Dark Rails
Round Table Brewery

 

 

 

Poured from undated can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a dark ruby-cola color and sports a cap comprising more than two fingers of creamy, light khaki foam that looks like gelato. A rather sedate smell; mostly roasted malt with notes of pine needles and a whiff of lemon and grapefruit. But the taste is spot-on with a firm malt base with just a hint of sweetness, along with pine sap, tart citrus, and a clean, bitter bite. The flavors are complimentary. This ale is well-bodied with pleasant carbonation, and at 6.8% ABV it is an easy drinker. Overall, Dark Rails is an impressive Black IPA. For example, I would (and did) rate it above Allagash's Haunted House. Because it is a collaboration I don't know whether it will be available again but it is well-worth trying if you have the opportunity.

 

 

Collaboration with Stony Point Brewing just down the hill and across the thoroughfare.

Poured into a belgian style tulip/snifter

Beautiful looking beer. Opaque, with some carbonation visible and a lingering lightly tan head. The nose, as with most black ipas, is a mish mash of bright fruit and darker tones - roasted malt, molasses. The flavor is very nicely balanced. Fruity pebbles and cocoa pebbles. There's even a nice hop bitterness. Great medium mouthfeel.

A really welcomed collaboration. Both breweries make excellent dark beers, so it comes to no surprise that this is excellent.