Starvation
Reservoir Dogs Brewery

 

Can 0.44L.
Dark brown-to-black body with a large, creamy, tan head, mostly lasting with nice lacing.
Moderate-to-heavy hoppy (citrus, flowers) and moderate malty (roasted, caramel) aroma with notes of coffee.
Moderate bitter and light-to-moderate sweet flavour; long-lasting bitter finish.
Medium body with oily texture; soft carbonation.
Nice complexity of IPA characters and roasted notes.

500ml can from Buckeyeboy. Dark brown pour, small beige foamy head. Roasty aroma with earthy, piney notes. Taste is dark roasty malts with light citrus and pine flavors. Very enjoyable.

 

Pours a cloudy, dark mahogany coloration with a ruby red sheen when held up to the light, with a medium, creamy head. Smells of roasted, slightly caramelly malt and chocolate, as well as hints of citrus zest and pine. Taste is an excellent balance of roasted, slightly caramelly malt and fruity, bitter and resinous hops, with citrus and resinous notes of grapefruit, lime peel and pine, as well as some chocolate and lighter coffee and licorice coming through. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some roasted malt, grapefruit, pine and chocolate lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This makes for a really nice Black IPA with a great balance of those roasted malts and bitter resinous hops that the style is all about. Lots of roasted malt, chocolate, citrus zest and pine in there, finishing with a great bitterness, as well as hints of coffee and licorice. Black IPAs are hard to come by, unfortunately, so I'm always happy to find a great one like this, searching as far and wide as Slovenia! Overall, I really enjoyed this thanks to the excellent balance of roasted, fruity, bitter and resinous nuances, with a great body and mouthfeel as well.

 

 

 

Bottle. Very dark amber. Quickly dissipating tan head.
Rich aroma of fruity hops, chocolate malt and brown bread which continues nicely into the flavour.
Some sweetness is present to provide balance.
Quite viscous with smooth carbonation. Somewhat boozy.
A sipper that I wanted to gulp.

Almost totally black. Beige, beautiful, creamy head.
In the smell a goog mix of american hops, ligthly resinous and citric, and toasted notes. A really good balance.
Good balance in the taste, too. Great drinkability, despite the 8% alcohol.
Full, warm, but it left the mouth really clean.
Average body.
Bitterness and toastiness in the aftertaste, and, again, a great balance.

 

330ml bottle from Pivoteka Za popen’t, Ljubljana (€3.40):
This one was another excellent beer from the Reservoir Dogs brewery & a nice change to be trying one of my favourite styles of beer while in Slovenia, definitely not something I was expecting but something I really enjoyed. The beer had a nice balance with the darker roasted flavours & malts going well with the hop bitterness & tropical fruits that featured heavily with this one. Despite the strength, the alcohol content of the beer was very well hidden & it was an easy beer to drink making it a beer well worth looking out for.

 

Reviewed live after buying a bottle at the St Williams Pub in Ljubljana. Truncated notes below (on account of a poor review environment).

Great label art, with references to the book of Revelation.

Pours a healthy khaki head with a soft look, 3 inches ofwidth, and a great consistency.

Body is a dark cola brown-black. No yeast is visible.

Aroma is of raisin, cream, vinous character, marzepan, Caramel, Amber malts, and candied fruit. I find no dark malts, roast, chocolate, coffee, or anything you'd associate with the dark aspect of a black IPA.

Taste follows the aroma, with the addition of hop notes like vague fruit, cotton candy, and basic floral character. Hop profile is underwhelming, as is the beera as a whole. Slightly too sweet.

Medium-bodied, smooth, wet, Unrefreshing, slightly over carbonated.

A ho-hum black IPA which is nevertheless above average, Starvation is worth a try only if you crave the style. Slovenia's best beer? Nah.

C+

Almost black, with brownish foam.
Lots of citrous smell with a hint of chockolate and coffee.
Fruity first, then caramel, with a bitter finish and a nice coffee aftertaste.
Very balanced!