World of Tomorrow
Big aLICe Brewing Finger Lakes

All I can think of is Futurama "Welcome to the WORLD OF TOMORROW!", Also I think this was a mistake, my least fav style, but i just saw the collab between Aeronaut and Big Alice and figured it might be good, but neglected to noticed the "black" and only saw IPA. And no canning date.

Let's get this over with.Pours a nice fluffy foamy off-white 1/2 finger head that fades at a med pace, nice lacing, dark mahogany brown color

Nose brings about what I expected, some pine and spicy hops, maybe citrus, but mixed with caramel, brown toasted malts, a little nutty coffee and faint roast like notes,

Taste isn't too bad, fluffy creamy darker malts, toasted brown caramel malts, a touch of like toffee and nutty flavors, faint coffee, hops are mild thankfully, a little fruity note, grassy spicy a bit, turning to a fair bitterness as it goes that starts to clash a bit, a bit herbal and earthy later. Drier finish, spicy hop bitterness lingering with a little sticky brown malt

Mouth is med bod, a bit creamy, nice carb

Overall not bad, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but there are still def some clashing components that shouldn't exist.

 

This is my first experience with Big Alice Brewing, but not my first with co-conspirators Aeronaut Brewing. Aeronaut is a semi-local brewery who has risen from their somewhat ignominious origins to craft some truly great brews recently, and their host of collaborations (had one with another NY brewery recently; Finback) have proved mostly successful. I've seen BA's stuff around recently, but none has really made me curious until I saw this, their coffee/doughnut stout and a Citra/Mosaic IPA at my local Craft Beer Cellar. This trifecta definitely got me interested, so I picked up a single of each to try out.

This one pours a really nice looking deep-brown color with some garnet highlights at the bottom of my glass. A foamy and inconsistent head of light-khaki caps off the surface of this one... good legs, but weirdly inconsistent lace... somewhat patterned but mostly cobweb-esque with some tiers forming as I sip at it. Love the color, but if I had my way this would have slightly better retention and lace show. It's not bad, but it's kinda flimsy in my opinion. Probably being picky, though, so I'll give this a solid 4.

The nose draws me in quite well, to be honest. This style is usually kind of hard to impress with in the nose because, for instance, it can come off acrid/roasty when the flavor profile doesn't reflect that at all, among other issues. This one has a fruit gum scent to my nose, reminding me of papaya/passion fruit/mango with some light esters... some campfire-smoked malts going on as well, like a tropical beachside barbecue or something. Slight anise/licorice and baking spice. Very evocative, and fairly unique. Getting some pineapple, pine resin and grassiness along with more coffee-esque dark malts. Impressive and complex nose for a style that all-too-often falls into one of several predefined boxes despite being itself the product of experimentation.

The flavor profile of this beer is heavy on medium-roasted coffee and sweet-leaning citrus pith/peel. Strong flavors of orange, candied tangerine and grapefruit with light tropical elements kicking around as well. Not as prominent on the tropical notes as in the nose, but the roasty malts coat the tongue in such a way that most of those subtleties are likely occulted. The bitterness here is modest and less-pushy than many black IPAs I've had, but it still finishes crisp and satisfying without being overly-harsh or burnt-tasting.

The feel of World of Tomorrow fits squarely in the medium-heavy side of things. It's about on par with what I expected for a 7% ABV American Black Ale, but the unfiltered nature of the brew lends some heft to the proceedings. It's not too heavy, but it's also not a beer to session. Carbonation is par for the style. This is well-made and would likely be worthy of splitting a four-pack with discerning, like-minded drinkers. Those seeking a solid dark IPA from some up-and-coming players are advised to grab at least a single of this to check it out.

 

Black India pale ale brewed in collaboration with Aeronaut Brewing Company... Super-dark brown-black ale allows just a bit of light around the edges, under a couple of fingers of tan foam... Character is simultaneously roasty and hoppy, bringing elements of citrus to a dark roasted malt profile... Smokiness and bitterness suggest arabica coffee and dark orange pith... Smooth and light, moderately bitter, moderately sweet... This is my second beer from Big Alice, and I've got to say, I'm impressed... Reminds me of some very fine black ales I've had, but with more coffee elements, and a subdued sweetness...