Dunkle Zeiten
Braumanufaktur Hertl

Pours a deep, dark brown coloration with a medium, creamy head. Smells of lightly roasted, biscuity malt, some chocolate and distinct earthy, woody aromas, as well as just a hint of coconut and citrus. Taste is an excellent balance of lightly roasted, biscuity malt and earthy, woody, slightly fruity hops, with citrus and tropical notes of tangerine and coconut, as well as some chocolate and oak. Finishes with a light/medium bitterness and some coconut, chocolate and oak lingering in the aftertaste. Soft mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

The brewer desribes this as a "New England Black IPA" and while that may sound gimmicky and this isn't nearly as roasted, bitter and resinous as I like my Black IPAs, it really does make for an intriguing brew, mainly due to the use of Sabro and HBC 472 hops, which really impart some interesting, quite earthy and woody coconut and oak notes here that go very well with the light roasted malt and chocolate accents, while the fruity citrus notes add a little zest, but stay mostly in the background. I usually don't even like Sabro hops, but they really work here, especially in combination with the HBC 472 hops. Certainly an unusual, but rather fascinating brew that's quirky yet well-balanced, making for a rather different but quite enjoyable drinking experience.