Raven's Cloak
BuckleDown Brewing

 

 

 

Taste: spiced deep malts with a balance of bold hops. Smoother than i expected. Black/brown in color, semi clear, nice lacy head to glass.
Dark roasted grains and hop nose. Medium full body. Hop acids to linger in the finish.

 

 

 

Pours brownish black with a sharp clarity when held to the light. Sheets of tan lacing around the edges of the glass, long lasting coverage.

Aroma is earthy, full of piney hop spice and minor roastiness.

Taste is resiny and bitter with a mild roast malt presence. Slightly oxidized cardboard note comes out too unfortunately. Somewhat thin bodied. Overall it was ok, plenty of hop bitterness, but the body falls a little flat.

This is the Disney World of beer experiences -- rye, dark, hops, and more. As a hop-head, I really appreciate the hops in this. I don't think it's overpowering at all, but it takes you a second to realize you are not drinking a traditional porter or stout -- it's an IPA. My only issue is that the rye is too subtle. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed this beer, but I yearn for more dark rye taste in this beer.

Regardless, the balance of flavors in this beer, and incredible smoothness, along with a nice balance of bitter and roast makes this a great beer. A little more rye, and this thing is a favorite for many.

Kudos for good imagination with this brew, though. My yearning for more rye is a compliment, really.

 

 

i figured out where all the hops i was missing in fiddlesticks went, the went right into this beer! this is a super hoppy black ale, with a slick roasty mouthfeel and a ton of hops, making it both very bitter and loaded with pine aromatics. its a cool complexion, especially in the winter, and the density of the dark grain really comes through, this is pretty thick for an ipa type, but it really works. maybe some oats in here too. the hops start and finish bitter, and that piney thing isnt really part of the flavor, but i do get a light citrus peel character toward the end. bitterness double jeopardy almost brings this down, but there is a touch of balancing sweetness to stop it just short of that point. easy enough to drink a glass of this, but its low carbonation would prevent me from having multiples even though the abv is low. cool little brewery here, i have liked all i have tasted from them.