Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA - Black Mission Figs & Valencia Orange P
Stone Brewing

Served as part of the 12 Brewers, 12 Casks, 12 Mallets event on 11/6/13.
Brewer - Casey Harris.

 

 

 

On cask at the Stone Bistro. Poured into a small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing black in the glass, with only a few wisps of carbonation. Aroma of light toasted and sweet malt, dark dried fruit, citrus hops. Flavor of rich fresh and dried dark fruit; plums and figs, sweet malt, orange fruit and rind, finishing with cognac-like dark fruit, bittering and mild herbal hops and nicely integrated orange fruit and rind. Heavy bodied, nearing syrupy. A complex and tasty dark ale that combines elements of the toasted malt black IPA of its base with plumy, fortified elements of an aged barley wine, losing the intense herbal hops but gaining depth and complexity. In a blind tasting, I would have guessed this was a barley wine, although one with nice orange highlights. Very enjoyable sipper, that I wish I could hope to see again. Sublimely Self-Righteous is already one of my favorite beer and this was a very welcome cask version of it.