India Ink
Mad Fox Brewing Company

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From:
Mad Fox Brewing Company
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
7.2%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 6.96%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
13
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 26, 2014
Added:
Jan 23, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by StrikeThreeLager from Virginia

Jul 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ipas-for-life from Virginia

May 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by TubaManJack from District of Columbia

Dec 28, 2012
Photo of drabmuh
Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

3.18/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap at Mad Fox, beer is black / dark brown and hazy, thin tan head, some lacing, moderate carbonation, looks good.

Aroma is piny and earthy with a little alcohol and some solvent, eh.

Beer is medium to light in body, solventy, earthy chewy, sweet, light bitterness, the solvent is too distracting, not a good beer, sorry Bob.
Mar 28, 2012
Photo of Navalartichoke
Reviewed by Navalartichoke from Virginia

3.76/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I finally got a taste of this beer at the pub on March 10, 2012

A - Pours black, small head, some thin layer offoam on glass.

S - Only a Faint hop aroma, not sure if this was because the glass was still cold, a little wiff of roasted malts, almost coffee to me

T - Almost sweet at first, the malts I guess, then I tasted some chocolate!, Finally a little hop bitterness in the aftertaste, but pleasent from the hops, not overpowering.

M - Medium body, dry finish. I could not sense the higher alcohol of the beer, but later on I felt it!

O - A good dark IPA, very drinkable with a moderate hop taste balanced with the sweet roasted malt taste. But in my mind it does not stand apart from the other dark IPAs I have tried. I need to drink this again
Mar 12, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by axman from Virginia

Mar 03, 2012
Photo of WMEugene
Reviewed by WMEugene from Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A - Pours black with a light tan head and fairly good lacing.

S - Pine and citric hops, some roasted malts, a general earthy smell

T - A nice mixture of piney hops and roasted malts. No one flavor overwhelms, so there is a nice balance. Hoppy and earthy.

M - Medium bodied, dry finish, good carbonation, hides the 7.5% relatively well.

O - The India Ink is a nice Black IPA and a great, hoppy beer from Mad Fox. A well-crafted and enjoyable Black IPA.
Feb 29, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by IrishColonial from Texas

Dec 14, 2011
Photo of Eriktheipaman
Reviewed by Eriktheipaman from California

3.73/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a black/dark brown with not a whole lot of head.

The smell was mostly sweet malts and very little hop presence.

The taste was bitter on the front then a sweet raisin, dark fruit, and slight roast on the back.

I've had this style a ton and at first it was a little hard to get into. Not as much hop flavor as I'd hopped. But after a few sips I really started to enjoy it. The 7.5% ABV might make me avoid it next time so I can have two lower ABV beers but it was enjoyable for sure.
Oct 07, 2011
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From 09/24/11 notes. Had on tap at the brewpub.

a - Pours a very dark brown color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks as expected.

s - Smells of roasted malts, pine hops, and light citrus hops. Roasted qualities dominate and the hops aren't too strong, but it's nice.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, pine hops, and citrus hops again, though the hops come out a lot more in the nose. A step up from the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a pretty good black IPA. I woudl have liked some more hops in the nose, but was glad to see them come through in the taste. Easy to drink and would order it again.
Sep 25, 2011
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: nonic pint serving, the beer is nearly black in color, sporting a well retained deep khaki head, light lacing

s: dark pine needle hop aromas over a malt structure featuring mostly dry, smooth roasts, some mild toffee sugars, nice start

m: carbonation and body both around moderate

t: tasty blend of dark pine hops and a smooth roasted body with slight underlying sweetness, not really "chocolate" or "coffee" roast to my taste, but a pure heavily charred barley flavor without any overpowering astringent character, the drier body allows full palate-wrecking effect from the hop bitterness

d: drinks well for a stronger ipa-ish style...the lighter, drier body - in spite of the dark color - allow for an easy experience

draft at the brewpub
Mar 13, 2011
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On cask, via hand pump, @ the Mad Fox Brewing Company (Falls Church, VA) on 2/12/11. Served in a nonic pint glass. Called Tuppers' India Ink at the brewpub, as this was brewed in collaboration with Bob and Ellie Tupper of Tuppers' Hop Pocket fame. ABV was listed as 7.5%.

Pours black in the glass, with some ruby showing down at the bottom and topped with a ½ finger of smooth and creamy light mocha head. This stays nice and rich, leaving a ton of spotty frothy lacing down the sides of the glass. Dark roast hits your nostrils first in the aroma, which is then quickly followed by a sweet and sticky mix of chocolate, caramel, and citric fruit. Light leafy notes add a gentle floral feel to this, while just a smidge of alcohol warmth makes its presence known.

Sweet malts are right upfront in the taste, with a silky mix of cocoa and caramel that then gives way to some dry roasted malt character that darkens things up in the back of the profile. Hops are present in the form of a green grapefruit-like bitterness that isn't overly aggressive but does add a lot of flavor that melds well with those sweet malts. Green earthy fruit lingers the most in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with an EXREMELY mellow, creamy, and easy feel the whole way through. Naturally, no alcohol is present at all, as that 7.5% ABV is just beautifully hid here and this overall just has a great cask feel to it.

This was well done Black IPA to start with but the cask conditioning here just really puts it over the top, mellowing and melding all of the flavors here into one delicious and easy drinking package. If you're looking for some biting dark roast and hop bitterness, you might want to go with this on draft but otherwise, this is the way to go with this beer. Tasty stuff!
Feb 14, 2011
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Growler from the brewery and shared at Sexual Chocolate. Poured into a SAVOR snifter and later into a COAST pint glass.

Pours near-black with a nice tan head that sticks around for a bit before falling to a nice collar. Nice lacing on the edges of the glass. The nose brings forward a bit of roasted malt along with a hint of cream plus a fairly-strong contingent and piney and earthy hops. The taste falls along the same lines and hits the style pretty well--nice roasted background with slightly-resinous pine and some earthy hops in the front. Medium body with good bitterness in the finish. Drinks quite well overall; another highly-enjoyable hoppy brew from Mad Fox.
Feb 01, 2011
India Ink from Mad Fox Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 13 ratings