing impressive. All in all though, this one is too bland and too generically bitter.
M: At the very least, this beer's lightness on the palate is laudable. It's somewhat dry finishing, too, so there is a bit of danger to drinking this quick. If only it weren't so bland...
O: Totally disappointing. SN's standard porter is far more enjoyable. Thankfully, I have three more opportunities to give this another chance - this wasn't so horrible that I never want to drink it again. I'm just not that enthused by such a prospect. This is honestly my least favorite SN offering to date.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.58/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.58/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
They put this in one of those mixed variety 12 packs back when black ipa was all the rage (just not from a sales standpoint or longevity of trend). Pours black, but not imperial stout viscous black, just a normal, kind of close to a porter black. Brown head 1/2". Aroma is bitter hops and black roasted malt that is more dry and acrid than lush and choclatey.
Taste is another Chinook, Cascade hopped bitterness of the grapefruit and tree variety. Malt base is dehusked black patent it would seem. Carbonation is slightly up there but understandable given style and bitterness. Its like their porter, but without as much 2 row malt it seems.
So this beer basically does what it should per style. Its hoppy, bitter, but with a dark exterior/interior, but without the weighty heft of a porter or stout. Its fine one at a time, but unlike SNPA, I couldn't see drinking more than one of these in a setting, despite it being well made and doing everything above average.
Mar 29, 2018Taste is another Chinook, Cascade hopped bitterness of the grapefruit and tree variety. Malt base is dehusked black patent it would seem. Carbonation is slightly up there but understandable given style and bitterness. Its like their porter, but without as much 2 row malt it seems.
So this beer basically does what it should per style. Its hoppy, bitter, but with a dark exterior/interior, but without the weighty heft of a porter or stout. Its fine one at a time, but unlike SNPA, I couldn't see drinking more than one of these in a setting, despite it being well made and doing everything above average.
Reviewed by rapayn01 from Kentucky
4.25/5 rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Yes, I liked it very much! This long-time IPA drinker is discovering that roasty IPAs are also quite tasty. I like hoppy porter too, which the style suggests. You taste the alcohol at first, so it isn't perfect.
Mar 29, 2018Rated by davidward from Florida
4/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A very nice black IPA. It has the hoppiness of a classic IPA with a fortification of malt. Very similar to a good stout.
Jul 19, 2017Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont
3.5/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The appearance was black in color with a two finger white to off white foamy head that died at a decent pace leaving some nice foamy yet bubbly looking lacing. The smell was roasty with some nice chocolates and coffee pervading through in a moderately smooth yet strong sense. The taste was roasty, bitter and sweet that tries to combine but shows these aspects at separate times in the beer. There is an ever so light aftertaste and its somewhat bitter dry and smooth. The finish is quick and dry. On the palate, it sits about a medium on the body with a somewhat smooth carbonation running about it. This one seems to want to have a sessionable quality to it, but I’m not quite seeing it as I seem to want to sip it more. Overall, pretty good black IPA that I could come back to.
Jul 14, 2017Rated by Beerdrinking from New York
4.68/5 rDev +22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.68/5 rDev +22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Dark beer not overpowering. Enjoyable
Dec 17, 2016Reviewed by Benjolovesbeer from Michigan
5/5 rDev +30.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +30.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Great in a tulip. Looks like a stout or a porter with it's blackness but tastes like an IPA, if only you could buy it in a sixer, at least I never seen it in a sixer.
Nov 10, 2016
Blindfold Black IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
86 out of
100 with
1422 ratings
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