Holy Smoke
IronHouse Brewery

Had on-tap at GABS 2013 in Melbourne: a smoked India Black Ale.

Pours a hazy brown colour, very light in the body and looking rather dead. Head forms a very minimal sheen of whitish dullness on the top that leaves just a few specks of lace. No carbonation. It looks a little unappetising.

Nose is pleasant: smoke and piney resin coming through. Bacon bits mingled with eucalyptus. That's pretty much it, in fact it feels a little one-dimensional overall, but I find it pleasant enough.

Light smoky entry on the palate. A little bit light with a touch of water. Mid-palate has some spice, almost a weizeny phenolic character, before the hops get more of a look-in at the back: some spick, resin and a bitterness that drops out before the aftertaste. On the finish is a pleasant heady sweet bacon smoke character.

Feel is a tad too light.

Overall, though, this is good stuff. It's interesting, it develops in the mouth, and it has some pleasantly balanced flavours. I'm a fan.

Pours a brown colour with slight cloudiness. Pale cream-coloured head, webbed out sparsely and not really retaining or leaving any lacing behind. Bit listless.

Smells smokey, and meaty. Bit of sourdough-tinged malt and touches of spice but it's just all smoked meat otherwise. Nice, but not really black IPA character.

Fairly malty on the palate. Caramel, with again a touch of sourdough. Big smoke comes through almost immediately, meaty and billowing. Pleasant character again but no real IPA-ness, some hops on the back might have taken this in weird and potentially amazing directions.

Body is OK, but the carbonation comes through very strongly, almost sharply.

More of a marketing issue than anything else. Not a bad beer at all, but it's all smoke so should be sold as just a smoked beer. Putting IPA in the style name just doesn't help my perception of this at all. It's just not what it's sold as.