India Ink
South Street Brewery

 

 

Served at the brewery.

A - foam head solid, lingered for the duration

S - faint roast, mellow

T - smooth flavor, textured with enough carbonation crackle to evoke pleasant charred character of a stout. Slight chocolate finish, very drinkable; crisp enough to enjoy during warm weather but equally appropriate as a fill-in for stout when it's chilly outside, as it was on this occasion.

M - satisfactory, clean

O - Eager to try this again.

I had prepared for hops as it was described as an IPA, and I'd already enjoyed their JP version. Instead of the familiar hop character I was surprised to find it more similar to a stout, without the bitterness. I'm rating it well partly based on its novelty as a standout among the more familiar beer styles we were also sampling, like their JP IPA and Liberation lager.

Served on-tap in a clear pint glass at South Street Brewery (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Good name as this is inky black with some browning at the edges. 1-finger off-white head hovers for awhile but dissipated to leave a few lace shapes along the glass.

S: Leafy and earthy hoppiness meets toasted black malt to give a robust aroma

T: Very full-flavored and approaches but doesn't quite eclipse SS Absolution Ale for overall goodness. Patent malt toast edge with leafy, floral, and lightly but not overwhelmingly vegetal hoppiness. South Street did a nice job in balancing the raw hoppiness with the hard edge of the molasses character of the malt components.

M: I wish this beer had a bigger presence on the palate as the feel is too light and overcarbonated for the style.

D: I am constantly surprised but South Street brews -- they continue to stay solid while making sure they are keeping new styles available. India Ink is a good example of the Black IPA. They seem to have good handle on producing a good-to-great example of a currently popular brew style.

I waited to rate this beer because it was the first black IPA I have ever had. I tried one from California last week at a taproom in DC. In comparison I'd pick the South Street India Ink. It's a great beer.
It comes off the tap a deep black color with very little head. The smell is nice with a full pressence of hops but not overwhelming by any means. The hops in the taste match the smell, present but not overwhelming. The India Ink is not too heavy. No need to stay away just because of it's color or it's IPA name. It feels great in the mouth and is actually quite drinkable. I say order it.

I am not totally sold on this Black IPA thing (can you have a Black Pale Ale?) but this one is pretty good. Pours dark black with a slight off color head. The aroma is hugely hoppy, dominated by the Simcoes. The flavor is like a big chewy pile of hops, particularly that intense citric simcoe. In fact, it is almost too much - you can almost taste the leafy, vegital leaves of the hop cones. The mouthfeel is thin with a little bit of carbonation.

Good, but not for the non-hophead.

India Ink, 5.7%, 62 IBUs, on tap at South Street brewery. Enjoyed several times, served in a traditional shaker pint.

Appearance: Arrives a dark brown beer capped by one finger of tan, cocoa-hued head with average retention. A fair amount of slightly runny but nonetheless sticky lacing hangs out over a fuzzy, soapy collar and a thin but uniform surface dusting.

Aroma: Perhaps this beer's best characteristic. A robust hop aroma - plenty of Amarillo leafyness accompanies the traditional citrus-pine punch of Cascade - accompanied by the slightest twinge of toasty malt-itude (that grows by orders of magnitude as it warms).

Taste: Very nice again - similar to the nose, but with more toast, coffee, and roast underneath a sea of leafy hop notes, slightly piney, faintly citrusy.

Mouthfeel: Nothing amazing but solid - fine carbonation in a medium body blends well with the flavor profile.

Drinkability: One of the better brews South Street has produced as of late. This one's relatively complex, very drinkable at 5.7%, and well-balanced. I hope for more of the same from them in the future.