Kooinda Black IPA - Full Nelson
Kooinda Boutique Brewery

Bottle. Pours out black with a nice full beige head. Gentle roast grain aroma, fuller taste without overdoing the bitterness. Semi-sweet chocolate lingers.

 

 

 

330ml bottle, poured into half pint glass

L - very dark brown -almost black. Pours a decent sized frothy head that lasts a while. Some bottom settling sediment - medium sozed, pale brown, almost like yeast.

S - Some roasted malts and burnt coffee, but i'm impressed with the strong grassy and fruity hops smells - think tropical fruits (mango, passionfruit).

T - burnt bitter coffee and roasted malts upfront, but the hops quickly dominate this - very fruit, both tropical (mango, passionfruit) and stone fruit (peach).

F - full bodied for style, almost chewy texture.

O - enjoyable brew - very hop dominated.

 

After the rather decent Milk Porter by Kooinda I really couldn't resist a Black IPA, having never tried any Black IPAs I really felt obliged to myself to taste one - Kooinda used some clever marketing there... maybe I should invent a White Stout then? [Too late Durham already brew a White Stout, dammit!] Well anyway I'm going to hoe into this Black IPA with the gusto that only a man who wanted to be the first to brew a White Stout does... and sob quietly to myself because my brilliant idea has been taken already.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: It wasn't kidding about its name - it is indeed black-ish, not ace of spades jet black but close enough, with a tan head that retreats to a thin lacing (it's an ABV thing).

S: Wow and you're expecting some Stout notes but all you get is straight American IPA pine/citrus hops... very interesting - like your pet German shepherd surprising you in the morning with a poodle haircut. There is a toasty biscuit base as well along with a tiny hint of cocoa, however for all intents and purposes my nose thinks this is an IPA, and my nose usually knows these things.

T: Then the flavour hits you right in the senses with an unseen note of smoke on the fore, followed by roasted coffee, biscuit malt and that expected pine/citrus hop finish. It's the smoke that really comes out of nowhere, if I was blindfolded and given this in a tasting I wouldn't know what to make of this - IPA? Stout? Rauch? Pale Ale? It has a bit of everything.

M: Medium bodied with a touch of resin stickiness and a light carbonation.

D: Talk about four beers in one glass. Ok, great, let's talk about the negatives as well - obviously it's a bit all over the shop and it doesn't know where to go "But that's the idea, duh!" I hear you saying, yes to an extent it is the idea, however it says "Black IPA" on the label not "Black IPA/Stout/Rauchbier/Pale Ale" which is to say though: I still do like Dr Frankenstein's grotesque monster of a man, I was just trying to find some negative to outweigh the positives of this fine tasty Ale.

Food match: This is a banquetesque drop fit for King Henry's hall of heady smoke, sweet blancmanges and roasted pheasant... preferably drunk in this situation from a Medieval pewter goblet.

Big and bold black IPA, full of flavour and a great example of the style

aroma: roasted malt and winey fruit predominate

taste: chocolate, winey fruit, peach, mango and stone fruit

a top quality Australian brewery - have been impressed with all the beers I've tasted from this brewery so far

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours black with a large, dark tan head.
Nose shows masses of passion-fruit, peaches, grapes and pineapple, but with a real sweet edge. Like smelling a bag of jelly snakes! Crazily fruity. Underneath is lots of caramel and some faint roasted malt.
Similarly fruity and sweet flavours, but soon afterwards the roasted malt enters, with soft coffee notes and a resounding, bold bitterness.
Carbonation could be higher, body feels quite thick and syrupy.