India Pale Ale Black
The Kernel Brewery

Hoppsbabo from England

3.99/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Simcoe and Mosaic, fresh from the brewery.

Has that trademark piquant Kernel quality. Orangey marmalade with a slightly roasty backbone. Nice and tart. Otherwise, not much to say about it but it's very nice.

Oct 30, 2016

Spike from England

3.29/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 330ml brown bottle into an IPA glass. Now 6.6% ABV.

Dark brown rather than black (particularly noticeable when held to the light). One finger, creamy, tan head with staying power. Plentiful lacing.

Citrus plus sweet and toasted malts. A hint of chocolate. Nose starts like an IPA but evolves to a porter.

Very unusual taste. Resinous up front with a big malt follow-on. Like someone has mixed an American IPA with a London porter 50/50. This is not to my palate. The flavours are fighting each other.

Light to medium body. Mouthfeel is dry. Some zip from the alcohol and carbonation. Slightly boozy.

Not sure about this one. Seems unbalanced. Bit of a struggle in all honesty.

Mar 31, 2016

bark from Sweden

3.63/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

The colour is deep brown, like a Porter (80 EBC); the liquid is clear. The two finger head is pale brown and airy. It sinks down to a thin lid leaving some lacing.

The smell is bitter with roasted malts in the background. Lime and grape fruit juice, with a fruity sweetness. If I close my eyes, it smells more like an IPA than a stout (that is a good thing in my book). Lots of hops yet very balanced.

The taste is roasted with hints of charcoal and burned meats. Passing clean sweet notes, lemon, lime and grape fruits. Clean mid-strong bitterness. Fruity estery notes of jelly candy plus a hint of warming alcohol. Surprisingly light body. The aftertaste is bitter yet smooth with fruit candy, grape fruit juice and peels. Some roasted malts, hints of coffee. The long finish is bitter and fruity.

The carbonation is mild to medium strong, the shot-lived smooth bubbles are mid-sized. The liquid is light, almost watery.

A solid black IPA. If it hadn’t been for the strange lack of body. I don’t want an IPA at 6.7 % to be thin when I drink it.

Oct 26, 2014

gutbucket2 from England

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

330ml, bottle-conditioned.
A: dark reddish brown, lasting head.
S: citrus and aniseed
T: citrus, dark malt and aniseed.
M: light-med body, lingering aniseed.
O: superb flavoursome dark beer.

Oct 14, 2014