Does anyone else really dislike Black IPAs?

i just can't get past the thick bitterness of some... but than again it wouldn't be unique if there was a set standard to a good brew...

 

I like black and white IPA's. Cant get enough of them.

 

Im normally a Style ****, but...I like them. It's true, they're kind of a mash up of American Brown and Porter with big C hops, but they can be really wonderful, if done well.

And that's the trick. Doing them well. They aren't easy to brew. I remember when Double IPAs started rolling out. At the time, I thought they would ruin competitions and judging, because I thought they would overpower regular IPAs. That didn't turn out to be the case, because making a balanced, non harsh, non syrupy Double IPA turns out to be quite a feat of brewing. Same with Black IPA. One time, many years ago, I tried brewing one (before it was a "thing"). I used traditional roasted and black malts used in porters and stouts and it was a disaster. The worst beer I ever brewed. The bitterness and astringency from the burnt malt and the hop bitterness had a multiplier effect. In fifteen years of brewing, it was my only drain pour.

Using the newer dehusked (non bittering) dark malts and carefully selecting the C hops for citrus flavor (as opposed to pine and resin) can allow a talented brewer to craft a dark, chocolatey, roasty beer with lots of fruity esters and plenty of bracing hop bitterness and flavor but without the astringency and harshness that would come from normal roasted and black malts.

In fact, I'm looking out at a snowstorm right now. A fire and a black IPA would be just the thing...

 

I, also, am not a fan of the style. For the most part the pairing of hops and roasted malt just doesn't work for me. But i also enjoyed Dubha quite a bit. The blending of flavors just seemed more balanced than in most of the other black IPAs that I've tried.

 

I don't hate the style, but I also do not seek any out either. If someone gives me one, I will drink it.

The only one I truly enjoyed was 21st Amendment Back in Black.

 

Other than Wookey Jack, the only one I've ever liked was Uinta's Dubhe, which was actually fantastic.

Other than those, I've been supremely disappointed by the style. Sierra Nevada's DevESTATEtion was a mess, in my opinion.

 

There are a few that I really enjoy, some have been mentioned

Sublimely Self Righteous - Stone
Dubhe - Uinta
Iniquity - Southern Tier
Yakima Glory - Victory

I think that the black IPA can have the best of both worlds (hoppy with the roasty malty flavors of a porter/stout) or just end up being a muddled mess. Pretty much like any style, some of the beers are great example, some are poor attempts. And like any style, some people like them and some don't.

 

They are hit or miss, but not my favorite. Stones Sublimely Self Righteous, did not like so much but Three Floyds In the Name of Suffering and immutable dusk were not to bad.

 

I don't "really dislike" them in general, but if I get one that has too much roastiness, then I tend to not like them.

 

I second the black top. I love that beer and its cheap.

 

That's how I look at it as well. The citrus/roast malt flavor profile really works in SN Stout, and it generally reminds me of putting a lemon peel in an espresso. As long as the concept of the Black IPA doesn't stray too far from that baseline I think that they work. The resiny or fruity hops don't go over too well with me in this style.

 

Yes

 

Black RIPA all day, but i very much dislike black IPA

 

I really WANT to like them because I actually think the style is a cool idea. Unfortunately, in reality, they are just never as good as I pictured they would be.

Closest I've gotten to liking one is Hoppy Feet 1.5. I can't go back to it now, but when I first had it a few years ago, I was impressed.

 

I think it's a hard style to make and to get the perfect balance. Southern Tier's Iniquity and Wooky Jack are standard to follow because they are the best IMO. Foothills Frostbite is actually a solid representation, and I've always thought Otter Creek's Black IPA is good. I've met a lot of people who hate the style, and that's fine. Like other beers, everyone will have a different preference.

 

I not a big fan of them, but its like anything. If some one does one well it can be good beer. I not a fan of hops for hops, meaning when I drink beer IPA's are always my last choice. Still it depends. Some IPA like DFH 60 rock with really smoking hot food.

 

In my opinion they are extremely hard to do right. It's a lot to balance and yes many come off very bitter to compensate for the dark malts. The only two I have found to be tremendous are Carton Epitome (draft only in NJ... maybe Philly and NYC too but not sure) and Wookey Jack. Everything else has been a disappointment and certainly not something I seek out.

 

BIPAs are not very high on my likes list, but I drink them every now and then. It's kind of like having ringside seats at the citrus-pine vs espresso-syrup fights.

 

As another poster said my feeling on black IPAs was 'meh' after trying several. Liking both IPAs and summer porters it seemed like a good cross style but I never found one that had the balance I thought I'd find.
Then I tried Two Brother's Black Hop Juice, or Black Hop Centric (I think they've changed the name a few times). In general Two Brother's does some decent, if not great, beers but Black Hop Juice is a home run - exactly the balance of hops and malts I think a black IPA should have. I guess that's what it's all about - finding the balance that's right for you.
I mention it here because no one posted about it yet and I think it flies under the radar. Get some if you think you should like black IPAs but haven't found 'the one' yet.

 

Black ales are not my favorite style, but there are a bunch I really enjoyed - in no order, Dubhe, Wookey Jack, Sublimely Self-Righteous, Dark Element and Dark Horse Reserve were all top-notch black ales - but I don't go back to them except for Wookey Jack (each annual release). I'm due to return to Sublimely', though, since its been a while and I have to keep my palate honest.