Black Ryder - Cambridge Brewing Company

EPICAC

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Black Ryder pours a dark black with ruby tints, and is topped by a creamy, brown head, which fades leaving nice lace. The aroma has notes of strong resiny, herbal hops, noted of dark fruit, and a slight spice. The fruity notes really make the aroma.

Toasty malts upfront move into a caramel sweetness, and grape-like fruitiness in the center where spicy rye malts appear. This sweetness is balanced by a strong, resiny hop bitterness in the finish. This beer is medium-bodied with prickly carbonation.

The hops, and roasty malts make this a pretty bitter beer, but the other flavors make this a far more interesting beer than just another DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2010 00:11:35 | More by EPICAC

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Arrives black as night with a briefly lingering fluffy brown head.

S: The nose is crisp and earthy, dominated by a lovely, fresh hop aroma with a light hint of plum. The smell begs a sip.

T: Begins with a dry malt sweetness, which is quickly overtaken by a fresh hop bitterness that lasts the entire sip and glass. The taste is much more balanced between hops and malts than many other Noonan-style black ales I've had, and the fresh, crisp hop flavor plays off the dry, sweet maltiness wonderfully.

M: Medium-bodied, much more a light porter than either an IPA or a heavy stout, with near-perfect carbonation.

O: This, perhaps tied with Smuttynose's Noonan, is probably my favorite version of the style, and avoids all of the malt heaviness and sweetness of some lesser takes in my opinion. The balance is wonderful and the beer fresh, delicious and insanely drinkable. Another beauty from the CBC.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2011 17:45:24 | More by FrankLloydMike

u2carew

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed during the 21st Anniversary weekend.
Served in a plastic cup (ugh) in the beer garden.
A) Finger thick head. Creamy tan with thin sticky lacing. Dark body- ruby in color.
S) Noticeable hop aroma - guessing Cascade hops, either way very aromatic. Pungent, earthy.
T) Well balanced hops and malts. Hops are pronounced and hang on until the end. In the meantime roasted malts, hints of caramel. In the finish, hops but not too ridiculous subtle malt sweetness.
M) Some fizz. Fairly smooth. Medium body.
D) A wonderful black IPA. Wow!

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2010 22:59:35 | More by u2carew