Dark Matter
Blackstone Brewing Company

12oz bottle. Poured out an opaque, oil black color with a small, light brown head of foam. Sticky patches of lace. It smelled of roasted malt, caramel and resin. Great roasted malt and coffee with a bitter piney bite.

 

 

12 oz bottle acquired in Nashville at Red's on our first night last trip. Says read shoulder for date but I don't see one.
Calusa snifter.

Has a dark iced tea color from the bottle which forms into a darker brown with a bone white head of 1/2 finger.

Aroma brings stiff woody piney bitterness, some char, some ash, and some fruity esters.

I haven't had a Black IPA in awhile, so this is a nice change. It seems balanced, maybe 60 bitter 40 malty, with notes of pine, vanilla, wood, char, ash, and grapefruit rind. There's a slight malty sweetness underneath it.

Feel is surprisingly acidic, bites the cheeks and palate. High carbonation, high resins, moderate heat, slight slickness/oiliness. Dries out a little on the finish with more slickness.

Overall a pretty textbook Black IPA. Definitely had worse. This is enjoyable. Has a great balance of pine bitterness and char bitterness with mild malty sweetness and fruity coffee notes. Would probably revisit.

 

 

 

 

 

L - 2-finger tan head atop a cola-brown body.

S - caramel, citrus.

T - follows the nose. Caramel malt, oranges, roast. Low bitterness. Moderate sweetness. Low booziness.

F - medium body and carb.

O - quite a tasty black ipa.

Color was a mahagony brown vs the "black" I expected. Piney earthy on the nose with only light malts to soften the hops. I think I'll stick with their St. Charles Porter

 

 

Pours a dark, dark brown with a finger and a half of khaki foam. Aroma is biscuit, earth, and toasted malts and herbal and resin hops. It comes off rather early and natural. Flavor profile is toasted, biscuit, earth, and bread malts and herbal and floral hops. Flavor profile is fizzy with evident carbonation. It's a touch harsh, with a medium-thin consistency. Overall, a earthy, natural tasting beer. Imagine slurping up an evergreen forest with a few pans of biscuits thrown in the mix of muddy river water (for the sake of looks).

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 12oz bottle.