Black IPA - Sprecher Brewing Company

cokes

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very close to jet black in appearance, with a few meager glints of magenta teased out when strongly backlit. The head is a mountain of tan froth that slowly erodes towards the surface, leaving sheets of sticky lace.
The nose brings bars of dark chocolate, burnt toast, raspberries, caramel, Pinot Noir, and boozy confectionary cherries. It's honestly a gorgeous aroma for a porter. As something that claims Black IPA, the feeble, backend slivers of herbs and dry grass don't hold up their end.
Malt rushes across the tongue, with smoky espresso and dusty dark chocolate. It sweetens as it progresses, adding caramel-swirled fudge and blackberries to the mix. Some toasty, burnt bread notes in the middle. Hops bring a defined bitterness, but a vaporous taste profile. A little grassy, and little metallic, mostly peppery, with some earthy pine cone and bark hues.
Well on the full side of medium bodied, with a low, trickling carbonation that is steady throughout.
This is flat-out killer Robust Porter, and my ratings are fudged a bit to reflect that.

The Black IPA (American Black Ale or Cascadian Dark, or whatever the current naming trend happens to be) is a bit of an enigma to me. As much as I enjoy them and seek them out, I have a hard time defining what exactly I'm looking for, or crowning a favorite example of one. This sways heavily towards the malty end of the spectrum, and appreciate that, even though it seems to have missed its ultimate mark.

If nothing else, I'm glad Sprecher is finally embracing Bombers rather than cumbersome Liter swingtops. Hope that continues.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 07:15:13 | More by cokes

boudreaux

Alabama

4/5  rDev +17.3%

02-22-2013 22:06:15 | More by boudreaux

grahamboudreaux

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +17.3%

12-17-2012 11:45:18 | More by grahamboudreaux

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - A deep dark amber black. Almost pitch except for a bit of haze at the base and edges.Head is a nice 1/2 inch of tan head that sits for a while.

S - Mild herbal hops, charcoal roast bitterness, maybe some chocolate. Not the best smelling beer.

T - Well it's not terribly bitter anymore. Ashy roasts and aged bittering pine has taken it's place. It has a good bit of cloying bitterness so maybe I am a tad inebriated when I post this.

M - Medium drinks like it's around 7.5%. Not bad.

Overall not the worst bomber I got for 5 bucks. I could imagine this being a hop bomb 6 months ago but now it's a very forgettable black IPA

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:33:57 | More by DrDemento456

MCDub

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

10-17-2012 19:10:10 | More by MCDub

chris1919

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +39.3%

10-07-2012 21:09:26 | More by chris1919

RiggerStyle

4.5/5  rDev +32%

09-18-2012 01:22:45 | More by RiggerStyle

birchstick

Missouri

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

07-11-2012 02:31:46 | More by birchstick

Metz

3/5  rDev -12%

07-07-2012 01:25:39 | More by Metz

mkostuch

Wisconsin

1.6/5  rDev -53.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Three words describe this beer. Bitter, bitter, bitter. And it is not a nice hoppy bitterness either.

I poured the beer from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass I received from doing a tour. It pours out a nice black color with a dark-white head so it appears inviting. I took my first sip and thought I could get past the initial bitterness but I could not. This is one of two beers in recent memory I have had to dump out and I love all types of beer.

I do not recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 11:57:39 | More by mkostuch

FreshHawk

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Dark cocoa color with a medium sized, creamy, smooth, foamy, cafe head. Decent retention leaving a decent lace.

S - Cocoa, nutty, earthy aroma. Roasted malt. There are hints of orange, grapefruit, pine, and floral hops. Maybe a touch of anise. Fairly faint.

T - Similar to the nose, but not as faint as the nose. Roasted, nutty, cocoa, earthy malt. Fairly bitter (chocolate and hops). Touches of citrus along with plenty of pine, herbal, and grassy hops.

M - Medium body with average carbonation. Fairly dry.

D - Average drinkability. Hoppy dark ale but not exactly IPA like. Flavors weren't bad but kind of meh.

Notes: Not a big fan of the style, and this isn't a shining example of the style. So-so beer. Hoppy enough but it just doesn't seem like an IPA to me (even a dark one).

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 03:35:04 | More by FreshHawk

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

06-20-2012 00:16:22 | More by hoppymcgee

trumpetstu

3/5  rDev -12%

06-05-2012 13:58:26 | More by trumpetstu

TimRasmussen

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +46.6%

05-31-2012 20:05:51 | More by TimRasmussen

TheMadStork

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

05-25-2012 22:36:16 | More by TheMadStork

I_Closed_Wolskis

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

05-18-2012 00:40:33 | More by I_Closed_Wolskis

Hopstout

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

05-13-2012 06:00:05 | More by Hopstout

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.15/5  rDev -37%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed from notes.

A. Opaque black like a stout, two fingers of frothy tan foam for a head lasts about two minutes, leaving behind some minimal lacing.

S. Very light grapefruit, apricot, and pine over a semi-roasted malt aroma. Not nearly as strong an aroma as most black ales I've had.

T. Very sourish Baltic Porter sort of bitterness up front that completely over-rules all the malt and citric hopping. Way unbalanced in this regard.

M. Kind of thin, which contributes to a 'watery stale coffee' sort of finish. Not that great either.

This one needs some serious workshopping.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 01:23:08 | More by WastingFreetime

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

1.9/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass.
Purchased off the shelf at a convienience store off a whim. Ok Sprecher Ill take your bait.

A- A deep dark blackish brown, Has a thick light bubbely light tan head.

S- Smell is sweet and slightly citrusy. Rather fruity for a black ale. Very strong mango notes.

T- Has a very strong malt forwardness to it, and ends in more of a hoppy "bite" rather than a flavor. Strong bitter cocoa and coffee notes start this beer off. The end is very bitter and slightly hoppy.

M- Very light feeling and crisp for how malty it is.

O- Not very impressed with this black ale. It is very bitter in a negative way. Not citrusy bitter, not piney bitter, not earthy bitter, Just bitter. For any of you coffee nuts/baristas out there, the after taste is like an espresso shot that's been poured and then left out to sit for far to long. The mouth feel is also pretty disappointing and gives off the feel of being a bit watery. Plus Sprecher failed to list an ABV on this bottle, so I don't even know what kind of monstrosity I'm really dealing with here. Overall dissapointed, I've come to love sprecher, but thsi beer is better off tucked away and forgotten.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 02:31:32 | More by Zachtheporter

richkrull

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +32%

03-31-2012 23:55:55 | More by richkrull

encdee

1.65/5  rDev -51.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

appearance: at first glance from the side of the glass it looks good. Dark, like any respectable Black IPA. But when I look from the top at an angle I can see through the edges (which isnt inherently bad) but it has a watery, somewhat murky, look which kind of matches the somewhat watery taste.

smell: is actually nice but faint. (my nose is kind of stuffed right now. dont know where one factor ends and the other begins...)

taste: the taste is actually quite disappointing to me. it isnt well balanced and, as I alluded to above, is basically watery. It just isnt satisfying. I think the malt is prominent and somewhat "smokey", but it isnt really matched or balanced by the citrus of the hops. After the initial malt taste it immediately transitions to watery with little aftertaste to relish.

mouthfeel: guess?

overall: dont mind trying everything once. like to see whats out there and how it compares to my preferred Black IPA (you know who you are ;) *cough* Black Cannon. Isnt horrible but not something I would prefer or look to get again.

other: definitely counts against the company that they dont show the abv on the bottle. Production dates and abv% should be on every respectable companies bottles. I know I am not the only one that feels this way. Cant find the abv on BeerAdvocate or Spechers website. tisk tisk....

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 13:41:58 | More by encdee

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I bought a 22oz bottle from Woodman’s in Janesville, WI for $4.29 in early 2012.

Pours a very dark brown/black with a pillowy light brown head. Has a mild scent of bitter hops. Starts off with a thin, slightly bitter texture but the bitterness really explodes with the finish. Picking out some sweet caramel malt and some burnt sugar but the hops overpower everything else. Little bit of a chalky, dry finish. The texture could be a little thicker and I think it would be better if the hops complimented with the rest of the ingredients a little better. Decent, but if I want another black IPA, I will look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 06:28:38 | More by Lemke10

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.3/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: 22-ounce bomber. There is a hand-written batch code at the bottom of the bottle: “11350.” No easily discernable freshness date, though.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is non-opaque black; light easily passed through and turned the beer amber when held to a lamp. Three fingers of dense, buttery head dissipated unevenly to leave a rocky cap with deep canyons of foam. A lot of foam was left clinging to the side of the glass, too.

Smell: Mostly reminiscent of the beer’s IPA inspiration. Invigorating pine and grapefruit/orange citrus dominate, but underneath are toasted caramel and chocolate.

Taste: It has an odd, though agreeable, taste. The citrus and pine aside, the grassy hoppiness and astringency are what stand out the most. It is more mouthfeel and bitterness than flavor, really. The dark malts are there, but they are mostly overpowered by the hops. As the beer warms the mouthfeel becomes much smoother, reminiscent of the beer’s maltier namesake.

Drinkability: This is definitely black IPA in the sense it is black-colored IPA. Tasty stuff, but very unbalanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 05:03:12 | More by TheQuietMan22

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This BIPA pours very dark brown bordering on black with a moderate light tan head that quickly diminished to barely a skim. The aroma is highly hoppy, loads of pine and grapefruit citrus, not much in the way of malt. The flavor is dominated by intensely grapefruit hop flavor and solid, high hop bitterness. The hop bitterness lends to a dry finish, probably enhanced by some dark malts, but there are no pronounced malt flavors, if you close your eyes you wouldn't know this is a black IPA. The body is medium and carbonation medium-high. Overall a hop forward BIPA that could use a little more malt flavor/aroma to add some complexity.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 01:40:53 | More by uwmgdman

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

01-29-2012 07:33:35 | More by ygtbsm94