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LowDown Brewery + Kitchen

 

 

 

a collaboration they did with elevation and with some experimental hops from lagunitas. a huge black ipa, not as bitter as many of them are, very fresh, but also somewhat generic in the sense that the hops cant be appreciated as anything real unique in here, which is what i kind of look for when i hear experimental varietals are in something. still, its a well made beer and a sturdy one, frothy headed and shiny black from the tap, an aroma of burnt toast and black coffee meets a little caramel and european maltiness in the middle, and then the hops, which have pine and dark berries to them i think, but the roast is powerful enough that its hard to tell. the flavor is like that too, a nice big grain build that has some earth and spice and char to it, but its bold enough that its at the expense of the hops, which are lightly fruity and especially bitter, some centennial type pine and lumber here too, green and bitter, but its the dark grain that carries the flavor through the finish, faint smoke and coffee grounds to it. the mouthfeel is better than the flavor, its long and smooth, almost creamy and soft for how robust the flavor is, this aspect is really dialed in, and the carbonation is there too, which keeps this from being too enormous. overall a cool collaboration and a solid beer, i think a poor showcase of whatever the hops were supposed to add, but good stuff overall. not enough black ipa types around anymore...