Black Sheep IPA
The Fort Collins Brewery

 

From notes taken 03/04/17:

Served in a Pokal as I initially was thinking this was a Schwarzbier or Euro Dark like another beer I had recently had that used a black sheep on its label. Oh well, it works.

A cola brown, mostly clear. Head is a tall, fluffy, foamy creamed-coffee color and of good retention with almost half the Pokal covered by both chunky and weblike lace. Toast, resin, rind, toffee, dark fruit on nose, all fairly well mixed. To taste, not much at first, semi-tart and metallic if anything but then it explodes into roast and bitternesss akin to day old black coffee, soil, and tobacco smoke. Closer to the finish and upon saturation of the palate it bursts into a more spicy, mildly citric, almost soapy and piney concoction, with extremely peppery and smoky retro-olfaction. In spite of this cacophony of powerful flavors it has a remarkable balance making for an enjoyable brew that does not overwhelm. Medium-bodied, creamy, moderately carbonated with finer tingly suds, astringent.

 

Looks like a stout, tons of mochas foam that stays on. Smell and taste heavy on the prune -- dense and sticky for a black IPA. I appreciate texture, but this tasted more fruitcake than black IPA to me. Bottle was a bit dusty -- couldn't find a date -- but I wonder if this would have held up better fresher.

 

 

 

Poured exceptionally foamy into a pint.

Smell: Classic citrus aroma. A tiny hint of chocolate malt.
Look: Nearly black with a massive, billowing coffee-ice-cream colored head rising far above the rim of the glass.
Taste: Chocolate malts with an assertive bitterness. A bit of sweetness for balance. The dark malts are stronger in the taste than in the aroma.
Feel: Smoother than your average IPA
Overall: A great example of a black IPA. Combines bitterness and a hoppy aroma with a smooth feel and a porter-like chocolate aroma and flavor. Other Fort Collins beers have left me unimpressed, but I will definitely seek a 6 pack of this when it's back in season.

 

Poured into a Lagunitas mason jar.

Look: A very dark coffee colored body with cola-brown coming through in the light. A cream colored head settles to a thick film, nice retention. Good amount of foamy lacing.

Aroma: A blend of piny hops and rich dark chocolate, sweet dark chocolate notes as well. Balanced and rich aroma.

Taste: The taste is exactly like the aroma: I don't know where to start because it's blended and balanced so well. Piny, bitter hops with bitter chocolate, maybe even some black licorice, yet at the same time really good dark coffee notes and sweet yet dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Sticky, bitter, rich. Does not leave a good aftertaste.

Overall: Other than the too-rich mouthfeel, this is a really tasty beer that covers piny, bitter hops and dark rich chocolate all at once. One bottle is enough, seems like a good dessert beer.

Pours a dark brown, almost black, with a two finger tan head. Aroma is very faint but has some dark roasted malt tones. Flavor is better with a little citrus, pine and bitterness, as well as roast. Mouthfeel is medium. Overall a decent black ipa, not up with the top ones however as it could use more bright flavored hops to balance it out.

 

 

 

 

12 oz bottle. Pours dark brown with a big fluffy light tan head that retains well and laces the glass some.

The aroma is sweet roast chocolate malt, some floral cola and fruit and piney hops and some roast.

The flavor is sweet chalky chocolate malts, a little fruit and a ton of roast ashy bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, lots of harsh ashy roast with some sweet cola. This was much smoother on tap.