Black Beret IPA
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

On-tap at Yardhouse in Boston for Rare Beer Night- 5 beers in their pilot series brewed in small limited batches.

Served in a pint glass.

A- Appears an opaque black, a little bit darker then you're average black ale, similar color to the Bourbon Barrel Triticus that I had right before this. A little over a finger of thick mocha brown bubbly head, that looks very appealing.

S- Mix between hops, roasted malts, and floral notes. Hops and roasted malts most prevalent followed by a secondary floral smell. Average aroma strength.

T- Definitely interesting- Hops typical of an ipa, not too sweet but definitely plenty present, roasted malts, and surprisingly a strong sweet dark chocolate taste with a little bit of espresso. Not too bitter, more of a sweet aftertaste.

M- Medium bodied to a little bit on the heavy side, a little bit creamy, average carbonation, very smooth, well-balanced, and easily drinkable.

O- I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this beer was. Definitely had IPA characteristics in both the smell and taste- with a strong presence of hops and a floral presence. However it also reminded a lot of a stout with the creamy chocolate presence in appearance, taste, and a little bit of the smell. Surprisingly all the flavors balanced perfectly together, much better then a lot of other beers that try similar things. Probably one of the best black ales I've had, partially probably because I'm a big stout fan. I really enjoyed both the Bourbon Barrel Triticus and Black Beret. I wish these offerings would be more readily available from Harpoon, considering that they are much better then anything else they offered. Wish I could have stayed to try the other three.