Reuben's Ink
Reuben's Brews

 

Appearance: Pours a brilliantly clear coffee color with a two finger ecru head; excellent persistence with patches of lacing

Smell: Dank and resinous, bringing charred pine and a hint of Wintergreen

Taste: Charred pine with hints of chocolate malt and Wintergreen with a resinous bitterness building, after the swallow; there is a touch of sweetened chocolate in the rear that keeps everything in balance

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: So happy to see this return as I have been waiting for years; a number of Black IPAs have disappointed me but I am very pleased by this one

22oz bottle served in a goblet. Beer pours perfectly pitch black with a thick mocha head. Aroma is rye-forward with grainy bitterness dominating any of the citrus and floral elements which might have come from dry hopping. Flavor is stronger, with the rye complemented by coffee, sappy hop oils, tannin, and an all-around bitterness which is still quite drinkable.

For my consideration this is more of a CDA which happens to use rye, rather than a rye IPA that happens to be black.
I love either formulation, and while this is no wookey jack, it's worth picking up a few.

 

 

 

Dark, dark chocolate color with a half knuckle, but very dense head. Excellent lacing. Aroma is mostly dark roasted grain and a faint trace of pine. Taste is surprisingly elegant in its layering, chocolate and espresso with the edge taken off and a creamy yet boozy finish, capped off by some pleasant citrus notes that I didn't get in the nose but showed up in the drink. Tons of invisible carbonation too, which throws off the creaminess a bit, but it's not a deal breaker. Overall, it's a nice bridge between porters and IPAs, or a good pick for when you can't decide what you want for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the BellinghamBeerZoo for the share. I'm not particularly into the whole Cascadian Dark Ale thing, and this may be the first Imperial version I tried. Nice enough beer, but nothing really stood out for me. Slight roast, nice hops, smooth body, easy enough drinkability. Might be more to your tastes than mine, give it a shot.

2016-01-22
22oz bottle served in a large mug. Date on the label might say 111015.

Pours like a pretty porter -- very dark, with a large light brown head. Smell is fruit juicy from arm's length on the pour, light roasty toastiness up close.

Taste is somewhat mild. Definite roastiness, but not a lot. Definite tropical juiciness, but not a lot. A couple of pulls and the roastiness builds into a bitterness.

Mouthfeel is just a little too effervescent to be called silky. Overall, not a bad beer at all.

Served On-Tap

A - Pours a deep dark brown hue into the glass, almost black, but not quite. There is a creamy coffee brown colored head that forms and leaves behind some quality rings of lacing along the inside of the glass with each sip.

S - Smell is initially very roasted and rich, big waves of dark chocolate and coffee bitterness, charred almost, there is a bit of a piney and herbaceous earthy hop profile to round things out, a hint of lemon as well.

T - Taste is pungent and roasted initially with big waves of dry cocoa powder and bitter dark chocolate, bitter espresso. Leads way to a boozy and rich earthy piney hop profile which is quite nice.

M - Medium bodied, almost undetectable ABV.

O - Very good overall, one of the best I've had from Reuben's a great display of flavor profiles and depths here.

 

Growler picked up 2 days ago at the brewery. Tasted 19 November 2015.

Pours dark brown, black and nearly opaque in the glass. Two fingers of creamy dense medium-tan head. Great retention and globs of lacing stuck to the glass. Outstanding.

Smells rather like a light hoppy stout. A bit of herbs and citrus, backed by thin roasty blackness. Like a diluted version of Stone's stellar Self-Righteous.

Taste is really good. Starts out rich and sweet, almost oaty, then turns to chocolate bitterness. Yum. A twinge of acrid bitterness in the finish is the only negative.

Feel is amazing. Fluffy and rich, but light at the same time. Carbonation is spongy. Lasting, leaving a smooth bitter remnant on the tongue.

I really like this. It has everything I want from the style, and more. Whatever is providing the sweetness and full mouthfeel, I dig it.

Here's yet another interesting variation on the IPA theme. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Chuck’s 85th St Market. Dark brown color with a thin foam, but lots of sharp carbonation on the tongue. Mouthfeel is silky, almost oily, but with an acidic scrape down the throat.

This is so unusual in its hop flavors. Something like wintergreen with a profound meaty taste. Dark roasted malt, with some burnt character. Bitter finish and more in the aftertaste. Very piney with some grapefruit flavor. Strong but highly flavorful. The dark taste is unrelenting, but the aromatics are just crazy–– leather, hot dogs, artichoke, leaf mold, lime peel.