Blackbeak
Single Hill Brewing

Look: Black on the pour and in the glass with a huge beige head that looks like a nitro beer and ends as a huge pillow, leaving a nice coating of lacing on the glass

Aroma: Pine sap and needles, pink and white grapefruit, fir needles, navel orange, light chocolate, lemon zest, boysenberries, and warm bread

Taste: Opens up with an awesome blend of dark chocolate, pine, and grapefruit that start to unpack as waves of citrus fruit come crashing in behind. Lemon zest and berries shine in the middle as chocolatey malt continues to weave in and out, along with bread, until it closes with conifer, grapefruit, and chocolate

Mouthfeel: Full, clean, smooth, medium-high carbonation, and clean and smooth on the finish with some light felt dryness

Overall: This is an outstanding Black IPA. My first try of this beer and one I was seeking out given these folks’ prowess with hops but I can now say that I underestimated it’s awesomeness. This to me is what the Black IPA/CDA style was meant to be, which is a harmonious blend of really piney/citrusy hops and dark chocolate-led malt, all with no harshness nor clashing flavors. Top tier in my book and will make my Best New Beers of the Year list that I do each year. I wish I picked up more than just a single too but oh well, something to look forward to again. Highly recommended

 

Less bitter, and maltier than other Cascadian dark ales I have tried, this was an easy sipping brew, with only the slightest disappointing cold brew-like coffee profile (I'm not a fan of hints of coffee in my beer). Very drinkable, with a little bitter bite at the end to remind you that it is, in fact, an IPA!

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with some red notes and a fine, two finger light khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of pale and lightly toasted malt, citrus and piney hops and a touch of coffee. Flavor is pale and toasted malt, coffee, citrus and piney hops, grapefruit and pine; a slight astringency in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A solid looking and tasting Cascadian IPA. The malt depth and hops are a bit dialed back from many of this style, but the hop bitterness rebounds in the finish. A little mellow, but great CDA profile. Great to see several of this style the last few months.