(512) Black IPA - (512) Brewing Company

nickhiller

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: black coffee black, big creamy tan colored head, thick swirls of lacing.

S: cat pee (sorry, it's true), stale smoke (it's not that bad though, just my honest first thoughts) fruity hops in the background.

T: cream soda, chocolate milk, Earl Grey or black tea, lots of sweet roasted malts and coffee beans.

M: medium-bodied, creamy and smooth, dry finish.

O: this one took me by surprise, much better than I was expecting. The only big drawback was the nose--it really smelled a little bit like a dirty cat-lady home--but the rest of the attributes saved it. I really like the style and I'm sort of on the fence regarding 512, but this was delicious. I highly recommend a try.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2011 12:58:48 | More by nickhiller

Fenris244

Texas

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Opal Devine's served in Chimay chalice, I keep getting Chimay chalices for my beer from them... I think they're on to me...

Jet black with a thin light tan head, great retention and some thick lacing

Odd smell, chocolate, roasted malts and hops? Strange indeed, the roasted malt aroma takes a backseat to the chocolate and hops pleasant but odd smell.

Damn, toffee, chocolate and hops all over. The toffee hits first with some chocolatey flavors coming in next and a wave a hops comes in just before the finish and lingers well into it. The coffee flavor shows up but is well dispersed throughout.

Pretty light in body with a smoothness I wasn't expecting, carbonation was adequate.

Overall a pretty good intro for the style, was kinda intimidated by the black IPA thing but was pleasantly surprised by the flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2011 04:28:37 | More by Fenris244

pitasoup

Tennessee

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thanks to jenray for the growler.

a: opaque black - fine off white finger of head that lingers

s: pungent american hops - grapefruit and pine. finishes with hint of something bland and mealy, my only association with this is generic white cake, but that's quite on point. apologies for the lack of vocabulary, but this isn't an unpleasant lingering smell

t: grapefruit bitterness. possibly nugget? (had some NN very recently so it's fresh on my mind.) A touch of coffee and smoked malts (similar to dfh chicory.) The finish leaves an interesting play between hop bitterness and dark-malt bitterness.

m: medium body with a lingering finish. very porter like. no roasted barley stickiness but there is a slick mouthfeel. didn't taste oats or smell diacetyl though.

o: i'm still not convinced i like the cda/bipa style, but this is a very good beer. I wouldn't hesitate to order it, and will probably have more than one pour from the growler tonight.

Serving type: growler

04-01-2011 03:13:48 | More by pitasoup

OakedCanuck

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at Flying Saucer, Ft.Worth. Pub shaker

A - Pours a nice dark brown to black. Very nice head retention, tan brown, small bubbles. Ringed lacing the whole way

S - More of a hoppy nose, pine, grass and lemon. Minor pepper. Roast was not as predominant as you would expect.

T - Decent balance between the nutty roast and the herbal hops. There wasn't too much depth of flavour in this beer, more of a roasty Pale Ale.

M - Medium to thinning. ABV was hidden very well.

O - A decent product for a black IPA, I think they could have gone a little bolder and really hopped it up, however, it was easy enough to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2011 20:28:09 | More by OakedCanuck

champ103

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Queen Vic in Houston.

A: Pours a dark black color, almost opaque. A two finger tan head forms with good retention. Plenty of sticky lace.
S: Resiny hops up front. Soapy and oily. Herbal, grassy, and citrus aromas come out next. Dark fruits and a light sweet malt aroma lingers.
T: Follows the nose. Resiny, soapy, and oily. Citrus and grassy hops are dominate. After the hops fade this is really sweet. Finishes with a large grapefruit bitterness.
M/D: This has a medium to full body. Good carbonation. Though this is overly thick, syrupy, and oily. Not hard to drink a pint of, but a one and done for me.

For me, this is pretty typical of this "style." If this is your thing, than this is a good one. Though I don't really get it. A dark beer that is overly hoppy. Nothing special and a little over the top.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 00:43:37 | More by champ103