MechaRaven
Black Raven Brewing Co.

19.2oz can picked up at Safeway in North Spokane, WA
Poured into a Sisu IPA-style glass

P moderately hazy deep gold/orange w/ a 1f white head; heavy lace left behind
N soft to soft-med nose of candied fruit and a touch of resin; some bubble gum as it warms
T muddled sweetness throughout; candied orange and other fruitiness; neutral-ish bready malt; grapefruit in the finish/aftertaste; pleasant and satisfying, but admittedly tough to pull defined flavors
Mf med-full bodied w/ med carb
O while not a stand-out DIPA, I found it enjoyable; muddled for sure but has some decent elements

Review date: 02.28.26
Can date: not captured

Poured from a 19.2 ounce can dated 2-25-25 into a snifter.

Look- Deep gold, moderately hazy, plentiful visible particulate, creamy white head, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Pine resin, clementine, herbaceous, dank, between medium and high strength of scent.

Taste- Pine, sweet biscuit, clementine, herbaceous, medium strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, moderately astringent, mildly bitter, moderately creamy.

Overall- Deep gold with plentiful visible particulate and above average head retention and lacing. Bouquet was a pleasant mix of pine resin, clementine, herbal and dankness. The flavor had a robust maltiness and an unbalanced herbal/astringent character that detracted from the citrus and pine notes. Medium bodied with moderate astringency and only mild bitterness. Overall, astringency and herbal characteristics coupled with too big of a malt backbone detracted from the rating and experience.

 

BOD 10-8-2023 This beer pours a nice darker golden color with a medium head that stays for a while. Aroma is tropical citrus leaning more toward lemon. Nice solid malt body and hop flavor with hardly any bitterness. Nice solid BIG beer. Safeway purchase. Rated 5-17-2024 60 IBUs

Poured from 19.2oz stovepipe can into my Bell’s tulip. Canned 7/11/24.

Appearance: kind of a darkish orange hue with a bit of haze and a thick finger of frothy ivory foam atop, leaving a nice chunky lace on the glass. Not bad lookin’.

Smell: sweet malt with some herbally hops and lots and lots of lemon and/or lemongrass kinda aroma. Seriously, it smells like an Arnold Palmer. Downright fascinatin’, albeit not what I’m normally looking for in a DIPA.

Taste: sweet malt with not quite as heavy an iced tea thing going on as the aroma, but the lemony bitterness gives it a far more soapy type flavor than IPA type flavor. It’s not … OFF, per se, but it’s not my favorite flavor profile out there.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a good carbonation and creaminess. At least it’s got that going for it!

Overall: it’s not, like, disgusting. But I’m definitely not getting it again — even among conveninece store DIPA/TIPA stovepipes, there are many better options.

19.2 fl oz canned on 10/25/23. Served in a tulip. Orange amber, only mid clarity, with loads of white head formed in the glass. Aroma is a little bit piney and a little bit grapefruity. Old school DIPA, perhaps? Flavor has a good grapefruity bite. There's not a lot of complexity here, but the balance and drinkability are outstanding. A little bit more fruity on the palate: peach, apricot. There's sweetness, but malt is in a supporting role behind the fruitiness of the hops. Ok, maybe this beer really does have something to recommend it.

19.2oz can from Brewers Haven. Cloudy golden pour, soft foamy white head. Aroma is ripe fruit tropical, melon, pineapple. Taste continues with the ripe fruit and tropical flavors, cantaloupe. Very unassuming for a DIPA, approachable, fruity, gentle. Kind of dies off at the finish.

Clear handsome yellow amber brew with plenty of foam in the Stella Artois goblet. Orange juice aroma with blackberry jam. Plenty of suds on the tongue to help the stuff go down. Sugary and malty to the max. Really fruity in a jammy way. Peach and applesauce with some candy and a touch of alcohol. Not entirely bad, but mostly sweet, fruity, and tending toward the icky. I kind of miss the slightly but at least beery-tasting Olde English. From the 19.2 stovepipe can purchased at the supermarket. Dated but smudgy.