Bitter Sable Imperial Black IPA
Weasel Boy Brewing Company

 

Very balanced. A nice mix of IPA and roasted porter flavors. Finish is very clean and not bitter. An excellent black ale, and among the best offerings I have had from here.

 

The nose on this was exceptional, but taste was off. Didn't get many hops at all and lots of DMS. I've had this before and don't remember any DMS qualities. Couldn't even finish the pour. In the past, I remember this beer being much better. Will revise my score when I have it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bitter Sable Imperial Black IPA pours a darker, mahogany brown color. It looks a bit hazy. A little light cuts through and shows nice garnet and orange highlights. A tan head covers the top. It rises to about a finger in height before falling back quickly. Lacing was on the lighter side of the spectrum. Looks pretty good.

The nose is pretty impressive. The malt base smells like a really nice mix of chocolate and caramel. It smells a little sweet and sugary. Hops are certainly lively. Primarily, they smell like pineapple, grapefruit, and a little mango. Pine is secondary, but is noted. For what it’s worth, it smells more hoppy than malty. I don’t mind that. Occasionally, hops have to fight for space amongst the malts. Alcohol isn’t very noticeable. I like it.

The flavor is equally as good. The malt base is sweet and very flavorful. It is a mix of chocolate and caramel. The chocolate has a really nice cocoa flavor. Hops waste little time jumping into the mix. They’re a delicious combo of citrus and pine flavors. Pineapple and grapefruit are the strongest. It definitely has a nice bitter kick. The malts make a nice effort to provide balance, but it leans in the hop direction for sure. Alcohol is there, but isn’t overly strong. I was told it’s 8%. Seems about right. Finishes sweet, hoppy, and a little dry.

The body is medium. Carbonation is light and soft. It’s nice and smooth. It’s not quite creamy, but it is good. I won’t finish the growler tonight, but damage will be done. It’s an easy drinking, tasty beer!

To date, I’ve been impressed with Weasel Boy Brewing Company’s Beer. Bitter Sable is another nice release. I like that the hops come through as strong as they do. Sometimes that’s an issue in American Black Ale’s. The mix of caramel and chocolate flavor is really nice, as well. If you have the opportunity, grab a growler. It’s good stuff!

 

I cant believe the growler survived the trip back to NC with carbonation still in tact.

Pour is pitch black with a slightly off white frothy head.

The smell was upfront pine hops with a slightly roasted malt backbone. Not much from the malt.

The taste is definitely bitter, but not much from the malt. They definitely upped the pine hops on this one. Slick alpha acids make the highly roasted malt a bit smoother. Theres a touch of bitter coffee and powdered dark chocolate in the finish, but not much. Late taste produce pine hops. Like everywhere.

Honestly feels like an Imperial Swarzbier.

On tap at Weasel Boy this past weekend.

Pours nearly-black with a good off-white head and some nice lacing on the way down. The nose brings forward notes of fresh hop pellets along with some roasted malt. Citrus throughout. Flavor doesn't get as much hop character, mainly the roast and loads of bitterness. Bitterness is interesting and enjoyable. It reminds me of wort right after the boil in terms of the bitterness; obviously, not that level of sweetness. Smooth though quite bitter. Very enjoyable.

Served on cask at Brew's Cafe in Granville in a pint glass. Has a large tan head that lingered to the very last drop. Not real lacing to speak of though. Black in color but thin, the consistency one would expect from an IIPA.

Smell is all hops, I was hoping for some malt in there. But the hops are bright and extremely sweet. Lots of pine and even more fresh cut pineapple. These hops are amazing.

You get lots of hop bitterness up front, some sweet pineapple and pear, along with mild caramel malt rounding out the bill.

As expected, off the cask this is very creamy in texture and shows little to no carbonation.

Overall the beer was very bitter. This is closer to an IIPA dyed dark with malt than flavored with it. Not precisely what I look for in a Black IPA bur certainly worth a try.

On tap in a pint glass at Benny's Pizza on 7/31/10

Reviewed as a Cascadian Dark Ale

Settles dark, kind of a murky brown color. Not particularly dense. Thin head turned to a skim quickly. No retention. Almost no lacing.

Cascadian Dark Ale style aroma. Quite juicy hoppiness. Piney with hints of citrus - grapefruit & such. Very faint soapiness. Subtle roasted malts.

Has a more prominent roasted malt presence to taste. Pretty dry. The hops still call the shots, though. Piney, dank & juicy with a decent bitterness. Citric blend. Rather nice, actually.

Full bodied, leaning toward medium. Moderate carbonation is appropriate. Nice grittiness. Surprisingly clean finish. Just a few bitter residuals hang on.

After trying the lackluster Dancing Ferret IPA, this is all the more impressive. Not great, but this has renewed my interest in this brewery.

Had this at the brewery on 2010-06-29.

A - Very dark brown with a short white head

S - Light roasted coffee and chocolate

T - Coffee with sugar, dried sour cherries, plenty of hop bitterness. Pretty darn tasty.

M - Light body and carbonation. Moderately creamy - nice texture.

D - With a nice taste, light body and hop bitterness, this is a good example of a black DIPA. Not at the same level as Founders El Diablo Del Noche, but very respectable.

Bought a growler, had them pour this for it. Started off a beautiful dark amber, almost black unless light hit it. Smelled of roasted malt, some sweetness, but mainly the roast. A little hops on the aroma, but not a lot. Tasted like an exact mix of the Brown Stoat Stout and the Dancing Ferret IPA. Hoppy up front, roasted malts in the middle, hops on the finish. Hard to drink a lot of because of the strength of flavor. High alcohol %, so be wary if you come across it.

Not bad, not great. I'll try it again if Jay makes it.

Kef

Draft at the MRAF 2009.

Poured hazy dark brown color with an average frothy white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate to heavy roasted malt and complex citrus hoppy aroma. Medium body with slick texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy smooth bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate duration.

This is a standout beer.

I am frequently drawn in by dark/roasty beers claiming to be extra hoppy, and the point is usually lost on me...in roasty beers I usually can't detect much in the way of hops. This is the first dark, roasty beer I've had that really exudes hops. I had a couple of big samples of this at the Mini Real Ale fest at Barley's Smokehouse, and due to it I am now brainstorming excuses to drive the 55 miles from Columbus to Zanesville.

This beer pours with a dark body, although not quite as viscous as an Imperial Stout, and nice head formation. Aroma is, as advertised, roasty and hoppy. Flavor is decidedly hoppy, more like a DIPA than anything else, but has a very roasty burnt-dinner-roll aftertaste. There is some presence of alcohol esters, but not a ton of booziness. Mouthfeel is dry but not astringent.

I usually don't rate at fests, but I feel OK about rating this one, having had 2 4-5 samples early on in the session (it was the first beer I tried).

All-in-all, a really nice beer, and for this fest, the belle of the ball.