Marks & Spencer Black IPA
Purity Brewing Co

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Feb 2017. Picked up from M&S a little while back. The label mentions that this beer is brewed with smoked, crystal and black malts, and hopped with Chinook and Cascade. I believe that production of this brew may have ceased.

A: Poured into a tulip. A very deep reddish-brown that appears black in the glass. Moderate carbonation. Produces a large head of creamy mocha-coloured foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Looks great.

S: Aroma of rich, sweet malt with hoppy overtones. Notes of roasted grain, caramel, subtle smokiness, earthy yeast, pine resin and stewed hops. Rounded and complex, though the hops seem a tad underpowered. Nice.

T: Tastes of sweet roasted malt with hints of burnt grain, caramel, stewed husks, earthy yeast, faint smoke, pine resin and a leafy bitterness bringing up the rear. Verging on sugary, but the complexity keeps a lid on it and the flavours mesh together well.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and fairly thick, with soft carbonation. Good body but could certainly be livelier. Lightly astringent, with an aftertaste of resinous hop bitterness and roasted malt.

O: A solid effort and a cut above for a supermarket beer (even M&S). Looks good, while the aroma and flavour offer a satisfying blend of dark malts and pine-laden hops. Decent mouthfeel. The hop character seems understated for the style, but perhaps the bottle is a tad old. While I think this beer may now be defunct, if I'm wrong then I certainly recommend grabbing a bottle or two.

 

Enjoyed form the 12 oz bottle in a snifter via a friend from England---Thanks Keith!
This fine IPA pours a nice dark cola brown with a moderate head of off white foam that settles to a thin ring, thin layer, and nice lacing. Nose of subtle char, light cocoa, zesty herbal hops, and light licorice. Flavors exceed the nose with moderate caramel malts dipped in light citrus notes of lemon zest and herbal hops on all sides, cola notes slide on the sides, and licorice and subtle rye spiciness hits on the back with a nice hop bitterness on the aftertaste. Nice mouth feel, lightly creamy, coating, and smooth with good carbonation to keep her lively. The English know balance and this one hits all the right notes. A am no hop head, but if American brewers made IPA's this good I would sing their praises all day long.

cheers

 

Very dark brown (almost black) colour with a beautiful tan head.
A bouquet of sweet malt and hops.
Initial taste of treacle followed by the hops (but not enough for an IPA).
Moderate mouthfeel.
Good flavour but the malt overwhelms the hops.

Bottled
Black body with tobacco stained head thats cover the surface apart from three big bubbles holding the tiny ones at bay
I get bubblegum on the aroma
tastes like an boozy dandelion & burdock
good stuff actually

Ruby brown - not black in light - with clingy tan film. 3.75
Coffee, tar and dank - with a bit of staleness? 3.75
Sweet coffee, treacle candy, licorice, and humming mint, kronik, and pine tar hops. 3.75
Chocolate chew end and gunpowder linger.
Lively, light, slight cling. 3.5

Chinook and Cascade

Too fizzy, too thin, and not dark enough. So it’s a surprise how the Chinook pine lowers the hoppy boom. Coming from M&S, good enough. 4