Doom Sludge
Green Cheek Beer Company

Look: Pours an opaque black hue with a decent beige colored head, about a half inch.

Smell: Dried berries, malt, and an almost nicotine-like aroma on the tail end. Really unique.

Taste: Really nice dark blend of the hops with hints of malt, barley, coffee grounds, and caramel. Some dried fruit mixed in as well.

Feel: Medium feel, although the hops are heavy so it can feel heavy at times. Great feel for the style and packs a good punch with the 7% ABV.

Overall: Superb beer, I picked this up during a SoCal trip and was not disappointed. Really fresh and unique offering. Will definitely pick up more from these guys next time I’m in town.

 

 

my first from these guys, the latest apparent darlings of the industry, the hype has come out of nowhere it seems to me, but this is a good first impression for me, a black ipa, specified as west coast, although that seems unnecessary in this style, cool art on the can, very well made beer, high attention to detail, and im already eager for more from these guys. this is real dark brown but not quite black, and its not super thick or anything, gorgeous head in a red wine glass, over an inch tall, off white, airy like a belgian, and with great retention. light smoke and tobacco in the nose, roasty but not insanely so, like this is more bitter from hops than from dark barley, which i think makes sense, some cocoa character in the malt, almost a brown ale aspect to this, and subtle yeast too, not quite english but the ferment adds depth and intrigue. some fruitiness to the hops, but more pine and dankness to me, not too intense, not oily and sticky either, restrained to some extent, fresh and balanced, a little sweetness in the middle too, constantly changing and expanding as it warms. the flavor is great, pipe tobacco, cocoa powder, and a somewhat modern hop complexion, tangerine and even melon in this, not notes i expected from the nose, or in a black ipa more generally, grass and tea as well, nice bitterness and some linger too, good grain balance and complexity, clean overall, and with really excited carbonation the whole drink, dynamic beer thats sweet, bitter, roasty, earthy, and bright all at once. lighter body than it looks like it would have, nicely refined. impressive. the name makes it sound heavier than it actually is...