Evil Conscience
Innocente Brewing Company

 

500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery; served at cellar temperature.

Pours black as night, producing one inch of puffy, light beige-coloured froth at the surface. Good retention; it wilts slowly but steadily over the next ten minutes or so, leaving behind plenty of beautiful lace as it recedes into a lumpy cap and foamy collar. Enticing aroma; roasted malts, caramel and molasses are well-accounted for, in addition to black coffee and dark chocolate notes. Rather piney, too, with faint hints of grapefruit citrus and earthy tree bark, with perhaps a touch of anise. Nothing out of place so far.

Tasty stuff, but not particularly remarkable, otherwise. Roasted grains make up the bulk of the initial profile, with dark-roasted coffee and cocoa interacting nicely with the sweet molasses and caramelized sugar flavours. There's also a touch of tropical fruit/pineapple. Resiny pine and pithy grapefruit provide a pleasant bitterness toward the latter end, which really ramps up in the finish - herbal and earthy at first, but progressing into an almost charry astringency by the time you reach the aftertaste. Lots of lingering, roasty bitterness - almost a bit too much. Medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation levels and a fairly smooth, slick feel on the palate. Not too difficult to knock back, but the relatively aggressive, lingering bitterness lowers its drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.76, eking out a B+. It's easy to appreciate this glass of Evil Conscience, but nothing about it is really wowing me. The bitterness is there, that's for sure - but it could use a sturdier malt backbone, as the hops manage to completely overwhelm what's there. Of course, that's just personal taste - if you just want something that tastes mildly roasty and well-hopped, look no further. A well-made, unremarkable, unbalanced black ale that I'd drink again, but wouldn't consider worth seeking out.