A Dark Night
Departed Soles Brewing Co.

 

 

strong ipa good hop taste in the beginning then after taste get strong

DATE: September 11, 2022... OCCASION: week one of the NFL--for a Browns fan, the onset of agita--means a beer is needed to ease whatever pain occurs this afternoon... GLASSWARE: Otto's pint... pours a black body akin to cola--the label is accurate--with a beige-white head that retains its head to a finger's width pretty well... the sinamar evokes coffee and roasted malts, while light resin and soft fruitiness suggests the IPA denomination.... its body is rather nondescript, refreshingly thin with some buzz at the teeth... its aftertaste lingers with a cola fizz that invigorates.... cola, roasted malts, lemon, sweet sorghum, and dank resin--as advertised, this is worth mulling over... an enjoyable gluten-free offering from the DS guys--many thanks!

Look: pours an ashy, light brown with a beige, one finger head of foam. Low lacing and average head retention.

Aroma: Toasted peanuts, milk chocolate, some dry pine resin.

Taste: Bitter but mellow notes of burnt toast upfront followed by semisweet notes of chocolate covered almonds. A very mild reeses puff / reeses peanutbutter cup flavor comes in on the aftertaste. Ends on pleasantly dry notes of pine resin.

Feel: Easy drinking. Medium bodied, relatively soft but decently carbonated and airy. Dry.

Overall: Black IPAs are always hit or miss in my opinion, they're either too stout like or too ipa like. This is relatively well balanced.

 

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear very dark brown approaching jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and moderate chestnut brown + garnet red + cola brown colored highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy tan head that slowly reduces to a large patch of thin film covering about 90% of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of citrus/grapefruit pith, citrus/grapefruit, and dank resinous hops over the top of light to moderate aromas of roasted + toasted + caramel malts with a hint of caramel sweetness.

T: Upfront there are just shy of moderate flavors of roasted + toasted + caramel malts with a hint of caramel sweetness. That is followed by slightly stronger than moderate flavors of citrus/grapefruit pith, citrus/grapefruit, and dank resinous hops which impart a moderate amount of lingering bitterness.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly crisp initially.

O: If I had not noticed it on the can, I would never have known this was a gluten-free beer and it is a pretty nice example of an American Black Ale (Black IPA). Easy to drink with a lighter mouthfeel and well hidden alcohol. Enjoyable with a pleasant combination of roasty malts and citrus + dank hops.

 

 

 

first time trying a beer with a review in mind, very great beer from a smaller brewery local to me. dark beer that when poured did not give a great head, it was kind of empty feeling and i suspect thats cause it was gluten free (didnt know that) it was from tap and i would like to try other beers from the brewery.

 

 

 

12 oz can poured into a Demented snifter.

Pours pitch black with a finger of foam. Aroma is a mix of grassy hoppiness and a strange grainy aroma.

First sip has a nice hoppy flavor upfront, but there is a strange husky flavor in the middle and a very strong bitter finish. Very unbalanced, there is not enough sweetness to stand up to the hop bitterness. Hop flavor is harsh, with a very thin mouthfeel.

I purchased this because it was a local brewery and in general I enjoy black IPAs. However, upon further inspection once I got this home, this is low ABV for an IPA (5%), and turns out it is gluten free.

I feel like I was misled by the labeling here. Not cool. I mean, if you read the can, it does clearly say gluten free, but in a cooler full of other beers, the biggest text is "A Dark Night Black IPA".

 

Departed Soles Brewing Co. "A Dark Night Session Black IPA"
on tap at the brewery, 1 April 2016

Notes: Gluten free. 5.0% ABV. Clear dark mahogany brown body beneath a tan head. Piney, grassy, and lightly citrusy in the aroma over dark malt roastiness. No surprise, there's also dark 'malt' with roastiness and a bittersweet dark chocolate note in the flavor alongside the hops. There is something a little off in the 'maltiness' with it being a gluten-free beer but I doubt that most people would really recognize it if they weren't already aware of it, so, points there! Of course it probably gets by so well because of the dark/roastiness. It's bitter, perhaps hitting the 70's? Or is that because there's less actual malt to offset it? Regardless, it's actually pretty well-balanced. It finishes dry with residual notes of lingering pine.

On-tap at Departed Soles Brewing Co., Jersey City, NJ

A: The beer is clear but very dark red in color (close to being black when viewed from afar) and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that died down, leaving a patch of bubbles in the center and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of dark roasted malts with notes of citrus and a moderate amount of bitterness. The roasted flavors linger into the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and somewhat crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a pretty good for a Black IPA and is top-notch for a gluten-free beer. The taste has a nice amount of bitterness and roasted flavors. The only drawback is that the body could have been a little heavier.

Serving type: on-tap