Seal Team 6 Black IPA
Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria West

 

This beer must have been tweaked since the BA magazine review because it's well balanced, even leaning towards the malty/chocolate side of things, and not boozy at all. An excellent black IPA, one of my favorite beers from WBC. *had on tap at the brewery*

 

 

 

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam that retains well leaving a dense sheet of lacing behind. Aroma is roasted, toasted, charred, and bread malts with herbal, floral, and pine hops. Lovely aroma between the malts and hops with a mix of everything in there. Flavor profile is smooth, with notes of roasted, toasted, and bread malts working in harmony with herbal, pine, and citrus hops. Lovely blend and balance between the two. Mouth feel is velvety and smooth, but is a bit thin. Overall, a great black IPA with lovely malt and hop notes. It doesn't stretch itself too far in either direction offering up quality on both sides of the spectrum.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 12oz can.

 

 

12oz can. Poured a jet-black color with a large, tan head of foam. It smelled of roasted malt, black coffee, dark chocolate and toffee. So much roasty flavor with chocolate and coffee notes. Nice and bitter!

L: Black body and dark red around the edges where light comes through. 2-3 finger foamy tan head.

S: Fruity hop aroma with some mild dark malt.

T: Fruity up front giving way dark roasted/burnt malt flavors. Dark chocolate and coffee notes. Some pine and citrus from that hops. Finishes very bitter.

F: Creamy and full bodied. Dry, bitter finish that lingers for a long time and some warming alcohol.

O: I've only had a few black IPA's, but I am a fan of the style. This one is very good, but the finish is just a little too much on the bitter side for me. It's not so bitter that it ruins it for me, though. It has a good balance between the fruity IPA flavors, and the dark chocolate/coffee flavors.

Roasty, Fruity, Bitter, Boozy

Pours an opaque black with ruby hues and a three-fingered beige head. The aroma is faint with some roast and fruity hop notes. It has a super creamy, chewy body and it’s prickly on the tongue. Roasty malts offer chocolate, coffee, caramel and semi-sweet flavors plus a tangy hint of molasses. Bready with some dark and tropical fruitiness, too. Quite bitter and raw with notes of pine, mint, and a touch of citrus pith. The finish is bone-dry, acrid, and astringent with a warming, boozy linger. Seal Team 6 is a very assertive Black IPA. Good, but it either needs a maltier backbone to help balance out the hops, or they should be dialed back a bit.

As reviewed in BeerAdvocate magazine #120 (January 2017).

 

 

Pours a deep brown, close to black with a fluffy two finger off white head. Aroma is straight citrus and tropical fruits. Taste follows with citrus, tropical fruits, and roast malt with chocolate and coffee notes. Mouthfeel is medium and has a bit of a warming booziness. Overall, a pretty darn good black ipa. I would like a bit less bitterness from both hops and malt, but good overall.

 

 

 

Revisited 5-18-17