Absolute Darkness
Vancouver Island Brewing

Absolute DarknessAbsolute Darkness
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From:
Vancouver Island Brewing
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 11.54%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
17
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 18, 2015
Added:
Mar 21, 2013
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by LampertLand:
Photo of LampertLand
Reviewed by LampertLand from Canada (BC)

3.89/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Vancouver Is. Brewing 'Absolute Darkness' @ 6.5% , served from a 650 ml bottle purchased for $6
A-pour is brown from the bottle to a cascadian brown in the glass with a medium size tan/beige head leaving a spotty lace along the pint
S-hoppy dark ale
T-good tasting at first mellow bitterness on the swallow
MF-ok carbonation , feels full bodied
Ov-surprisingly good beer
prost LampertLand
Feb 10, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Steelheadman
Reviewed by Steelheadman from Canada (BC)

5/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 WOW! WOW! WOW! This beer thinks it's a stout and a porter, and IPA all in one glass. Everything balances out perfectly equal! The smell is heavenly . The hop flavor is smooth and not over powering . the coffee rich taste lets you no this beer is special with every sip . one of the best beer I've had in a while . it gets a solid 5 . well done Vancouver island brewery .
Jul 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by artemh from Canada (AB)

May 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by imfinished from Canada (BC)

Mar 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.47 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

Mar 15, 2015
Photo of souvenirs
Reviewed by souvenirs from Canada (BC)

3.94/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark like coffee, with three fingers of tan head. Floral aroma with a hint of cocoa. Grassy hops and cocoa, a combination that works better than I would have expected.
Mar 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by Kenmac19 from Canada (BC)

Mar 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.58 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Feb 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by BCborn from Canada (BC)

Feb 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by Niceroad77 from Canada (BC)

Feb 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by kelvarnsen from Canada (ON)

Sep 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by chickenm from Canada (BC)

Apr 05, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by rodrigueZflyingf0x from Canada (BC)

Apr 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by schopenhauerale from Arizona

Mar 31, 2013
Photo of RooferOnFire
Reviewed by RooferOnFire from Canada (BC)

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Appearance (What's On The Cover)- The second of their Brewer's Batch series, this IDA looks like you're in trouble. It features a black label with a story about our island's caves and the brewer's description of the beer for the uninitiated. It comes in a bomber only, with 6.5%abv and was poured into both a small keg taster and thin mug.

Appearance (What's Inside) - Turkish coffee with a nice head, excellent retention, and porter-like cream. Thicker than blackstrap molasses.

Smell - Distinctive floral and grassy hops right away with some chocolate undertones. A bit of a nose-clearing affect that I can't put my finger on. I'm thinking hibiscus. I'm not turned off in the least.

Taste- Roasted coffee hits you right away, but doesn't stay there. Beautifully floral hops accentuate all of what's going on here, and there is a lot happening. Coffee, grapefruit, grasses, rose are highlighted. Aftertaste of fruity and floral hops and chocolate porter that fade into the night.

Mouthfeel - Luscious with slight overcarbonation for the style, but not unpleasant for my palate. It is full, but most certainly not as chewy as anticipated. Enjoyable. Balanced.

This came recommended and I will not be sending it back. A decent endeavour into the IDA class by Vancouver Island. While it is not the hop bomb of a Phillip's Amnesiac or American beast, it doesn't pretend to be- it's a very well-balanced hybrid of a DIPA and CDA that offers something new with each taste, yet finishes clean.

Vancouver Island is a great, working-man's brewery, putting out classic beer styles for the not-so-masses that this roofer has enjoyed for a good long while. This is one of their initial forays into snobland, and they have done shockingly well. The only sadness that occurs is when you finish a bottle, as you know you can't drive to acquire more. Luckily, tomorrow awaits.

I may cellar a couple to see what happens to the hops.
Mar 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by cbnz from Canada (BC)

Mar 25, 2013
Photo of Derek
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)

3.81/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A: Black with a light tan head, decent retention, leaves a bit of lace.

S: Fresh leafy hops, floral, grassy, bit of citrus. Hints of underlying roasted coffee & nuts.

T: Very green/fresh, a little more time for the hops to mellow might be an improvement here. Hops are very grassy, with light citrus & floral notes. Dark caramel, coffee & roasted nuts from the malt, solid bitterness.

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body has a slight acidity.

O: A decent brew. The malt character is somewhat porter-like, so it's certainly more of a Cascadian dark than a black IPA.
Mar 21, 2013
Absolute Darkness from Vancouver Island Brewing
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 17 ratings