Obsidian
Old Irving Brewing Co.

 

16oz can
no apparent freshness date
L: a tall & rocky khaki colored head fades down into the abyss of a black IPA leaving chunky lacing on the glass
S: darkened malt, roasted barley, caramel, pine, citrus, yeast
T: loads of pine, grapefruit, orange, and mango; roasted barley, caramelized grain; background coffee & chocolate
F: medium body, ample carbonation, sticky & resinous; semi-dry finish
O: really good Black IPA; I wish this style was more readily available. It’s something I would always have in my fridge but it always seems so rare to find one

Got in a BIF from FBarber. 16 ounce can into IPA glass, no can dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 3 finger dense and rocky tan head with amazing retention that reduces to a lasting large cap. Thick foamy lacing and streaming carbonation. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, pepper, pine, herbal, floral, grass, and light smoke. Moderate pine, citrus rind, spicy, roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body. Balanced creamy/bready malts, sticky/resinous hops, and some chalky char/roast in the mouthfeel. Long resinous drying finish with no hop/char astringency or cloying malts. Very smooth, minimal warming 7.5%. This was pretty much perfectly balanced between being either American stout or IPA on flavors. The hops were pretty juicy and very dank/earthy, with plenty of rich black/roasted malt complexity and a good sized body(which I prefer in the style). Citra incognito, Nectaron, and Amarillo hops. Loved it, I need to find more black IPAs, feels like nobody is making them anymore.

 

 

Released 3/22/22; drank 3/28/22 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a nice dark tan head; strong lace.

Dark roast coffee bean, orange citrus & faint melon notes in the nose.

Creamy, medium thick mouthfeel.

Dark roast coffee bean, orange citrus, mild melon & faint dark chocolate flavors.

Above average black IPA vibes. Good stuff.