Pinesnarl Ale
BRU Handbuilt Ales

this is a nice beer, a real good black ipa type in fact, but its missing the one thing thats supposed to make it interesting, and the very thing that compelled me to order it, and that is the spruce, its just not there. the base beer is a nice lighter bodied fully flavored black ale, lots of hops, west coast, woody, dank, but the spruce is absent, and after a goose chase for it, i come up skunked. this aspect needs to be ramped up several times to make this what it claims to be, and where other beers from these guys have been successful for their use of creative ingredients very subtly, this one fails for the same reason. there isnt even a hint a spruce in the final product, and that disappoints me tremendously. all that said though, this is still one of the more well made beers in the house, is just doesnt come as advertised. lighter body keeps it drinkable, and there is a ton of hop flavor, even vegetal spinachy and healthful, but i leave unfulfilled because i want spruce and i dont get it.

 

 

On tap at the brewery. Looks like a porter, black with brown head. This was described as a Cascadian ale with spruce tips (I think). Ok. Citrus aroma, roasted malts.flavor was citrus, pine (or was it spruce?), and roasted flavors. An above average black IPA and one I might order again.