TN Wood Wizard
Hix Farm Brewery

my first from hix farm, a neat little black ipa, not enough of these being made anymore, still love the style, especially in the fall. this is shiny and black, holds a short film of tan froth from the tap, and has a really robust nose. i get the usual roast and coffee notes, some light smoke and dried fruit in here too, and then a lot of nuance from birch syrup to citrus candy and heady weed, a lot of hops on this, a lot of low end, and the name kind of has me thinking there is a wood element, even though i dont have any details about the beer, it has an earthy mellowness and i suppose some wood exposure is possible here, although the hops are fresh enough to suggest something innovative if that is true. the flavor is cool, comes in waves, all feels a little thinner than it looks and than the abv seems to imply. roast up front, black coffee, raisin, some specialty dark malt, light almost rye spiciness, and that possible woody element. in the center the hops pick up, pine resin, fresh packed bowl, bitter orange, but there is great smoothness to the texture and an assertive bitter finish. im not sure the ferment is dialed, there is a slightly odd yeasty layer at the end, but its not way off and overall i think this is flavorful and relatively unique in this style. id love to know a little more about exactly what this is, but its a neat cold weather brew with a bold hop profile and a cool grain build at the very least. hope to try more from these guys before too long...