Divine Vamp 3
Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom

2025-05-30
On tap at Beer Club Popeye. 9oz pour.

Pours dark brown, slightly clear, maybe just translucent. Almost. Small head, tons of carbonation. Smell is very roasty, coffee and burnt chocolate, but something soft and welcoming...which is booted out by the aggressively roasty bitterness of the flavor (which I appreciate). Coffee and ash is dominant, maybe some toasted nuts. Mouthfeel is soft, but very very dry. Overall, nice, very pleasant, and relatively low ABV.

Had this on tap at Popeye's in Ryogoku, Tokyo. Can't begin to really say how much I loved this black brew. I will need to go check it out again at either the Baird Taproom or Popeye's because I haven't found it on tap since. Very very dark... like squid ink... with an ale taste that is deceptive. One would think that it would be a chocolaty/roasted/coffee flavor like that of a Guinness or a stout, but it is strictly an ale! Lots of hops and grain with notes of wood in this... lots and lots of wood, but not in a burnt stout way. The taste is alive on multiple levels, and continues to change as the brew warms. I even detected notes of licorice in here (which I normally hate in alcohol), but it worked in this brew. Definitely recommended!

On tap at Popeye's in Tokyo. A great mix between an IPA and a much darker brew (perhaps a porter), and perhaps a prime example of the new 'black' IPA / Cascadian Ale category.

As black as a moonless night, with a finger of off-white head which never faded. Sheets of lace coat the glass as it descends and were it not for the active mouthfeel and great aroma I'd swear this was on nitro. Nutty, roasty nose like a brown ale or porter. Some bitterness too, coming mainly from big juicy grapefruit notes.

Quite a lot of roastiness in the flavour as well as some caramel, but the sweetness is perfectly cut by a citric hoppiness. Chocolate, coffee, earth, grapefruit, wildflowers... its all here and it works really well. Wonderful balance in the mix, and the sort of beer that could tempt you into giving up all others. Medium and soft in the mouth. The carbonation is spot on at medium-light. Drinkability is ridiculously high.

This is one of my favourite beers of all time, and it was a pleasure to have a few bites at this cherry on my two vacations to Japan. Baird should bottle this. If you are in Tokyo this should be high on your list!

Sampled at Popeye's in Tokyo. Listed as an India Black Ale.

A - I didn't get to see the pour, but the beer is a mocha brown, with exceptional lacing. Minimal head, but that's because the beer is a vintage beer.

S - Very complex. Strong citrus notes, grapefruit and yuzu. Also, the beer has a very solid malty aroma. Very sweet, but at the same time subdued.

T - Just like the smell, the taste of this beer is very complex. The taste is appropriate to the style, malty and floral. Caramel, yuzu, a bit nutty. Absolutely delicious.

M - Medium bodied, creamy. This beer is very versatile, you can enjoy it as a sipper or as a session beer.

D - This is one of the most drinkable beers I've ever had. It doesn't destroy your palatte like an American IPA yet provides a lot of the same floral notes. If you are ever at Popeye's, make sure to ask for this!