A Horse With No Name
Autodidact Beer

Poured a chestnut brown color with a coarsely toffee colored 2 finger head that dissipated slowly and left spotty thick lacing from a 16 oz. can into a Dogfish Head nonic pint glass. Aromas of malt, sweet caramel & tobacco with very little to no nuances of hops. The hops did come through in the flavor which sat mid mouth forward with the darkness prevailing in the finish and a nice tingle from the carbonation on the tongue. Medium in body it drinks more like a hoppy nut brown ale than an IPA, but I'm ok with that. It was very enjoyable and gave me a good first impression of what to expect from this fairly new local brewery.

 

 

Reviewed one day after canning. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours inky black with more than a finger of foamy, medium-khaki-colored head and lots of thick, clinging lacing. The smell includes chocolate, earthy char, tart citrus, some floral notes, and just the faintest whiff of tobacco smoke. The chocolate malt and oats prove mild sweetness at the beginning which is balanced by earthy dankness from the Strata hops and a hint of tart grapefruit and lemon in the background. As it warms I notice the dryness from the rye in the grist. It is nicely balanced. It doesn't have the overt bitterness of many other Cascadian Ales. It has a full, rich mouth feel with moderate carbonation, and the 7.5% ABV doesn't overpower. Overall, this is a fine variant of Autodidact's Dark Horse Black IPA which emphasizes the sweeter chocolate malt. A very fine offering.