Midnight Haze IPA
Alaskan Brewing Co.

Appearance: Pours a dark, nearly black color but with some brown hues. A strong tan head. SRM of 21. (4.00)

Aroma: Mild aromas of tangerine, melon with some roasted malt underneath. (3.50)

Flavor: Mild flavors upfront of tropical fruit, orange, and melon before a stronger coffee roast and moderately bitter finish. (3.75)

Feel: Medium to light bodied. Soft mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. (4.00)

Compared to Sierra Nevada's Celebration 2021: Pours darker with a milder head. Milder aromas. More tropical fruit. Less tangerine, caramel, and pine spice. More coffee roast and a milder body.

Overall: A nice version of the Black IPA style. As other have mentioned, the hops are milder and so is the body. Showcases the coffee roast and bitterness more than the hops. The body is mild, but makes it drinkable. Enjoyable, and I'd like to see more of the style. Blends an IPA with a stout. I think this style could emerge for a hoppy, early spring ale, blending winter and spring. ...for when the snow is melting, but the sun is shining. (Final Rating: 3.73)

 

 

12oz can best by 022622. Dark brown pour, with lots of foamy head. If this is a NE IPA, it's way prettier than most. Aroma is a bit roasty and has some coffee notes -- so black ale, then? Flavor definitely has some chewy, tropical fruit juice hops going on, but also the unmistakable coffee flavors of a roasted malt. In some ways, and specifically with regard to the lack of bitterness, this beer is like a low-hop American porter. But in other ways this is nothing like a porter. The mouthfeel is much closer to NE IPA, but those dark malt flavors are so prominent, and completely out of place. So weird. I *think* this is a good beer; there's nothing offensive about the combination, it's just confusing. Fortunately it's pleasant enough to session without doing too much damage, so I have some room to let it dwell on my palate.

12 fl oz can from a $8.99 USD sixer:

Chocolate malt, toffee, malted milk balls, caramel, toffee. So, the dark ale base is all there.

Hopwise, though, it's a bit of a letdown. The hops aren't assertive enough to really punch through the malt sweetness; other breweries often use piney bitter hops but this goes for a more mellow melon and fruit driven hop profile that gets drowned out a bit by the malts.

Balanced enough, though, and certainly a likable CDA.

B- / WORTHY

 

 

 

 

This was a little bland but fortunately unoffensive. The black ipa I tried from Resolute brewing in Colorado might be the worst black ipa or beer in general I've ever had. This was definitely a step up from that and was totally drinkable.

 

Had on tap at Bulldog Saloon Lynnwood, WA

Pours chestnut/brown with 2 fingers of tan head. Stellar head retention & lacing

S: Roastyness in spades

T: Pine, roastyness, a little caramel, plus dryness up front. Roastyness & dryness dominate as this warms, plenty of pine as well. Finishes roasty, dry with a little nuttyness & pine

MF: Medium body, fairly restrained carbonation that builds once warmer

Drinkable enough, but nothing really stands out about this one. This a style that I've had a few i really enjoyed, but this is just middle of the pack

12oz can. Can bottom is stamped 'BEST BY: 120621'.
Brown colored body. Multiple finger light tan colored head, which recedes to a thin cap. Leaves behind scattered spots of lacing.
Aroma of grapefruit and melon balanced with coffee, chocolate, and caramel.
Taste has hop flavors of melon, apricot, and grapefruit, along with chocolate, coffee, and toffee.
No more than medium mouth feel. Has a combination sweet bite. Very good carbonation.
Not often encountered IPA with darkness and fruit. Dry finish.