Blackberry IPA
Perrin Brewing Co.

5/5  rDev +33.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

What an interesting and refreshing IPA. I would have never thought of blending these two together, interesting profile this one creates and could almost be confused for a fruit and field beer. Another great one from the mitten and another great balance of brewed sweetness!

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3.66/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Taste: Refreshing fruity, semi sweet blackberry, juicy thirst quencher, with clean finish. Wild berry and malt nose. Reddish/Purple hue, clear with a tall pinkish foam head and ringed lace. Not overly hoppy, a bit candy fruit. 35 IBUs

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3.69/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours dark red. Foamy, medium, pink head fades fast.

Smells tart blackberry, citrus and candy fruit.

Tastes sweet blackberry, light lemon and candied fruit. Finish is semi sweet with light citrus bitterness. Lighter medium body and fizzy medium carbonation

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4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz can into Spiegelau IPA glass. No date but I believe this is older than suggested for consumption.

L: Pours a really beautiful rose water color, light red hued with a touch of orange, and a very light pink head of about a finger. Head has average retention but laces very well. Really a beautiful beer and the head is somewhat lacking in retention for the style but this is also an older can.

S: Very rich blackberry note right off the bat, with some underlying ripe fruit in there as well. Not overly strong, but mouthwatering and inviting.

T: Again, rich blackberry right away, almost some ripe grape underneath with that underlying fruit. Not bitter at all, very sweet and this could be considered a fruit beer to me. Very tasty. Not complex but quaffable.

F: Light, crisp, lingering fruity sweetness.

O: Really a nice beer, definitely not complex but the unique flavor and attractive color help this beer a lot.

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2.7/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Pours a pretty ruby red with an appealing but quickly dissipating head. Does not really taste like beer. Sickeningly sweet and syupy. The tartness is pretty nice but there's no sense of this being an IPA really.

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3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

for all the fruited ipa out there, i havent seen any with blackberry, so this is somewhat exciting, and a cool shift away from citrus. the beer is pretty good, but not better than any of the other perrin cans, they are solid beers but they have been a step below the stuff they barrel age and bottle. this is pretty blackberry heavy, juicy and tangy without being too sweet, and more importantly not interfering too much with this being an ipa. the hops still come through clear, citrusy, and very bitter, especially in the finish. the berries and the hops are a surprising but fantastic combination, the right kind of hops and the right amount of blackberries, i didnt expect this to taste so good. honestly, its the feel that throws me a little. its thin and super carbonated, almost feels more like a soda pop than a beer as a result, a fluffier, bigger feel would help this beer, but i do like all the carbonation keeping the fruit from getting too sweet. i think its as natural a fusion as their grapefruit ipa, and something a bit different. good use of the blackberries, they dont lose their identity, and i like it being so bitter later on. cool beer, an easy can to drink a few of.

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3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a can of Perrin's Blackberry IPA at Boyne Country Provisions. I've been meaning to try this one and it sounds interesting, so lets see how it goes. 2016 Vintage. Poured from a 12oz can into an IPA glass.

A- The can looks nice, it's got a nice clean look to it, but it isn't that eye catching. It poured a darker red color that took on more of an amber red color when held to the light with a little over a fingers worth of bubbly off white head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left a little spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the blackberries being the first to show up and they impart a nice and natural blackberry like aroma which seems to be the aspect that shows up the most in the aroma. Up next comes some doughy, sweet malt, grainy and biscuit like malt aroma. Up next comes the hops which impart a little bit of a floral hop aroma. This beer has a pretty nice aroma, the blackberry is showcased nicely.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the blackberry still being the first to show up and it imparts all the aspects that it did in the aroma and it's the flavor that sticks out the most in this beer. Up next comes a little tartness that goes into some doughy yeast which is followed by the malts which show up just as much as they did in the aroma and it imparts all the same aspects with the biscuit malts sticking out the most. On the finish there's hardly any hop flavors with hardly any bitterness with some sweetness taking it's place and it has a strong blackberry like aftertaste. This is a nice tasting beer, but it's a lot more blackberry than IPA and I wish it had a little better balance.

M- Smooth, a little refreshing, very crisp, a little prickly, a little clean, slightly cloying, medium bodied with a slightly higher amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is pretty nice and it works well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and a decent example of the style, it delivered on the blackberry aspect, but when it came to the ipa base i felt like it was lacking and when it came to the taste it was hard to detect it. This beer had nice drinkability, I could drink a couple of them. What I like the most about this beer this beer is the blackberry aspects it was nice and it didn't seem artificial. What I like the least about this beer is the ipa aspect, it hardly showed up and I wish it showed up more to bring a little better balance to this beer and make it live up to the name. I might buy this beer again if I was in the mood for a blackberry beer and I would recommend it to people looking for a blackberry beer, but not a blackberry IPA. All in all I liked this beer, but I didn't love it and I feel like if the IPA base showed up more it would be a very nice beer. It's not a favorite Perrin beer, but it is one of the better blackberry beers I've had. Nice job guys, but a little more hops would really take this beer to the next level.

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3.23/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I didn't add this beer, but it looks like I'm the first to review it. Speaking of firsts, I have had IPA's of many different fruits, but never blackberry before. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a rust color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of berries, little else. Taste is blackberry, sweet, not much of any hops to speak of. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall drinks much more like a fruit beer than an IPA.

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4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from my Oddside Ales glass, originally poured from a 12oz can.

Look: You could almost mistake this for an Irish red, as it has that color to it. The purple-tinged head gives it away, but if you didn't know you were looking at a fruit beer you might not notice. Crystal clear. The head is short lived and there's not really any lacing to speak of. Not an ugly beer by any means though (is there really such a thing?).

Smell: A strong scent of vague berry-ness. It doesn't seem specifically like blackberry; it reminds me more of the mixed-berry aroma of Short's Soft Parade. The bready malt is there, playing a supporting role rather than being the star of the show. All in all, reminds me of a more refined, adult version of Crunchberry cereal.

Taste: Yum. Again, berry is very upfront, with just enough malt to make it identifiably beery. The IPA aspect is not very noticeable until the finish, where it balances out the sweetness a bit with some pleasant bitterness. It's not unlike eating an actual blackberry, really: it's sweet, but not without some tartness to compete with it. I rather enjoyed this, as it comes closer to the experience of eating an actual piece of fruit than most, if not all, of the other fruit beers I've had.

Feel: Not thin, not heavy...just right. It's not so dense that you'd struggle to drink more than a couple, nor is it thin enough to come across as watery or insipid.

Overall: This may have the potential to dethrone Soft Parade as my favorite fruit beer. This is crazily well-balanced and delicious. The extra dose of hops really propelled this one to star status. It's nice to see an IPA that incorporates a fruit that isn't citrus for once. If you're in the mood for something moderately sweet, give this a go! Also, as others here have said, this would be a great transition-to-craft-beer beer for less adventurous folks. Would buy again, and often.

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3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A good summer drink. Sweet, not bitter or hoppy. A pretty purple/amber appearance with a fruity aroma. Don't think IPA when ordering this seasonal ale.

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3.35/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Had a purple look to it obviously from the blackberries. Beet should not look like grape juice. Smelled like sour grapes. Tasted like wine. No ipa qualities at all. I'm real tired of all the fruit ipas. I guess I'm a fan of the basics. If you like blackberries or really tart so called fruit ipas you may like this but I really didnt.

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4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I usually shy away from fruit beers since it means adjunct ingredients and usually cloying sweetness. But this beer challenged my assumptions about those styles. What blew me away about this beer was that it tasted like blackberries, was sweet, hopy, and had a noticeable malt character - and all of this was balanced (kinda reminded me of eating fruit cereal). The sweetness was not intense. It was mild, and very nice - and still tasted like an IPA. This beer might serve as a good segue into high quality beer for the less adventurous types. It's definitely worth a try from the connoisseurs as well.

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4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce can into pint glass, no can dating. Pours fairly crystal clear reddish orange color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense light pink head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lightly tart blackberry, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, honey, light caramel, toasted bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of juicy blackberries, citrus/pine hops, and moderate malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lightly tart blackberry, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, honey, light caramel, toasted bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate amount of pine/citrus rind bitterness and slight fruit tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of blackberry, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange peel, pine, honey, toasted bread, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of juicy blackberries, citrus/pine hops, and moderate malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately sticky, and lightly creamy/syrupy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 5%. Overall this is an excellent fruited IPA style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of juicy blackberries, citrus/pine hops, and moderate malt flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

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4.39/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light clear reddish purple from the can. The nose has a sweet light berry aroma. The body is juicy, sweet, and refreshing with a lightly tart finish. It's like blackberry juice. Really delicious!

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3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had an idea of what to expect after having their grapefruit ipa a while back. The fruit tastes more like a candy version than a fruit version. Not much hops to be found, so I quibble with the ipa label. Like the grapefruit version, I think a better marketing would be to call it a shandy. This one is like shorts soft parade, but with a bit sharper sour edge.

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3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a 22oz hefeweizen glass on tap it is a red pink amber crystal clear with a slight pink white head of 2 inches. Smell of blackberries, cherry, some citrus, floral, raspberry, and light light sweet malt. Taste is a sweet blackberry, raspberry, some lemony citrus, and a nice bitter earth. Slight slight biscuit malt and a fair amount of carbonation. It has a moderate mouth feel and moderate to light body. Very fruit forward but still not overly sweet, not really the best fruit ipa I've had but not bad at all.

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4.44/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thanks rudi...what a weird bird beer. pours a fairly stunning transparent rose with a soft frothy pink head. nose and taste is bkackberry. shocked this isn't just a vedgie beer...nothing ipa about it, that said it is delicious. one of the better blackberry beers I have had to date.

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3.69/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to rudzud

Huge fizzy bubbly head hits 4 fingers or so forcing many small pours at a time, fades quickly with messy lacing, hazy murky rosy candy orange red color.

Nose is big raspberry, fresh raspberry and a little blackberry, like a sweet candy blackberry, candy sugar, mild beer aroma, no real malt and just a bit of nondescript hop, into candy raspberry jam.

Taste brings big blackberry, sweet jammy blackberry, syrup and jam, with little seed, mild sweet candy malt, very little generic hop bitterness. Not really ipa at all. Finish sticky, syrupy, bitter tannin berry seed. As it warms finally a little cascade like hop character.

Mouth is med bod, sticky, little syrupy, way over carbonated.

Overall, well the berry way nice, but it gets a little bitter tannin, sticky sweet, but the real problem is the lack of any semblance of an ipa.

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3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Received in a trade shared with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice crystal clear berry juice hue, big fat off white pinkish head that fades to leave sticky lacing and thin wisps.

S - Aromas of juicy berry notes, tart raspberry, powdered berry smarties candy, lots of good fruit notes, sweeter notes. The tartness makes one think raspberry instead of blackberry. Really faint nondescript hops.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, lots of blackberry jam, like a cultivated blackberry. Very light bitterness on the finish. The berry notes are lots of powdered candies. Tasty fruit notes, however, not much hops though. Still, really fruity.

M - Mouthfeel is almost too carbonated. Almost a bit sticky.

O - Overall this beer was really unfortunate. As an ipa, this kind of fails due to the lack of hops. As a beer this is incredibly delicious. Love the blackberry notes here.

Serving: crowler

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