The Dark Side
Middle Ground Brewing Company

On tap at the brewery, into a pint glass.

Pours a very deep brown, exceptionally clear but also dark. Aroma is coffee, brown malts, and a little citrus and pine. Flavor is similar. Black IPA tends to be heavy on the roasty coffee flavors, but this one is more intended to be a brown ale with a few dark ideas and citrusy hops. After talking to the brewer, I really got his vision, as this beer his a decent hit of lighter roast coffee and a little bit of heavier malts, but the hops brighten things up with heavy orange peel and a little pine. The citrus flavors don't feel out of place and help this beer stand out in a world where the hop flavors in this style are usually just standard pine or grapefruit. This beer blends hazy fruit flavors with potent bitterness and old school ideas alongside a little less roasty malts to create a really interesting middle ground (aha) between very bitter IPA and classic brewpub hoppy ales.

This was one of my favorites at Middle Ground, and a fantastic beer over all. I made the place listing solely to list this one and went there for lunch just to have this beer, and I think it is both innovative and extremely well done.