Mai Tai: Black Label
Alvarado Street Brewery
- From:
- Alvarado Street Brewery
- California, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,208 - ABV:
- 10.5%
- Score:
- 91
Ranked #10,506 - Avg:
- 4.19 | pDev: 7.64%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 27, 2025
- Added:
- Dec 30, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
91
Outstanding
91
Outstanding
Black label is the Triple IPA version of Mai Tai PA, our flagship West Coast IPA. Like the original, it features 100% Mosaic hops, and is dry hopped throughout fermentation across multiple additions to amplify hop flavor and create layers of tropical fruit expression from a single hop variety. At 10.5%, you know you’re into something big, but it’s quite balanced and drinkable, and the high alcohol functions to absorb as many hop oils as possible to make this one of the biggest West Coast-style Imperial IPAs in our portfolio. It took us years to pull this one off!! Third attempt right here...
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by sjrider from California
4.25/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
On tap - clear golden straw color with short white head leaving scattered lacing. Nose is a mix of citrus and pine. Taste follows more or less with a bit of sweet malt and some lingering bitterness on the finish. Not as intense as I was expecting.
Nov 23, 2023
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington
3.58/5 rDev -14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
3.58/5 rDev -14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Pours a clear bright yellow with adequate foam in the Ommegang chalice. This is just weirdly sweet and juked up with alcohol. Does not attack the throat like a searing NE style, but it's about as subtle as a shot of cheap tequila, and actually that's not far off the flavor.
Nonetheless, the parts somehow stick together to a sippable but extravagant concoction. It's more about sugar and perfume with a tongue-mumbing alcohol content.
I don't know how they have crammed so much hop juice into this with such minor bitterness. It's a little woody in the aftertaste, but otherwise tastes like a hop cocktail straight up.From the 16 oz can purchased from City Beer. The inscrutable label just adds to the sadness. "Canned on 12/22/2020" on the bottom.
Feb 11, 2021Nonetheless, the parts somehow stick together to a sippable but extravagant concoction. It's more about sugar and perfume with a tongue-mumbing alcohol content.
I don't know how they have crammed so much hop juice into this with such minor bitterness. It's a little woody in the aftertaste, but otherwise tastes like a hop cocktail straight up.From the 16 oz can purchased from City Beer. The inscrutable label just adds to the sadness. "Canned on 12/22/2020" on the bottom.
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California
4.28/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.28/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Can poured into an Alvarado Street Brewery beer glass
A: Pours golden yellow with a slight chill haze and a frothy off white head that settles to a firm layer and leaves some nice lacing.
S: Almost over ripe and candied tropical fruit, light zesty citrus, a hint of pine, floral, faintly dank, biscuity malt, and caramel honey sweetness.
T: Ripe and almost candied tropical fruit and citrus, pineapple, guava, lemon, orange, papaya, mango, apricot, peach, blueberry, and melon, a little pine, floral notes, biscuity malt, and caramel honey sweetness.
M: On the fuller side of medium body, moderate carbonation, alcohol is basically completely hidden.
O: Triple IPAs don't usually get me all that excited, but I had to see what 3x Mai Tai was all about. I regret nothing. Super impressive brew. A lot of the fruity notes are soft and almost candied, but there is plenty of bitterness to keep it from getting syrupy. Not sure where they hid all that alcohol, but you sure can't taste or feel it.
Feb 06, 2021A: Pours golden yellow with a slight chill haze and a frothy off white head that settles to a firm layer and leaves some nice lacing.
S: Almost over ripe and candied tropical fruit, light zesty citrus, a hint of pine, floral, faintly dank, biscuity malt, and caramel honey sweetness.
T: Ripe and almost candied tropical fruit and citrus, pineapple, guava, lemon, orange, papaya, mango, apricot, peach, blueberry, and melon, a little pine, floral notes, biscuity malt, and caramel honey sweetness.
M: On the fuller side of medium body, moderate carbonation, alcohol is basically completely hidden.
O: Triple IPAs don't usually get me all that excited, but I had to see what 3x Mai Tai was all about. I regret nothing. Super impressive brew. A lot of the fruity notes are soft and almost candied, but there is plenty of bitterness to keep it from getting syrupy. Not sure where they hid all that alcohol, but you sure can't taste or feel it.
Reviewed by lucius10 from California
4.54/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.54/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Sweet tropical hoppy and tropical dank nose on this one! Taste follows with a sweet pineapple, tropical hoppy, and slightly piney bitter finish...this lingers a bit on the back of the throat. This is super clean and slightly dry at the end of the swallow...and it is very balanced between the sweetness upfront and bitterness on the backend. This is a great TIPA! Tasty and well done!
10/27/2022 Batch Review: Sweet pineapple tropical hoppy and hint of a piney, mosaic-dank nose on this one !
Taste follows with a pretty clean, piney-dank, and hoppy bitter finish. Nice bitter bite to this...it becomes more and more prominent as it warms. The ABV, however, never really gets out of balance or turn into booziness.
If I had to rank 'em, I think the 2021 batch was a touch more flavorful and the hop expression was more defined. This is still a tasty, well done triple! 4.35
Jan 17, 202110/27/2022 Batch Review: Sweet pineapple tropical hoppy and hint of a piney, mosaic-dank nose on this one !
Taste follows with a pretty clean, piney-dank, and hoppy bitter finish. Nice bitter bite to this...it becomes more and more prominent as it warms. The ABV, however, never really gets out of balance or turn into booziness.
If I had to rank 'em, I think the 2021 batch was a touch more flavorful and the hop expression was more defined. This is still a tasty, well done triple! 4.35
Reviewed by frankdatank1337 from California
4.5/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I'm too busy drinking this beer so imma keep it short. It's not a hazy but tastes like one. Strong citrus notes with a smooth mouth feel. You can't tell it's high abv
Dangerously great stuff, give it a try.
Jan 01, 2021Dangerously great stuff, give it a try.
Reviewed by bret27 from California
3.58/5 rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.25
3.58/5 rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.25
This is essentially Mai tai ipa scaled up to triple ipa level.
Not horrible but too sweet and boozy to be enjoyable for my palate.
Also doesn’t taste anything like mai tai, which I actually really liked.
Dec 30, 2020Not horrible but too sweet and boozy to be enjoyable for my palate.
Also doesn’t taste anything like mai tai, which I actually really liked.
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