Crush Depth
Czig Meister Brewing Company

a: jet black color with a rocky, 2 finger dark tan head

s: roasted malts, oak, milk chocolate, and chocolate covered oranges. orange zest and cocoa powder

t: orange zest and strong bitter pine followed by roasted malt and dark chocolate. a big alcohol tinge behind that along with some crackery malt. slightly woody and some sweet sugar at the end with more alcohol taste

m: medium mouthfeel with medium carbonation. slightly sticky but not as sticky as i'd think for an Imperial

o: an interesting one. it has strong bitterness, but also a bunch of alcohol in the taste which doesn't quite mesh as well as it could. not terrible, but could use a bit more of the stouty flavors IMO. definitely on the bitter side

 

 

DATE: January 5, 2018... OCCASION: with Shan seeing Hamilton, the boys' night in features The Battle of the Five Armies and an equally strong local brew... GLASSWARE: Duvel snifter.... pours a midnight black body crowned with three fingers of thick, brown froth that clumps and laces beautifully as it ebbs from the glass's lip... the citrus burst of melon, lemon, and grapefruit couples with caramel, toffee and thick, roasted malts to strike an aggressive, attractive one-two punch... the aroma seeds burnt sugars and big cola--a rounded, rewarding breathe each time the glass tilts... first sip ignites with a healthy warmth and a jarring attack on the teeth, buzzing with the kind of hop activity becoming an 80+ IBU offering... a medium-bodied feel, slightly oily but generally even and textured--big enough to warn of its intentions, but easy enough to encourage each sip without penalty... toffee, tootsie roll, grapefruit, a bit of charcoal, cola, and a thick underpinning of maltiness... its citrus presence sloughs a bit, but that comes with the territory of the blackening malts... did I mention its surreptitious masking of the 9% ABV? this might be my favorite Czig Meister offering to date, rugged and flavorful as it is...

On tap, pours black with an off-white head. Smell is mostly roasty malts. Tastes like a super-bitter porter. I like bitter beers so that's fine. Good, but not sure what makes this an IPA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchased in a four pack from the brewery. Date 11/17/17 on the can. Very upfront on the smell. You know it's an IPA. Taste: Czig decided to keep the IPA profile. This isn't Dubhe nor Sublimely Self Righteous. They are more maltier. This IPA mixes in some coffee notes w/ cascadian hops. It's a sipper (9%). I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely a different take on the traditional IPA. Personally, I'm a huge fan of black IPA. I would recommend this one. This is the 2nd offeeing from Czig that I was really happy with. Enjoy!