Light Bender
Bellwether Brewing Co.

32oz grunt purchased at the Bellwether Tap Room at the brewery on Monroe street in Spokane. It’s 6.8% ABV and 82 IBUs, according to the blackboard at the brewery. According to one of the owners – I think his name was Dan, but I’m bad with names – they prefer the term Cascadian Dark Ale over Black IPA.

Poured into a Jones Radiator mug, this was a dark brown color, virtually black, even when held up to direct light. There was a small but creamy looking tan head that hung around a bit and left some lace on the sides of the mug as it subsided.

Citrusy hops and chocolaty and roasty malts greeted the workers at the olfactory, in about equal measure.

The hops lead the charge onto the taste bud beachhead. It’s a mildly citrusy but also herbal, grassy hoppiness. Midway through the taste the dark malts become more pronounced, with a chocolaty sweetness and a slightly more understated coffee bitterness. The hops reemerge at the finish with a nice dry zap.

Medium bodied, with a creamy yet oily mouthfeel.

This is a really well-balanced version of the Black IPA/CDA style. I’ve had some that are like IPAs with a little bit of roasted malt flavor, and other that were practically RISs. This hits right in the middle in a really satisfying way for lovers of IPAs and stouts (I identify as both). Yep, I’ll be having this again.