C4 Imperial Black IPA
Free State Brewing Co.

(review from July 2019) Exceptionally well balanced, complex, flavorful imperial black w/great roasty malt taste plus a hint of java. Great subtle hop bite & an incredibly smooth fooler of a 9.4%er that drinks like much less. May the dark side be with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a very good beer. It pours deep brown/black with a small off white/tan head, and looks much like an RIS in the glass. Very little lacing or retention as the meniscus recedes. When this beer is very cold it's boozy in the nose, as it warms this seems to disappear and you pick up scents you don't frequently find in an IPA, caramel, figs, raisins, and dates, with a nice, very piney hop back ground.

This beer tastes even better than it smells, and the nose is pretty good. Sweet carmel and bready malt is the first thing I pick up, with a nice piney hop finish . The hops are complex, pine, grapefruit, and juniper stand out, but some tropical notes (banana, papaya) are detectable as well.

The mouthful is medium to full bodied, and the carbonation medium to low. The finsh is outstanding with a nice clean bitter snap that leaves you wanting another drink post haste. The alcohol in this beer is noticable, but not abrasive, and very well concealed within the excellent malt and hop profile. Did I mention this beer was very good? I think I'll have another, and try to excerise some discretion as I proceed.

 

Totally surprised by this. First, it was kind of a surprise since the beer was not listed on their online menu. It pours like a cup of coffee. Perfectly black. Slight white head that looks brilliantly white in comparison.

The smell is profoundly hoppy. But a medicinal evergreen, grassy, sappy, smell. Not at all what I expected. Nothing citrus about this at all. It's one of a kind. There's far too much of a medicinal quality to it.

The taste is extensively bitter with that same intense mouth filling piney flavor. Subtle roasted malt with some burnt bits, but it's hiding under what feels like 15 feet of juniper trees. It's medium body.

I rated it 4/5 and 3.5/5 in one category, but 4.5 overall. Seriously, it's a Gestalt thing. If you were to sum it, you'd miss the point. Any one category isn't outstanding. It makes a lot of well executed errors. But it makes the same syncopated errors like a well done jazz song. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I don't know why this beer works as well as it does. It should be an out of balanced, out of whack mess. But instead, it's insanely good.

They need to ditch some of the ho hum brews on the menu and keep this thing a regular brew. I'd buy it in bottles on a regular basis. Until I read this page, I didn't even know it was an 8.8% abv. That explains how I got a solid buzz after just two of them. The alcohol is perfectly hidden.

 

 

 

 

A very dark brown in appearance, with a thin tan head. Smell is intoxicating by itself, bursting with tropical fruit. Amazing! Taste is awesome, a hint of char, followed by a solid malt middle, followed with a grapefruit pounding. Resinous, dank, solid bitter finish. Mouthfeel is very good. Amazing drinkability, I can't believe this beer has as much alcohol as it does. I have to try this beer again. My favorite from Free State.

Taster cup growler pour thanks to another BA member at DLD 2011.

A: Nice black/brown color with a off-white head that laces pretty well.
S: Very mild citrus smell with some hints hints of malts coming through. Not the most interesting smell, but definitely decent.
T: Tons of roasted malts throughout this. A bit nutty as well. The hops hit in the back end. Very clean aftertaste given the hops that hit you.
M: Great carbonation. Very bubbly and interesting.

O: I really enjoyed this. I had no idea of the ABV when I tried it and seeing now that it is 8.8% blows my mind. I would NEVER have guessed that. I'd definitely give this one a shot.