Black Mirror
Vintage Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A-black with the slightest bit of dark ruby glimmer when held to the light. With an off white head and tons of lacing, its an ominously tasty lookin brew.

S-a lot of roastyness and ash aroma here. Subtle pine in the mix too. Interesting smell. I expected a little more hops but its still nice. Almost like a porter and ipa mixed.

T-a very nice black ipa. Traditionally, the roasted barley flavor would be far less noticeable than it is in dark mirror. The burnt toast flavor really sticks out with some sweet toffee too. The piney hop flavor is most present in the lingering flavor. While not exactly the quintessential black ipa, its really nice. 8.2%abv too? Where's the booze??

M-somewhat light bodied. Medium carbonation and a slick, oily mouthfeel. Very enjoyable.

O-this is a good beer. If you're at vintage and its on tap, give it a go. Plenty of roasty, sweet flavor and piney hop aroma. Sure to please any hop head or stout afficianado.

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a fudge brown color topped by a modest cap that leaves some strands of lace behind

Smell: Very roasty, with burnt toast and piney pith elements

Taste: Roasty malt flavors, up front, with the burnt toast joined by pine and pith through mid-palate; plenty of char and pith flavor lingers in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A very edgy black IPA with aggressive malt and hop elements

When I went to the Vintage for dinner yesterday I was informed that they were doing the very first trial runs on tap of Black Mirror, their brand new "West-Coast Style Black IIPA." So of course I grab myself a piece of paper and a pint to document this new offering for this website.

According to the staff, this is made from a blend of malts similar to what they use for their stout. The hop bill is also said to include Cascade, Magnum, and Simcoe. ABV is 8.2%.
It is an opaque brown so dark that it is almost black, fooling you until you shine a light directly on it, the head leaves behind mild lacing. I would have liked if better if it were truly black since the word is in the name, but oh well. Smells of floral hops, very strong grapefruit peel, and all the burnt coffee malt and nuttiness you'd expect from stout malts. The mouth puckers somewhat around the juicy hops on unsweetened cocoa with brief moments of hazelnuts and whispers of smokiness. The finish is really quite dry and full of black coffee flavor tones. Not so much a thirst-quencher as it is a sipper. Reminds me a lot of how Trout Hop Black IPA drinks, and I recommend it. Now if only it were truly black colored....