Long Black Veil
Port City Brewing

Pitch black with tan head, excellent retention, rings of lace
Roast, char, and slight pine aroma
Really roasty, some dark chocolate, bits of pine and grapefruit on the finish
Medium-heavy bodied with appropriate carbonation
As much as I dig it, it's a hoppy porter, not a black IPA

16 ounce can poured into a Spiegelau wheat beer glass.
Canned 10/9/23

Piney and citrus hop aromas erupt from the large tan head. The thick foam is rocky and rather persistent, covering the near black pour for the duration. Piney and zesty hop flavor leads, supported by roasted malt. Bitterness is on the high side and it’s fairly dry. Medium body, medium-high carbonation, smooth feel. Nice well balanced Black Ale.

This is a really good beer from a very good local brewery. The taste is caramel toasty with an ample amount of hops. Good mouth feel and a pleasant aftertaste. I like going to this brewery for their variety pack and I always taste a new beer while in the tasting room. After tasting I added a few cans to my variety pack. For any type of beer you like, this place has a solid entry. Luckily I live only 5 miles from the brewery so I get to sample often. If you are in the area a good place to stop by. You won't be disappointed, Only downside is the lack of food. There are food trucks on the weekend (Rocklands BBQ is excellent), but the options are limited.

Pours a dark color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has roasted caramel, citrus and pine hints
Taste has a roasted caramel, citrus and pine flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Black IPA

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours with an impressive bubble show that builds a three finger tan head over the translucent coffee colored liquid; excellent retention with shards of lacing

Smell: Charcoal and chocolate with resinous pine tones and a hint of grapefruit

Taste: Charcoal and grapefruit connect on the front end with a hint of chocolate layering underneath; through the middle, the resinous pine flavors blast forward and bring bitterness to the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: I haven't had a Cascadian Black for quite some time and this is a nice change of pace; a little more malt sweetness would benefit the flavor profile

From the shoulder of the bottle: "BOTTLED ON 01/14/20 121325"

Appearance: It's a black bodied beer with visible chunks as it is poured. The head is short and light tan. There are a lot of clumps in this beer and they are clearly visible through the black body.

Aroma: A pine aroma that is intertwined with a burnt caramel rests beneath the nose. It is nice.

Taste: Pine, roasted grains, and burnt marshmallow. These flavors are consistent throughout the sip.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with a medium roasted bitterness and good carbonation.

Overall: Aside from the appearance the beer has a pretty average Black IPA character. I would probably try it again if it was fresh from a keg. I would recommend it but check your glass for large chunks first.

 

Port City knows how to make high quality beer while staying out of the Hipster hype machine. This American black IPA really nails the style to near perfection. It’s harsh and chewy and has that balance between sweet dark chocolatey malts and high IBU hops. I love this change of pace.

 

 

 

Poured a pitch black with a robust 1" beige head of foam that lingers. Scent is all hops up front with a refreshing piney scent and notes of citrus that reminds one that spring is just around the corner. A bit of malt comes across too, but too subtle for me to pick up exact feels beyond roasted. Taste is surprisingly malty (notes of coffee and dark chocolate) to start with and rounds nicely into a taste that matches the scent. Feel is a bit heftier than medium bodied with a lingering piney bitterness. While stouts and porters are great in winter, this is a nice taste of things to come.

 

Great looking pour. Big frothy head on top of a glassy black beer.

Smells and tastes very balanced. Roasted, light charred malts, dark chocolate, and orange and grapefruit like citrus and pine with a substantial bitterness.

Body may border on the almost too heavy side, but a nice fullness. Some oily resin lingers.

I was always a fan of Black Ales and this is just as good as most of the better ones.

12oz bottle into a Teku glass

Look: Pours an incredibly dark brown, bordering black, minimal lightening around the edges to a color closer to cola when held to light. Thin tan head fades to a soapy ring, leaving some spotty lacing behind.
Smell: Light chocolate and roasted malt, A little bit of citrus on the end lightens up the darker aromas. A rather muted nose.
Taste: Much more robust but largely follows the smell. A good backbone of chocolaty, roast malt supports lighter notes of grapefruit and orange with a nice bitter earthiness throughout.
Feel: Medium body, relatively light but persistent carbonation. Very dry finish.
Overall: Excellent Black IPA, great seasonal release. Balance is just right!

Bottle 12/20:
Pours nice and dark, befitting the black IPA moniker. The head is a rich-looking medium tan that leaves a little less lacing than initially expected.

Nose leans on the near charred nature of the malts, with a little bit of floral hops and a dash of pine spiciness. The taste is a little more balanced, with a chocolatey malt note countered by a mix of char and pine bitterness. The chocolate morphs from a bitter dark chocolate to a more dark cocoa as the beer rolls over the tongue and a smooth feel comes about. There is a note that lightens the flavors a tad. It's hard to pin down but some mix of orange or sweet grapefruit comes to mind.

For an IPA, the hops don't drive the train here, but share the stage with the dark malts. The fairly bold malt flavor may be to blame, but the 65 IBUs don't tear at your tongue. Even though the malt flavor is a big player, the beer is fairly dry, and that may be the key to my enjoyment of this balanced Cascadian dark ale.