Dirty Shame
LowDown Brewery + Kitchen

this is a quality black ipa, quite sturdy in its grain build and its hop complexion, but very drinkable and smooth, with lots of malt layers here and a very worldly vibe. its dry and its rich at the same time, a character i really admire in the style. lots of middle toasted and crystal type malts before the dark stuff, and they smartly cut off the dark grain before the roasted level, where bitterness might interfere with what the hops are trying to do. the hops are somewhat mild in bitterness, so too much roasty grain would be a distraction. some pine and some citrus in the hops, woody and earthy and bringing a nice dark chocolate cocoa note forward here from the malt. medium body in a full flavored beer keeps it pretty drinkable, pint went down real easy. i like the lingering hop flavor and only average bitterness, its more balanced than so many. lowdown flies under the radar, but they make better beer than so many other locals from a technical standpoint. its a cool vibe too and their food is good. why does nobody talk about this place?! one of my favorites from them so far.