Wisdom Seeker
Black Raven Brewing Co.

Wisdom SeekerWisdom Seeker
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From:
Black Raven Brewing Co.
 
Washington, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #756
ABV:
8.9%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,731
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 8.85%
Reviews:
54
Ratings:
201
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 06, 2023
Added:
Nov 25, 2009
Wants:
  52
Gots:
  19
Folklore and mythology present the raven as an omniscient creature with special powers and abilities. The Wisdom Seeker Double IPA gets its special powers from an enormous amount of hops and malted barley. Brewed in the West coast Double IPA style, this bold brew features massive citrus and herbal hop additions and a full hop aroma. Seek your wisdom cautiously; this hop feast packs a punch. Released annually in the Spring.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jmccraney:
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Rated by jmccraney from Washington

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%

Jul 01, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Pivopijak
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington

4.27/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
can into glass
Thick 'n' creamy, ivory head. Medium and nearly crystal clear orange/amber look. Complex, sweet herbal, medium heavy toasted and caramelized malt and orange/ tangerine peel, for the aroma. The flavors are also complex, herbal/pine, mixed right in with lemon/orange peel and a good body of medium heavy toasted malt, for the base.
Mar 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Sep 26, 2021
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Reviewed by deleted_user_1314598

3.06/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Very sticky, sweet and malty...Not to include its candy/copper/dark gold color it presents..A lil too much for my taste..Its one of those beers that I can choke down one and have a halfway appreciation, but like I said, some of these Imperials are like malty, candy in a bottle..

I get a strong carmelized scent, with a sugar off backbone..Its just sweet and malty..I'm finding different things about myself all the time with beer, and I find myself loving IPA'S, and cautious about these SWEET, CARAMEL, MALTY, IPA's...

I guess I'm more of a NEIPA guy, or west coast IPA guy, but if you like Imperials you'll love this one..
May 16, 2021
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Now that I have begun really diving into the Bottle backlog here at Chez Woody, I am unstoppable! Yes, it means suspending The CANQuest (tm) for the moment, but the thought of being rid of these pesky bottles for once & for all is so heartening that I almost do not have words. These next bunch were all purchases through Tavour & as I have said repeatedly, I have no real beef with them. It was their inflexible local shipper + the continual adding to the backlog that led me to part ways.

From the Bottle: "Double India Pale Ale (IPA)"; "Limited Release"; "Drink Fresh/Do Not Cellar"; "Our Limited Release series brings you special beers from our local taproom."; "Bitter * Herbal * Hoppy * Bold"; "Ales of great distinction and character"; "Brewed with Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, Citra, Nugget and Chinook Hops."; "Wisdom Seeker Double IPA gets its special powers from enormous of hops and malted barley. This bold brew features massive hop additions and a full hop aroma. Seek your wisdom cautiously."

I Pop!ped the cap & started up with a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass. I watched in rapt fascination as it foamed up, forcing me to back down & off. I was left with two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with very good retention. Color was a tea-like solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was like hop tea - a mellow mélange of pine, citrus, light caramel and somewhere, probably in a corner, naughty Simcoe the kitten was doing her catty business! 8=O Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy & light for the style as a result. The taste was a riotous throwback to the PNW days of ~ 20 years ago, when AIPAs like these were the norm & I came to realize that I was a dyed-in-the-wool hophead. In this one, it was the pine that was particularly pungent. Man, it was truly minty, cool, resinous and with a woody quality that I noted in a previous beer. Here, it was less oaky than simply wooden, like pine bark with some sap. 8=O This was clearly no playin' around! The other flavors - grapefruit, cattiness, orange/tangerine were present, but relegated not just to the back, but into the rumble seat! The intensity of the pine was causing my eyes to water in response. Phew, but this was gaspingly dry! I was at my asthma inhaler like it was a life saver with me in the ocean. Wow. YMMV.
Apr 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.34 by Thorfinn960 from Ohio

Aug 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.17 by ppavlick from New Jersey

Jun 22, 2019
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Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.06/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Deep copper hued body; immensely dense and thick head; sticky rings of foam climb down the glass. Big grain and pine aroma mixture; caramel. The taste encompasses malt sweetness and earthy, bitter hops. Heavy body; crisp and prickly on the palate; bold residual sugar presence; mainly dry mouthfeel throughout.

A fine double IPA, balanced and heavy with malt presence. The hop element provides a nice counterpoint to the grain sweetness. Nicely done...
May 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by rfreed from Washington

May 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.39 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

May 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.84 by MjBrewhouse from Idaho

Nov 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4.03 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Jul 08, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Apr 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by goalie35 from Canada (AB)

Mar 29, 2018
Photo of Eamonn-Cummings3
Reviewed by Eamonn-Cummings3 from New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a speiglau IPA glass.

Look is a clear reddish orange with a billowy off white head.

Aroma is orange and bubblegum a little bit of a weird mix but works.

Taste is a piney orange with hint of bubblegum at the end. Delicious.
Mar 29, 2018
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.34/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I poured this into a tulip. There is no date on it. The appearance is a clear amber to light red in color. There is a fluffy white one and a half finger head that dissipates within about a minute in spots but maintains a lumpy sort of look in other spots. Decent carbonation is seen rising at a moderate pace. The smell has a fair amount of honey flavored citrus hops with a decent herbal to earthy dank aroma combining and backing it all up into a nice tight fulfilling quality. Very nice! The taste is combined well between the citrus hops and the honey to showcase a very nice bittersweetness. The aftertaste is honey sweet with a quick dry sweet finish. On the palate, it sits about a medium in body with a decent sharpness from a normal DIPA but still leads me on with a nice "West Coast" maltiness that is somewhat smooth and ends up coating my mouth and tongue with a touch of honey. Overall, I get it. This is a very nice West Coast DIPA that is very reminiscent of Hopslam but in the West Coast sort of way. By all means, I would have this again in a heartbeat.
Jun 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by Leiermann from Pennsylvania

Jun 18, 2017
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Reviewed by ManapuaMan from Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Floral, citrus, malt. Split a bottle three ways with friends. Amber pour with nice clarity; solid tightly packed head with good lacing. Aroma of pine, resin and fresh cut citrus beneath the bottle cap. Taste is a heavy dose of hop-driven tropical and pungent fruit flavors with piney and pithy undertones. Prominent caramel and sweet cracker malt base comes to the fore. More balanced than what I expecting. The malt and alcohol-warmth adds a heftiness to the feel of the beer. Drinks clean and crisp with a slight lingering bitterness. Good beer.
May 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.94 by johnnyboy76 from Oregon

Apr 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by DoctorEvil65 from Washington

Apr 01, 2017
Wisdom Seeker from Black Raven Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 201 ratings