Hop Test #1 (Stakem) - Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at Al's of Hampden.

A - Pours pitch dark black with a nice one finger tall off white head leaving small streaks of lace down parts of the glass.

S - Smells of smokey dark roasted malt and dulled grassy hops. The smoke makes this one a bit one dimensional at times. For the amount of hops they put in this I was expecting a lot more.

T - This one is packing a TON of smokey malt from start to finish. The hops are only faintly there, only really shining for small flashes before the smoke comes back to finish them off. Finish is dry, lingering on the palate long after the finish.

M - Big, smokey body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Smokey, slightly bitter feel with some light dryness toward the end of each sip.

O - That Tanger smoked malt has clearly done its job, it really dominates every aspect of this beer. At times it lets you get some of the hops and you can see what this wanted to be, then the smoke comes back and you are reminded of what it became. A nice smoked beer but not a black IPA anymore.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 04:54:17 | More by orangesol

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Al's. A smoked imperial black IPA featuring Liberty hops and cherry wood.

A: Black indeed, par for the course today. Atop, an off-white head blankets the ale.

S: The smoked malts dominate, deep with a pronounced sweet curehouse aroma. The hops aren't as straightforward as I was expecting. Instead they get lost behind the smokiness.

T: The hops are slow to emerge. Until they do, the smoke and dark malts do all the heavy lifting. The smoke is sweet, meaty with a wood-smoked residue. The stout malts are just that, roasted and burnt, a bitterness that supports the smoke sweetness nicely. As the ale warms, the hops still struggle to get through the morass of smoke and roasted malts. Big and bold, but the lack of hop focus is troubling.

M: A smoked stout, astringent at times. That is all.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2012 21:09:54 | More by akorsak