Tourmaline Black Ale
Periodic Brewing Company

Got in a trade with @beergoot. 12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, watermelon, red apple, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, light smoke/charcoal, herbal, floral, grass, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and black/roast/bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, watermelon, red apple, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, light smoke/charcoal, herbal, floral, grass, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery, roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, watermelon, red apple, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, smoke, charcoal, herbal, floral, grass, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and black/roast/bready malt flavors; with an awesome hop/char bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly chalky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is an excellent Black IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and black/roast/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/chalky/resinous/drying finish; not aggressive. Awesome Amarillo, El Dorado profile. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hop complexity; with a perfectly balanced black/roast/bready malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering resin/char drying. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on style example.

 

Ink black body; nice head, thick and frothy; patches of foam clinging to the interior of the glass. Faint aroma of charred grain. Decent taste; dark malt and crisp bitterness. Medium body; mildly fizzy; very faint astringency; mainly dry overall.

A good dark ale yet nothing special per se.