Carpe Noctem
Naked Brewing Company

While home at Chez Woody in self-quarantine, I have been making a concerted effort to really clear out some of the backlog, especially the Bottle (!) Backlog. These last several have been bombers that were purchased & simply set aside in covered cardboard box. 8=( That is part of my downfall - bottled beers in cardboard boxes & CANs in cardboard 6-pack carriers: I can't see what I've got & so - out of sight, out of mind begins to apply. After three consecutive Pumpkin Beers (by design), I am ready for a beer!

From the Bottle: "Carpe Noctem Black IPA".

I Pop!ped the cap & began a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass. Here was another beer that seemed very anxious to escape its confinement, rushing up to greet me as it formed two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rock, deep-brown head with excellent retention. It looked like a chocolate milkshake! 8=O Color was Very Dark Brown to Black/Opaque (SRM = > 34, < 44) with garnet highlights at the edges. Nose smelled like a liquefied Girl Scout Thin Mint! 8=O My problem with this style has always been that the dark roasted malts get in the way of the all-important hops. Here, time seems to have allowed the two factions to meld more cohesively. We shall see. Mouthfeel was medium, about on par for an IPA. The taste, while still quite roasty, allowed for a pleasantly cool mintiness to be perceptible. It was not as Thin Minty as the nose had led me to hope for, but it was still much more pleasant than many in the style that I have had in the past. I really liked the way that it had held up. Given a previous review, I was expecting a watery mess, but that was not the case at all. I still dislike the overt roastiness, but if even Stone could not find a happy medium/balance, then I do not think it fair that I would expect a much smaller brewery to be able to do so. I got a light smokiness as it began to warm, accompanying the dark chocolatiness of my initial taste. The mintiness remained static throughout, but at least I could taste the hops. Finish was dry, pleasant and certainly better than current ratings would indicate. YMMV.

Nice roasty quality in the nose that follows through in the taste and combines wonderfully with a sweet, floral hoppy presence.
HOWEVER.
This beer is watery as all hell. It's like 60% black IPA and 40% tap water. Absolutely kills what could be a wonderful beer.