Duluth Black Ale - Fitger's Brewhouse

maximum12

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +31.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Well, we wanted to get this one out of the way, since I haven't found a 'black IPA' that I'm real fond of yet. Yeah. OK.

Pour is expected, weirdly black & expected to be hoppy, with vigorous carbonation. Smell gives me a roundhouse of hops, bitter, piney, full of flavor. OK. Intrigued. Ready to be let down.

Duluth Black Ale - this is the way a 'black IPA' ought to taste. Huge slapdash of hops up front, piney, aggressive, bitter, set off against a nice light backdrop of roasty, differently bitter malts. The marriage is one made by someone who understands a mash tun. Hops + roast have never played nice together for me to this extent, & this is great. Drinkable as all get out, sad to see the glass draining towards empty.

Category-breaker for me. This is hands-down excellent brew, far & away the best black ale I've sampled yet, & a session ale to boot. Gives me hope for the, ahem, style. Wonderful surprise.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 21:38:42 | More by maximum12