Black Muddy River
Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon

Having this on tap at the brewery, this beer draws a clear, Very dark brown, almost black color it with some booty highlights around the edges on held up to the light. Head is about 1/3 of an inch thick one first drawn and served. Head settles quickly to a thick ring lining the inside of the glass at the beer’s surface along with a nice film layer of surface foam. Aromas of some roasted, bready malts roasted, with some dank, resinous, piney, floral, earthy hop notes. A very similar flavor profile, with the roasted, bready malts that give way to the dank, resinous, piney, floral, and earthy hop notes that certainly dominate the flavor profile here, and that’s just fine. Has a crisp, also smooth, medium bodied mouthy with moderate carbonation. Has a slightly dry and roasted finish, and all of the flavors linger nicely on my palate for a long time after each sip. A very nice take on the style of beer.

 

 

Poured from a growler into a tulip
A: Pitch black with a 1/2-finger head
S: Dark malts, coffee, hop pine
T: Again leads with dark malts, coffee and cocoa in the middle, then a pine/floral finish
M: Medium to full-bodied, bitter
O: As usual Fat Heads does IPAs well. Worth a try

The dark, roasted malts never really find their place in the concoction - just a mild punch upfront, then it really is just an average PNW IPA - Some oily Mosaic / centennial vibe, not much else going on

 

Dark but clear cola brownish-red with a creamy off-white collar leaving tons of bacterial mat-like lace.

Smell is musty dank pine and rug with biscuit, cocoa, toffee and peanut wafer.

Taste is lightly smoked cocoa and tobacco with pine wood, grapefruit, and a pungent dankness.

The medium body has a mild froth, and finishes semi-dry.

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Revisiting in 2024, I find it very roasty, perhaps moreso than before, but still with that hint of smoke, while the bitter pine takes a backseat, though that increases a touch after the swallow.

I gave this a 3.42 originally, but find it to be solid now, though it's more like a hoppier porter instead of an in your face black IPA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a sample sized pour at the Saloon

Looks great. Nice frothy tan head on top the black body.

It has some chocolate and roasted/ashy malts with a bit of pine and citrus hops. It leans a little more toward the porter type flavor than the ipa side. Great body. Full and fluffy/airy. Solid beer

 

32oz growler filled at Fat Head's Tap House in Middleburg Hts., Ohio

Growler poured into a tulip. Pours almost black with a big fluffy khaki head that falls leaving great retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have a nice amount of citrus and pine along with some cocoa and roasted malts. Subtle hints of chocolate in the mix. Slightly floral as well. It smells nice, but it's not as overpowering as I was expecting. The flavors follow the nose. Lots of grapefruit and lemon along with some orange in the finish. Soap notes are there. More fresh pine along with some fresh grass. Some chocolate in the mix. Slightly roasty. Solid malt backbone. The malts blend well with the hops. Solid hop bitterness with nice hop flavors. Alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is very nice. It's full-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's very fluffy, smooth and easy to drink.

This is a nice "Imperial Black IPA". The craftsmanship is impressive and on point. It's not quite a black version of Hop JuJu, in my opinion, but it's still good nonetheless. Well done. Definitely worth checking out if you come across it.