Hop Test #1 (Stakem)
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

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From:
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
8.7%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 6.63%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 06, 2014
Added:
Jul 14, 2012
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Aug 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by bigfnjoe from Pennsylvania

Aug 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by runner_pe from Pennsylvania

May 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

May 03, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

Apr 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by StormKing47 from Pennsylvania

Feb 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by stakem from Pennsylvania

Sep 13, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by BdubleEdubleRUN from California

Sep 10, 2012
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Served on-tap at Al's of Hampden.

A - Pours pitch dark black with a nice one finger tall off white head leaving small streaks of lace down parts of the glass.

S - Smells of smokey dark roasted malt and dulled grassy hops. The smoke makes this one a bit one dimensional at times. For the amount of hops they put in this I was expecting a lot more.

T - This one is packing a TON of smokey malt from start to finish. The hops are only faintly there, only really shining for small flashes before the smoke comes back to finish them off. Finish is dry, lingering on the palate long after the finish.

M - Big, smokey body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Smokey, slightly bitter feel with some light dryness toward the end of each sip.

O - That Tanger smoked malt has clearly done its job, it really dominates every aspect of this beer. At times it lets you get some of the hops and you can see what this wanted to be, then the smoke comes back and you are reminded of what it became. A nice smoked beer but not a black IPA anymore.
Aug 07, 2012
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Al's. A smoked imperial black IPA featuring Liberty hops and cherry wood.

A: Black indeed, par for the course today. Atop, an off-white head blankets the ale.

S: The smoked malts dominate, deep with a pronounced sweet curehouse aroma. The hops aren't as straightforward as I was expecting. Instead they get lost behind the smokiness.

T: The hops are slow to emerge. Until they do, the smoke and dark malts do all the heavy lifting. The smoke is sweet, meaty with a wood-smoked residue. The stout malts are just that, roasted and burnt, a bitterness that supports the smoke sweetness nicely. As the ale warms, the hops still struggle to get through the morass of smoke and roasted malts. Big and bold, but the lack of hop focus is troubling.

M: A smoked stout, astringent at times. That is all.
Jul 14, 2012
Hop Test #1 (Stakem) from Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 10 ratings