Dad's Little Helper Black IPA - Rogue Ales

scratch69

Missouri

3.81/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance- Clear dark brown color with a fingers worth of tan head. Fair amount of lacing.

Smell- Piney hop aroma with a hint of roasted malt. and cocoa.

Taste- Similar to the smell but the hops aren't as bitter as I was expecting.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied, velvet-like smoothness, and a dry finish. An average amount of carbonation.

Overall- While I am not a fan of IPAs, I am developing a taste for black IPAs. This is a decent example of the style. Just enough hops to fit the style but not so much to suck all the moisture out of your face.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2013 19:52:50 | More by scratch69

TheSixthRing

California

3.69/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a near black, deep, brilliant ruby with a rocky 3 finger head. Great retention, leaving a strong film of bubbles atop the surface, and an amazing amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell - Cocoa powder, sweetness, earth, and a citrus undertone.

Taste - Follows the nose. Sweetened cocoa notes upfront and throughout, backed by faint earth and a touch of spice. Orange and grapefruit hop character hits mid-taste and takes the prominent role, with pith bitterness biting at the finish and riding through the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body, soft and velvety. Goes down with a remarkable smoothness.

Overall - Knowing Rogue's ability to nail complex malt profiles balanced by a strong hop presence, I had high expectations for this one. The generic cocoa flavored malt profile underwhelmed me, odd considering the use of 5 different malts, and though a bit of redemption was found in the strong citrus hop finish, the general impression I have of this beer leaves me wanting. Simply, the malt is too sweet and a roast touch non-existent. The flavor, especially that sweet cocoa, reminds me a quite bit of Moylan's Orange and Black Congrats, except this finds balance in the bitter hop back end. For the price, I think I'll pass on giving this another go.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 07:08:51 | More by TheSixthRing

longbongsilver

Missouri

3.01/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 2.5

Made a request at a local liquor store expecting to get the malt liquor version, ended up getting this in instead. Was more curious about the malt liquor version, but what the hell, lemme try this anyway.

Brownish, frothy finger wide head quickly dwindles to nothin but stray bubble on outside. Scents are cocoa, pine, faint whiff sour fruit. About what's standard for the style, though the dark malts come up more than usual.

On taste, the chocolate-like character the smell suggested plays background, a bit too far background IMO. The hops are forward as usual, though they could use more counterpoint. Must say my favorite characteristic here is how it *feels*, as it's richer than appearances would give.

I'd say this is one of Rogue's lazier efforts thus far. Kinda one of those where you're not quite sure what the brewer is getting at. Not outright bad, just...muddled. Kinda makes me wonder if this was a rush replacement for the original for sales reasons. Not buying again, but your mileage may vary.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 07:01:38 | More by longbongsilver

Ego

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

eyes...
2 fingers of foam rise up, picture perfect head on this, the bubbles are uniform and just layered ridiculously in line, lacing is great, not quite black hue, more like black from a distance but dark amber upon further inspection, in some light you can see some real movement in the carbonation department, very nice looking beer

nose..
muddy molasses, some spicy hop notes hiding in there, maple syrup tones, some slight burnt flavor is hanging out also, pretty nice

taste etc...
this has been sitting in my cellar for some time and the flavors have developed nicely, it has that nice sharp ale bite carbonation wise but then has a great depth of flavor, you get some hops, a nice burnt mood but the burnt flavor is on the back end of malt sweetness, kind of like roasted molasses... or like good fresh italian bread, you know, you get just that hint of burnt in the crust that just makes it right, too much burnt flavor would ruin it, but this is spot on, each mouthful is full yet not heavy enough to discourage the next sip, great balance

verdict?
tasty and solid all the way around. a good punch of flavor in a great drinking package. Damn tasty, damn enjoyable. I will be looking for this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 05:41:59 | More by Ego

mactrail

California

2.91/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.5

An attractive black brew with a persistent foam and plenty of spritz on the tongue. Smells like burnt molasses. Fairly watery body.

Very burnt barley taste. Slight malt with a faint sweetness. Some people say this isn't an IPA. It is certainly extremely bitter and rated at 70 IBU. But it does seem to lack that fruity and aromatic character that a good IPA has. I think it's correctly categorized as a Black Ale, but an off-the-scale imbalance between hops and malt.

This just tastes like charred grain and utterly bitter hops. From the 12 oz bottle bought at Jubilation Fine Wines in Albuquerque.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 05:53:05 | More by mactrail

RockyRaku

Arizona

3.13/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not so much of an IPA….poured form a bomber into a glass. Thin head…lasted, but thinned out. Very little lacing. Black appearance…in the direct light it has a root beerish like look..opaque rather than translucent. Sweet aromas with some light caramel and chocolate...some fruitiness. taste is again sweet chocolate is what I got right off...and brief tart pine like taste again accentuated by what seems herbals. Aroma was more malty than hoppy....this is not an IPA. Mouthful was creamy and smooth...easy at the beginning and lasted a while in the back part of the tongue...it was not at all offensive.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 01:14:26 | More by RockyRaku

Serge

Alberta (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Bottle. Pours mostly clear and dark brown with a large, creamy, off-white head. Fantastic retention. The aroma is of milk chocolate and caramel – no real hop craziness here. Full-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and modest carbonation. The flavor provides a lot of unsweetened dark cocoa and charcoal, but not much hop bitterness until the fairly bitter, dark chocolate finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 22:21:33 | More by Serge

rarbring

Sweden

3.33/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A dark brown brew with ruby hints, a tan head with little lacing, but good curtains.

Smelling of ensilage, peas and fruits, dried and tropical.

Tasting sweet, black and red berries, burned apple peel.

Little carbonation, rather fresh but with a small body, a dry finish.

Interesting combination, but did it really become a good one? Much hops, weak body!

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 19:05:14 | More by rarbring

t2thebro

Iowa

4.3/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- dark with slight amber hues.

S- smells of black grains and a hint of smoke

T- huge dark malt profile, with bitterness to boot. This grain profile is what a dark or black ale is all about OUTSTANDING! bitterness from hops and subtle hop accents rock this beer!! Yum!!

M- medium carb, thick and a bit creamy. Good texture.

O- outstanding beer. This is a black ale with a great hop bitterness. Not an ipa! A black ale. Thats the only thing I have against this beer, the label. The ipa thing is a huge fad right now and a great moneymaker but this is no ipa. Maybe the best dark grains I have ever tasted.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 01:41:04 | More by t2thebro

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Large, chunky beige head. It leaves extensive ring lace...some chunky elements. Dark brown color but bright light does pass.

The smell is a pleasant mixture of chocolate and bitter hop. There are elements of a porter and an IPA.

Starts with some darker, but weaker, malt notes. Thin body; high carbonation. Lots of bitterness in the swallow--this finishes like an IPA. Long aftertaste.

Overall, this is not complex but it is very flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 20:43:14 | More by smcolw

beergoot

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Deep reddish, chestnut brown body topped with a thick, creamy off-white head. Lightly charred grains and spicy hop aroma greet the nose. Hints of chocolate and kind of earthy...Immediate "bite" to the beer -- a combination hop bitterness and dry graininess...Pretty noticeable medicinal/alcohol-tinged aftertaste. Dry finish, light bodied and spongy.

A rather disappointing beer. Rather disjointed as far as everything pulling together; the appearance is the best thing, but the taste, especially, doesn't live up to the promise. A bit more malt presence to tone-down the alcohol notes would be nice. Some decent hop aroma also would be a plus...

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 22:03:58 | More by beergoot

TheSarge

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured this into an 18oz pint glass, and the brew makes three finger thick brown foam, and the body is almost jet black but shows off brownish red hues on the edge of the glass when held up to natural light.

The aroma is milky, chocolate, metallic, and slight coffee.

Taste wise, it's got mostly a dry coffee flavor. Full in body, very dry to the palate and slightly warm in the end.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 21:51:40 | More by TheSarge

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a bomber into a pint glass:

A: black body with a foamy white half finger head that lasts for a good minute. The body is too dark for any carbonation to be seen and some light lacing shows around the sides of the glass.

S: hops up front, pretty powerful, but not overbearing. Some roasty coffee notes are there as well.

T: centers around the hops with the same roasty coffee notes coming back. Malts come out a bit more in the taste. There is a slight dry aftertaste too.

M: medium with nothing harsh on the tongue, sessionable

O: this is a good black ale, much recommended to the hophead out there since more hops come out in this compared to other black ales

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 19:15:46 | More by kangarooAdam59

Kromes

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark brown color with a thick tan colored head that leaves rings of lacing on the glass. A very floral hop aroma with some roasted malt, licorice, and chocolate. More of the same in the flavor. A nice floral hop flavor mixed with a slightly grainy toasted malt. The finish is where the dark chocolate bitterness comes through and leaves a bitter roast flavor on the back of the tongue. Feel is light with peppery carbonation. Pretty good beer. Good flavors and not too heavy like some other black ales.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 22:58:00 | More by Kromes

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark, almost black, and true to its name. Nice head and hangs around well. IPA smell is not immediately present and is masked by the malt. Taste is pleasing with a good amount of malt balancing the beer - hops are harder to detect. Solid beer and even pleased a non-IPA companion.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 22:07:27 | More by Oakenator

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a tumbler pint, the beer is a dark ruby-brown coloring with a thin, low profile, filmy, off-white head that starts a solid half an inch and slowly settles into a filmy coating on the surface. Aromas of slight char, a malty backbone, and a subtle, resiny hops profile. Smells well blended, but light overall. Flavors are much more hop prevalent, and hop forward at that, with a resiny, bitter, very tangy hops profile followed directly by a strong roast and char characteristic with kills the bitterness, as well as highlights a subtle malt profile that is underlying on the palate. The aftertaste is tangy and bitter, with a slight drying feel in mouth after a round, robust body. Dry, bitter finish cleans the palate. Very drinkable at a solid 7% ABV...glad it's a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 03:23:46 | More by GarthDanielson

Bitterbill

Wyoming

2.88/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

It pours black with a 1 finger head of tannish foam leaving some decent lacing behind.

It smells kind of roasty, kind of hoppy, kind of balanced between the 2. I don't find the aroma very assertive.

The taste is more than just roasty, more like burnt. The hop presence is fairly non descript; basically just bitter. Add the burnt maltiness to the hop bitterness and you get bitter and dry. Like a fair example of a Foreign Export Stout.

The body feels like on the low end of medium with good carbonation.

I have to say that my palate is tiring quickly with this brew. Too one dimensional of a bitterness factor. I'm a bit pleased that I don't have more bottles...

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 22:38:57 | More by Bitterbill

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I don't always like black IPAs but I quite liked this. Poured a 1" light mocha head of medium life. Body is a deep dark burnt umber brown, almost like coffee. Smells of roasted malt and piney hops. Taste is a roasted malt IPA with coffee and dark chocolate and the zing of the IPA hops. Fairly long finish. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 01:19:32 | More by MoreThanWine

Jparker37

Wisconsin

2.38/5  rDev -36%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bomber poured into sam adams perfect pint.

A - Dark hazy brown. Big tan pillowy head. Excellent lacing throughout.

S - Some delicate pine and earthy hops, a noticeable amount of chocolate. You can smell a little bit of yeast. Belgian candi sugar reminiscent of a dubbel.

T - The bitterness hits you immediately right up front. There is little chance to savor any malt but the little there is has a nice toastiness. The hops come through as a very sharp bitterness with an unpleasant hop flavor that lasts well after its dry finish. Very much unbalanced.

M - Mouthfeel is rather thin. That light to medium-light body is very dry. Moderate carbonation.

O - Disappointed, I believe a good interpretation of the style to be darker in color, more american in hop smell, cleaner in flavor and thicker in body. All that said, there was a complexity to its smell that was enjoyable and it seemed to have good presentation in terms of head retention and size.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 00:52:44 | More by Jparker37

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle. Deep mahogany color, not quite black. Beige head looks nice and holds together nicely. Eventually, a few spots of lace left behind.

Toasty malt, with roasted nuts. Hint of chocolate. Piney, slightly resiny hops along with some citrus notes.

Dry roast up front, maybe some bittersweet cocoa. A slight nutty feel. Sharp bitterness comes in a piney flavor. Bitterness lingers, but difficult to tell if it is more from hops or the roasty favors.

Medium body, good carbonation. Alcohol is hidden well. Pretty good, not my favorite style but it grows on me a little.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 20:56:37 | More by Bierguy5

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I tend to avoid Rogue these days, but I can't resist a fresh release of Black IPA. Here we go. Pours black, thin ring of tan head. Herbal hops fight it out with a muted roast malt character - cafe coffee, roasted nuts. Hops continue to press on with their bitter, herbal, peppery, edge. Yeah, its ok for this young style of beer. Nice flavors, big bitterness. But I'm kind of sick of Rogue's shit - rebranding and renaming styles of beer, types of malt, and varietals of hops. Overpriced and under-delivered.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 19:45:37 | More by bump8628

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Pours dark black with 1/2 inch of white foam. Settles mostly down. Oily pine smell. Like trees. Very light through, for an IPA. Light chocolate malt taste with a firm grassy hop. Firm IPA with a subtle maltiness behind. But more hop than anything else. Bittering holds. Smooth and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 12:08:08 | More by KTCamm

far333

Connecticut

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Deep mahogany brown with ruby highlights. A thick half inch head of dimpled beige foam lingers long. Low floral and toasted malt aroma.

Initial flavor of orange rind and grapefruit hoppiness, mild piney notes. Some understated caramel malt underpinning, and a hint of roasted malt. Very bitter finish, difficult to tell if it's roasty, tannic, astringent, or piney.

Full mouthfeel, round and creamy. Okay beer overall, but would have liked more depth of flavor and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 02:13:38 | More by far333

estlinska

Arkansas

2.58/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

From a bottle, poured into a tulip. Poured very dark brown, almost black. Completely opaque with 4cm of off-white head that leaves lots of lacing. The nose is hard to coax out, but does eventual develop a dark roasted malt, char, and piney, grassy hops hiding underneath. Taste is that of stale coffe, bittersweet chocolate with some grapefruit that just do not play well together. The finish is very long with an unsettling hop bitterness and roasted malt that just sits there on your tongue. The flavors in this beer just seem to bash against each other. Not my favorite black IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 23:30:18 | More by estlinska

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Had a finger and half of tan head on top of a brown body, color matched the bottle.

The smell was almost exclusively pine.

It had a sharp lemon and grapefruit taste at first, moved to a less bitter with the malt in the middle, and ended with pine bitterness that lasted.

The body is soft and medium with moderate carbonation.

It's a tasty drink and fairly strong on the "IPA" side.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:33:17 | More by Fatehunter