The Great Dismal Black IPA
O'Connor Brewing Co.

The Great Dismal Black IPAThe Great Dismal Black IPA
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From:
O'Connor Brewing Co.
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 11.08%
Reviews:
70
Ratings:
227
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 03, 2020
Added:
Nov 20, 2010
Wants:
  13
Gots:
  53
The Great Dismal Black IPA, named after the wildlife refuge.
The Great Dismal Swamp, in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, once used as a part of the Intracoastal Waterway, is a dark, full bodied ale, extensively hopped both in bittering and aroma.
"Great with bold hop flavor, Dismal in color, Delicious all around" ~ 7.5% ABV 65 IBUs
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ThomWade:
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Rated by ThomWade from Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.1%

Feb 13, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Aug 03, 2020
Photo of PathofChaos
Reviewed by PathofChaos from Maryland

3.94/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance:
Dark brown maple, almost black. Big frothy cappuccino colored head.

Bouquet:
Roasted malts, coffee, and wheat with hops camouflaged behind it.

Feel:
Mild carbonation, stout-like smoothness, medium bodied.

Taste:
Mirrors the bouquet on impact: toasted malts and dark wheat accompanied by a crescendo of mild hops. A ghosting of coffee, oats, and caramel in the aftertaste.

Overall:
Better than I expected for my first black IPA. I'm not always in the mood for hops so it was nice to discover they're quite mild in this brew. If you're in the mood for a stout but want something a little different, try Great Dismal Black, its delicious.
Dec 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Velivolus from Vermont

Nov 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by OKCNittany from Oklahoma

Aug 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.98 by tpauer from New Hampshire

Aug 01, 2019
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Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland

3.82/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
12 oz. bottle poured into a villibecher.

Nice black ale. Pours dark and murky with an inch of solid tan foam which leaves good lace. The aroma is malt forward, roast, caramel and bread. Hop aromas are subdued. Taste is similar, bitter and roasty with small hop character. The medium body has (in my opinion) a satisfying feel for the style, smooth, a bit soft and creamy with low astringency. I am hoping to get a fresh six of this and revisit.
Jun 23, 2019
Photo of Nephilium
Reviewed by Nephilium from Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Aroma is heavy with roast and resin, pours a nearly opaque dark brown with a thin tan head. Roasted notes come through first, fading to a nice lingering bitterness. There's a hint of bittersweet chocolate, and earthy notes from the hops. Moderate body, and quite good overall.
Jun 18, 2019
Photo of paging12
Reviewed by paging12 from Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Great look, jet black, tan head, about a half-inch, retreating to a thin lacing coating the glass.
The smell is average, nothing too remarkable. Good balance between hops and malt.
The taste is smooth, again, good balance between hops and toffee malts. There is definitely a lingering hop bitterness.
Heavier mouthfeel, coats the mouth.
Overall a decent beer, very drinkable, good balance between hops and dark malts.
Feb 24, 2019
Photo of DanO1066
Reviewed by DanO1066 from Maryland

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Draught pint at DuClaw "The Mills" in Anne Arundel. A bit warmer (60s), so I went a little lighter (vice my usual "Bad Moon" Robust Porter). There seems to be some disagreement in the reviews as to whether this is more hoppy or more malty/roasty. I'm going to agree, unfortunately,with those who argued hoppy.
Feb 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.64 by vland from Virginia

Dec 01, 2018
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Rated by kjones6 from Virginia

3.24/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
A good, drinkable beer. The beer had good flavor notes but I was not overly impressed.
Dec 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.09 by Rockhead from Virginia

Sep 15, 2018
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: It pours dark brown with a tan head. Head retention is low.

Smell: It has some stone fruit and citrus notes to start out with. There are some very low background roast notes. There are also some moderate fruity esters.

Taste: It has a sweetness in the initial flavor that is somewhat candy like. In addition there are some citrus, caramel, and stone fruit flavors. There is also a very slight coffee note in the background.

Feel: It has a moderate body with slight creaminess. The alcohol warming in noticeable, but pleasant.

Overall, this is a fruity, sweet IPA with the dark malts being in the background.
Aug 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.67 by jimpyle48 from Virginia

Aug 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by guzzleacoldone from Ohio

Jul 10, 2018
 
Rated: 2.97 by yaksurf from North Carolina

Jul 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by bigred89 from Maryland

Jul 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.56 by MGibbons from Maryland

May 31, 2018
Photo of dbrauneis
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina

3.69/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a clear but almost opaque dark cola brown in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising quickly along the edges of the glass and moderate chestnut brown + faint amber colored highlights. The beer has a three finger tall dense sudsy foamy tan head that slowly reduces to a medium sized finger tall pillowy cap surrounded by a large patch of thick film covering the remainder of the surface and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Just shy of moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of lightly roasted malts with hints of chocolate + caramel malts and a light amount of caramel sweetness. Light to moderate aromas of earthy + herbal + pine/resin + citrus/grapefruit pith hops.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of lightly roasted malts with hints of chocolate + caramel + charred malts and a light amount of caramel sweetness. That is followed by light to moderate flavors of earthy + herbal + pine/resin + citrus/grapefruit pith hops which impart a light to moderate amount of lingering bitterness.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light hints of dryness in the finish.

O: Easy to drink due to the lightness of the body and the well hidden alcohol but not sure I would grab this one again - I like my Black IPA (American Black Ale) to have a little more hop presence to match up with the roasted/charred malts and this one was not quite intense enough in the hoppiness for my palate.
May 27, 2018
The Great Dismal Black IPA from O'Connor Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 227 ratings