Black Lie 7th Anniversary Liar's Club Dark IPA
Pizza Port Bressi Ranch

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From:
Pizza Port Bressi Ranch
 
California, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
8%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 5.84%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 28, 2013
Added:
Mar 06, 2007
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.5 by BarryMaKociner from California

May 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 08, 2012
Photo of Jmoore50
Reviewed by Jmoore50 from Nevada

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Pizza Port.

The appearance was awesome. Now for an IPA, you would not expect it to be a stout color. It had a great tan head and good carbonation. No real lacing around the glass.

The smell was good, great hop smell. A real clean smell, fresh, oily, tasty, hop smell.

The taste was great. It had a great mild hop characteristic that was followed by malt body. The malt characteristic was not too thick, it was nice because it was still light enough to let the hops come through. Really good, this actually inspired me to brew a 'dark IPA'.

The mouthfeel was great because it had a great medium mouthfeel that was still bitter from the hops but mellowed by malts. Really enjoyable and drinkable. Highly recommended.

J
Sep 22, 2009
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Carlsbad.

A: Jet black with just a bit of head but decent lacing.

S: Grapefruit and piney hops, a mild grass aroma, no real roasted aroma, which was surprising.

T: The taste is pretty much right on for what I was looking for. Not quite the same level of roasted maltiness that Stone 11/Sublimely Self-Righteous has. Like the nose, plenty of grapefruit citrus and a bit of sweetness. Quite a bit of piney bitterness.

M: Quite bitter, fairly moderate carbonation, medium body.

D: The booze is hidden on this, which is quite nice. I really like the Black IPA style, so this was right up my alley.
Sep 09, 2009
Photo of magictrokini
Reviewed by magictrokini from California

4.3/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Tap @ Solana Beach. Pours jet black with a short-lived fizzy head. Never had an IPA this black. Toast, rye, hops, pine, apple, and some smoke. Sharp, crisp hop bite up front with a lot of pepper and grapefruit. The malt gives it a velvet feel and a nice, rich, earthy back. A fair amount of roasted flavor, but its almost more like a toasted rye as opposed to a roasted malt. Kind of a nice tobacco flavor. Just an excellent beer.
Dec 10, 2008
Photo of tonistruth
Reviewed by tonistruth from Nevada

4.42/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
on tap @ Pizza Port Carlsbad in San Diego, CA

A- deep brown brew with mahogany hues, fluffy off white head that looks good and holds good, soapy lacing

S- leafy, citric hops, roasted malts

T- roasted malts, coffee, caramel and toasted malts with citrus and a hoppy finish

M- full and smooth body, hop feel at finish

D- another great black IPA, wonderful balance between hops and malts
Aug 02, 2008
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Growler split with my dad a few days ago, reviewed from notes, picked this up at Pizza Port Carlsbad on my home from San Diego for nineteen dollars, not counting the glass purchase, ouch, couple servings poured into a pint glass

A-Black but a little going through, 3/4 inch light tan creamy head, looked more like a porter than an IPA, some retention, nice lacing
S-Citrus hoppiness and particularly grapefruit, bready maltiness, grass, mild fruit, and pine needles
T-More of a citrusy IPA than anything, hop presence is pretty sweet, nicely balanced with malt, got less bitter as it warmed, lots of resin later on, not bad at all
M-Dry, bitter, and slightly roasty mouthfeel, medium bodied, could have probably used some more carbonation, taste lingered
D-Drank a few pints and that was enough, a little heavy on the stomach, ABV was not exactly low either, smooth, alcohol is hidden

Surprised to see this beer and jumped all over it, reminded me a lot of Stone 11th but was missing something it had, hoppiness was strong which was a plus though, grab some there while you can, interesting and worth trying
Jul 24, 2008
Photo of errantnight
Reviewed by errantnight from District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Ahhh dark IPAs. How I love you.

This isn't quite Stone XIth anniversary in its wonderfulness...but darn it if it wasn't delicious.

A note-quite-opaque black (yeah, there's some brown highlights dipping in) with a thin film of head, and yet.... lacing. Sweet.

Big grapefruit aroma and then again in the mouth.... very much an IPA... roasted only seeps in at the last to provide a richer yet still dry mouth. It's lovely.

Perfectly carbonated, nice medium body, could and would drink this until the cows come home. Only then I'd be dead because there's a perfectly masked 8% ABV on this. Shoot.
Jul 02, 2008
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

3.65/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep black, I couldn't see any light or even highlights through this brew. Thick tan head offers solid retention and decent lacing initially, more random later with reduced stickiness.

This is a hoppy porter or a toasty IPA, a bit in between. The menu called it an IPA and the hop presence supports that point. Yet my initial whiff and taste were surely in the Porter corner, with toasted malts and a hint of coffee. Coffee scents cleared out quickly, yielding mostly pine hops. A bit of citrus was present but the malt scents overwhelmed, allowing the earthy aromas to dominate.

Tastes of roasted malts, yet without the residual sugar sweetness I was anticipating; this being replaced by a slightly bitter hop finish. Feel and drink are balanced but a bit confusing.

All in all a nice unique brew, yet didn't leave a lasting impression.
Jun 24, 2008
Photo of Overlord
Reviewed by Overlord from California

3.97/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reddish dark, dark brown. Not black!

Maybe a quarter inch of white foam. Smells like grapefruit hops. Hmmm...

Unlike the Stone 11th anniversary, this is pretty much a straight IPA. No roasted/toasted malty flavors; this is grapefruit hops, a pine aftertaste, and some nice balancing citrus notes.

A good brew.
May 25, 2008
Photo of charlzm
Reviewed by charlzm from California

4.02/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Consumed at Stone World Bistro, Escondido CA, 05/21/08.

Very clear dark brown in the glass. Little active carbonation evident to the eye, but the mouth says otherwise. The head is a thin layer of foam around the edges.

Sweet dark malt aroma. Note of molasses. Oddly, no hops in the nose. You'll see why that's odd soon...

It's a big beer on the palate, but it's effervescent, which keeps the flavors from being overwhelming. Black licorice and a hint of caramel malts up front and a long lingering aftertaste of dark malt. But the main flavor of this beer is the significant hop presence that appears as bitterness and a piney resin character.

Interesting entry in the new "black IPA" category, but Stone XI is still tops there.
May 22, 2008
Photo of brdc
Reviewed by brdc from Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
On tap at DLD 08.

This is supposed to be a "black IPA", or so I was told by the guy pouring it.

It looks like a porter, black, with a thin off-white head.
It smells mostly like an IPA, with a fresh hoppy, grassy and citric aroma, although underneath you can find some hints of a porter in the aroma of chocolate, but minimal.
Medium bodied, it has a pleasant mouthfeel, but the hop assault along with a burning alcohol detract from the experience a little bit.
It is overall a decent beer, with a taste mostly based on citric and piney hops, but the alcohol keeps coming along and keeps it a bit "hot" for what I expected.
Apr 28, 2008
Photo of Stoneman78
Reviewed by Stoneman78 from California

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On draft at O'Brien's for CBC/WBC

Appearance is a pitch black hue, thin layer of off-white head dissipates, minimal lacing

Smell is big grassy and pine hops, subtle roast and caramel malts, alcohol, and sweet candy

Taste is big hops and alcohol burn initially, opens up to coffee and roast malts, pine resin and caramel linger, finishes bitter and dry with moderate alcohol presence

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, watery smooth texture, amped up carbonation

Drinkability is moderate and hampered mostly by the alcohol presence which seems larger than the 8%, overall a nice balance of malts and hops, more of a sipping beer
Apr 20, 2008
Photo of seaoflament
Reviewed by seaoflament from California

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this one on tap at O'Brian's last night.

The beer was a coca-cola like color with an inch and a half of foam. It had some good retention and some lacing.

The aroma was piney with notes of roasted malts and caramel. Some slightly citrus notes were also there. More caramel aroma picked up as it came to room temperature.

There was a nice pine hop bite at first with a roasted finish. There were also some herbal flavors in the aftertaste. Flavors of bitter cacao and bold coffee, quite tasty.

Good mouth-feel, full and smooth at first but a little more aggressive carbonation in the end.
Apr 16, 2008
Photo of IntriqKen
Reviewed by IntriqKen from California

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
Brewed in celebration of the Liar's Club 7th Anniversary.
Poured a dark black amber with a tiny white head that stays as a white ring throughout the drink.
Aromas are amber malts and simple hops...very clean and fresh.
Surprising mouth of citrus hops...orange and lemon peel mostly. Only a little grapefruit peel in the taste.
Very little about the sweet malts in this brew...only enough to cover and blend with the hops to keep them from being obnoxious.
Good for several pints...too bad they ran dry.
Mar 20, 2007
Photo of rallison
Reviewed by rallison from California

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Served on tap at Stone during a visit to celebrate my first week of work and whatnot.

A: Dark black (although not as thick looking as an imperial stout) with not much of a head.

S: Smells hoppy, yet there is a distinct roasted smell too. Definitely smells like a hopped up porter. Hmmm - this looks to be a new experience!

T: Indeed, it is a new experience! I've had hoppy porters, but none that had truly IPA levels of hops. Surprisingly, this is a really good combo (or maybe not surprisingly, if you've had Baltic Porters). Wonderful roasted coffee flavor with a nice surge of bitterness. The roastiness makes it tough to pick out if it's piny or citrusy hops, but I want to say they lean toward piny. A wonderful and unique blend of two styles. Nicely done Pizza Port - and a nice tribute to Liars Club.

M: Slightly weak on the mouthfeel, but nothing that really hurts the beer. However, the 8% is amazingly well hidden. I truly thought it was 5-6%.

D: Extremely drinkable. If it weren't for the 8%, this would be a great session beer.

Highly recommended if you get the chance. This is a unique style - albeit one that I hope becomes more commonplace.
Mar 19, 2007
Photo of scottoale
Reviewed by scottoale from California

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A special Port Brewed ale in honor of the Liar’s Club 7th Anniversary, an India Black Porter, ie. Black Hoppy Porter...comprende!

Served in a pint glass, black-ass molassas rootbeer-brown with a thin beige head and a white outermost ring. Nice subtle carbonation, slippery lace.

In the nose is a slap of pine and spruce...hop dominated, sure thing. To the tastebuds, the same...in overdrive! Piney, sappy hop flavor with a mild roasty malt somewhere in the back pasture, and some warmth from the aftermath...no lie!

Medium body that goes down easily, but lacks a velvety smoothness that I was anticipating. None the less, a tasty special brew in honor of a tasty special place of great brews!

Hop-heads rejoyce, this hops for you!
Mar 06, 2007
Black Lie 7th Anniversary Liar's Club Dark IPA from Pizza Port Bressi Ranch
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 17 ratings