White Birch Nyx - White Birch Brewing

fdig23

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz Bottle

Appearance: deep black in the center turning to brown around the edges. Huge tan head.

Nose: Kinda subdued, bitter chocolate, orange and lemon, some pine needle, caramel underneath

Taste: Much more sophisticated than other Black Ales I've tried. Burnt, peat tasting malts, dark chocolate balanced by bitter pine and grapefruit. Finishes with more burnt grains.

Mouthfeel: A bit too carbonated for me.

Overall: Really nice black ale. Haven't had too many in this style, but this one ranks up there with the best examples I've tasted.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 18:14:32 | More by fdig23

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.23/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled Fall 2012:

Into a mug:

A: pure jet black colored body that gives a really nice five finger sustaining head - wow! The lacing is spectacular with thick foamy rings with some lighter spotty speckles in between, nice show!

S: roasted malt, and a nice mix between chocolate and hops. Some coffee presents itself after a bit of warming.

T: sweet with the chocolate and roasted malt coming forward just slightly more than the hops. The coffee gives a bit of a nice acceptable bitterness.

M: medium to heavy with an acceptable slight harshness on the tongue. The aftertaste and finish are dry and sticky, not exactly a very drinkable beer, perhaps just the bomber in a session

O: I'd say this is a pretty good Black Ale that I would come back to. There's quite a lot of really nice complexities that come out.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 00:19:02 | More by kangarooAdam59

Dope

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle dated April 2011. Batch one. Whoops!

A: Black pour with a big dense dark brown head. Looks a lot heavier than just 7%. Fades slowly, leaving pretty excellent lacework behind. Excellent head retention to boot.

S: Creamy roasted malt, heavy on the chocolate and the anise. I think the hops are pretty much dead at this point but there is a very light grapefruit and pine aroma.

T: Decent resin and a bit of pine. Creamy with some bitter chocolate and char. A bit of bitterness from the hops shows up in the middle, surprising. Lots of anise and resin in the finish and lingering for a long time in the aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied, a bit drying in the aftertaste.

O: Heh, not a bad Black IPA after a year and a half. Pine is pretty subdued but resin is still decent. It was quite drinkable and tasty. Will have to find a fresh bottle of this someday.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 04:39:15 | More by Dope

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle labeled "Fall 2012" poured into Duvel tulip.

A: A legit black with little to no light getting through. Big khaki head that takes a while to dissipate, even with a slow pour. Nice lacing as the head fades.

S: A really nice blend of chocolate, roasty malts, and pine. Though it's categorized as a Black IPA, this definitely blurs the line between that style and a hoppy porter.

T: More of the same that I got from the nose. Big chocolate and some sweetness up front before getting hit pretty substantially by the hops on the back of the tongue. Definitely picking up on more hoppiness as the beer warms. Really liking this.

M: Really solid. A bit more viscous than expected, which keeps the same trend as the smell and taste, which meandered between the two styles. Good carbonation, better than expected after the big head.

O: Bought this a week and a half ago and was excited to finally crack it. Glad I got the opportunity to try this, and would have loved to have it a bit closer to bottling date to see how the hops affected the nose and taste earlier. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 00:46:01 | More by Andrew61923

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a dfh snifter

A: dark dark brown, pretty much black with a nice creamy dark brown chocolaty brown head that leavs a good amount of lacing, a very nice looking beer.

S: pleanty of roast and creamy chocolatyness, touch of smoke in there as well, the hops seem a bit set back, although present, there is deffinatly some pine I. There with the roast and smoke. And some vague notes of citrus hoppage. It seem atleast through the very pleasant aroma, that the malts are more on display here then the hops.

T: oh boy the flavor deffinatly says otherwise, the hops are at attention here, resinous pine fights through the milk chocolate and roasty coffe notes, I get more bitter earthy hops then I do citrus hops here , blended in with the light smoke, there is a touch of grapefruit in there though, particuarly on the finish, seems to be the opposite of the nose, I feel like the hops are more forward in the flavor, to
The point where I feel maybe if they were toned down a hair we might get more
Malt deliciousness.

M: light medium body with a touch of creamyness the feel borders between an ipa and a porter and is nicley drinkable.... Dry on the finish with a touch of lingering chared flavor and bitterness.

O: a good black ipa, nice malt character and pleanty of tasty hops, deffinatly worth trying if you enjoy this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 23:14:53 | More by PeterIngemi

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber that we picked up at the brewery. Served in a tumbler pint, the beer is a very dark chestnut brown coloring that is almost black. Thin, filmy, light brown colored head that starts around an inch, but quickly settles into a filmy coating on the surface. Aromas of smoke and rich malt balance well, with a coffee and cocoa nib throughout. Flavors are rich and roasted, with a solid smoke highlight and a subtle, resiny, hopped backbone that intertwines throughout. Roasted coffee and cocoa nib are present once again on the palate. Very tasty. The aftertaste is more of the smoke and roast, with a touch of coffee. The finish is slightly dry and bitter, with a linger of smoke. Delicious!!

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 23:40:24 | More by GarthDanielson

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours quite viscous with a near pitch black colour and single finger of chocolate brown foam. Pretty good retention with a decent lacing.

S: Rich chocolate, caramel, herbal and floral notes, tropical fruits (pineapple and banana), citrus fruits (grapefruit), and dried dark fruits (dates and raisins). Quite complex and wide ranging, especially with those subtle tropical fruit notes.

T: Floral and herbal notes, molasses, caramel, pineapple, grapefruit, some dark fruit notes, and smoke. Just like the smell, quite a varied range of tastes that works very well and compliment each other well.

M: Great middle ground found in the viscosity with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very good.

O: Superb American Black Ale that I would love to have more of. Varying fruit notes come together wonderfully in this, coupled with a pronounced hop presence yet enough roasted malts to give this that edge.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 03:53:59 | More by Digimaika2

Beer4Baltimore

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - black and syrupy looking with a fine bubbled head leaving plenty of lacing.
S - chocolate and dark smoky malts and piercing hops that light up your nose.
T - hard hitting hops right up front with a big malty sweet middle and a lingering hoppy bite in the finish. Plenty of dark roasted malts give it a smoky flavor.
M - I would like a little more carbonation to break the thickness and resin coating left behind but the fullness is nice.
A nice hoppy dark offering of pleasing drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 01:02:41 | More by Beer4Baltimore

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an E&J Cask & Cream glass on 6/15/11

Thanks to MbpBugeye for sharing.

Bottled April 2011, Batch #1

Pours a slow, inky dark brown. Medium-dark brown foam rises quickly to nearly two fingers. Thin retention but a decent bit of lace.

Smells dark and roasty; a touch of the tangy roast, too. Some semi-sweet chocolate notes. Quite piney - dry pine resin, pine needles and sappy pine tree forests. Earthy undertones. Stray citric spots and coffee beans.

The flavor profile is strewn across the place. Starts off hoppy, mostly piney and bitter. The bitterness lingers throughout. Lots of thick, roasted malts. Bitter chocolate. Burnt, ashy flavors are compounded on the finish. Some folks might not like the potent ashy character, but I am fond of such things. Bitter coffee finish.

Full body with a smooth, almost silky feel. Rather viscous for the style. The feel is offset by frisky carbonation.

Nyx is very much on the stout side of this pseudo-style. It has the bitter/burnt/ash combo that I dig.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 03:29:01 | More by Ryan011235

Thads324

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A : pours black as night. A big frothy and dark tan head. Lots of lacing on this puppy. Can't find a date on the bottle.

S : a bit of roasted malt and chocolate. Musty and earthy hops are subdued and though not overpowering it's inviting. Let's the malts shine right alongside them.

T : an odd mixture in the beginning of spicy and earthy hops and a coffee taste. A bit of an overly sharp roasted flavor in the middle merges with a bitter hop at the end.

M : a low carbonation and smooth feeling overall. Very nice with the flavors. Easy drinking for the alcohol, although a tad bit warming.

Pretty nice, and one of the better black ipas I've come across. Glad I got to try it. Well balanced with great color and head.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 02:55:00 | More by Thads324

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From batch one bottled in April 2011. Sampled on July 16, 2011. The pour is as dark as one of the Polar Caves from Rumney, New Hampshire with about a quarter inch to half inch, silky, fluffy brown head which lingers. There are lots of sensations to enjoy on the nose with an up front character of baker's chocolate followed by a yeasty, malty middle range, and earthy piney hops. The body seems light at first on first sip but almost gets heavier as I swallow it. The chocolate is considerably more subtle in the flavor. What you lose in the chocolate esthers you gain with a dark cherry-like zing and a pleasantly bitter taste with a long hoppy finish to help make this a memorable experience. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 20:08:29 | More by puboflyons

ottovon

Arizona

4.22/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

shared by whiterascal.

A: pours out a dark brown with a brown head.

S: roasty and dark chocolate with hints of fruit. there is also a lot of citrus hops.

T: i get roasted malt, dark chocolate, and bitter coffee. there is some molasses at first and then a nice fruity hop flavor. finishes bitter and dry like dark chocolate or baking chocolate. There is citrus and piney hop flavors.

M: medium body with a good amount of carb.

O: a good beer. The roasty malt and citrus, fruity hops go well together.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 04:05:36 | More by ottovon

MbpBugeye

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Boatshoes! Split with Ryan011235.

Bottled April 2011, Batch one, 1065 bottles, 7.0% abv, poured into an E&J Cask and Cream glass.

Appearance
Wow, this stuff pours out like a porter or American stout. Its very thick, especially for the style. There is a tall, dense and dark colored head with great staying power but only broken lace. The beer is deep, dark and thick looking.

Aroma
Lots of roasted malts give off the typical dark coffee, black chocolate, ash and char. Furthermore, there is a chocolate chip cookie aroma that is quite nice. There is a stiff pine aroma. I wonder what this beer was like a month and a half ago. The hops combine with the roastiness to create a lot of spiciness, especially when cold. The hops are bursting from this beer like they should, but this beer could be fresher also.

Taste
This is pretty good, but I think there is a little bit of hop fade. Its still very bitter, but the sweet citrus flashes and pine resinousness are toned back, giving way to bitterness by blackened malts.

Mouthfeel
The thick body was not a surprise after seeing the weight of this beer on the pour. It has a long, ashy dry finish with low, soft carbonation.

Overall
I like this one. Its very bitter at times, but my palate quickly adjusted and the beer became quite enjoyable. But there is little in the way of balance. Its all bitter roasted malts and bitter piney hops. Totally a good offering from White Birch though.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 17:40:57 | More by MbpBugeye

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

black as night with a towering three inches of chocolate colored foam on the top of the glass. Settling slowly it left behind tons of brown lace up and down the glass. Aroma is piney hops and rich roasted malts. Touches of peat and campfire like tones coming through. Nice feel, medium carbonation and heavy enough to keep me intrested, but not overally full. Nice opening bite of piney hops come across quite nicely with a delicate dryness and touches of light hops. Quickly the roasted malts take over and offer lots of smokey and rich malty notes. Light chocolate starts to come through in the dry finish and leaves the palate searching as to which flavor dominated the most but the last gasp goes to a deep, smokey malt.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 00:02:39 | More by mikesgroove

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle purchased at Formaggio Kitchen, Cambridge, MA. Batch One, Bottled April 2011, Bottle Count 1065.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" dark dark brown head over the opaque dark brown/black brew. Head dwindles over time, with leggy, sticky lacing. Aroma is rich deep dark malts. Taste starts sweet as well, anise and blackstrap coupled with some hops bitterness in the middle, closes with a peek of citrus and some more bitter, which lingers on the palate. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, and drinkability is okay as well. A little too rough around the edges for me, but still pretty good overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 22:24:31 | More by ppoitras

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a one finger brown head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Black color, no highlights, yeast left in bottle. Light-medium carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Light pine hop nose. Flavor is roasted coffee and pine hops. Unusual black ale, the 103 IBUs are balanced by the malts. Lingering bitter aftertaste. Bottled Apr 2011, batch 1. $7.99 for a 22oz bottle, from Concord Cooperative Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 22:15:52 | More by jdhilt

GbVDave

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into two pint glasses. Special thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist! Extra special thanks to jayli for this from our recent trade!

Bottled: April 2011
Batch: One
Bottle Count: 1065
ABV: Alc. 7.0% by Vol.

A: Pours pure black with an extremely luxurious and creamy 2 1/2 fingers of mocha colored foam. Head retention was excellent with full on sheets and ropes clinging to the glass.

S: Pine, chocolate, roasted malt, and a touch of espresso. Would've scored .5 higher but it was a touch less vibrant than the taste...

T: See above but more intense. Killer balance between the pine, chocolate, and roast.

M: A bit sweet with very intense blasts of spicy pine hops and dry roast. Huge long finish that seems to never end. Awesome!

O: This is a fantastic example of the style. I'd love more of this!

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 00:27:20 | More by GbVDave

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: Batch One, bottled in April of 2010. Poured into a Dogfish Head snifter and enjoyed over the course of an hour or so.

Appearance: Pitch black in color with an expansive, dark brown head. Head is around two fingers and really recedes into a nice thick lacing. Sticks nicely to the glass.

Aroma: The cascade hops really are strong. Almost all pine notes, with just a slight touch of grapefruit. Some smoke and roasted malt on top.

Taste: Roasted coffee and dark chocolate really make up the malt portion of this beer. Really big pine notes completely overwhelm the roasted notes at times. The hops are a touch out of control but work nicely in portraying the style. Big and bold, but not overly balanced.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and a tad sticky. Some oily feel there as well. Plenty of carbonation to lighten up the large flavors.

Overall, a really big bold beer. The hops are exceedingly bitter and heavy but it fits nicely into this style. A nice foray that has its boldness as both its biggest strength and biggest weakness.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 03:15:56 | More by Gosox8787

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.22/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this at the open house and today decided to open one of the bottles I bought then.
Pours a solid black color with a fluffy khaki head that slowly recedes to a ring on top. Smells of roast and hints of chocolate mixed with pine and citrus and a slight bit phenols. Taste is roasty with dark chocolate and hint of molasses. Bitter piney hop resin cuts through the roast very nicely. The finish leaves a long lingering hop and roasted grain thickly on my palette. Medium to thick body, moderate level of carbonation, creamy resinous mouthfeel. I seemed to notice the roasted grains a lot more from this bottle than I remember from the open house. Its possible a little age brought the roast out a little more. This beer blurs that line between IPA and stout in fact if you gave me this and told me it was a hoppy stout I wouldn't have argued with you. Tasty brew no matter what you call it.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 21:05:36 | More by johnnnniee

Phelps

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It’s nice to have connections. This beer was crafted by an apprentice brewer at White Birch who happens to be a regular trading partner of whiterascal. She was kind enough to pop this bottle at a tasting of Arizona friends. Poured from the bottle into a snifter.

Dark chocolate brown and completely opaque. A one-finger cocoa-colored head fizzes away at a moderate pace, leaving behind a silky top layer and nice speckled lace.

Brilliantly balanced nose. Cocoa, crumbled dark chocolate and a hint of toast meets a fruity, citrus hop aroma.

The flavor expands on what the nose began: baker's chocolate, cocoa, toast. Citrus hops are the bigger part of the equation here, imparting pine and grapefruit. Finishes with impressive astringency and bitterness.

The medium-light body is nice and not too heavy. Very light, massaging carbonation allows the body to hold together well as it moves about. Tongue-numbing booze.

Balance leans toward the hops; good bitterness; just enough roast. This is how a black IPA should taste. Can’t wait to see what else this apprentice brewer has in store.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 04:56:43 | More by Phelps

05Harley

New Hampshire

4.4/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on 4/11
Batch 1, bottle #1065

Purchased @ Somersworth Village Market, Somersworth, NH

Price - $7.49/bomber

Pours midnight black with a 2 inch creamy mocha colored head. Wow! One of the darkest beers I've ever seen up to the light and with plenty of lacing to adorn the drinking vessel. This beer looks good.

A modest aroma of roasted malts and pine hops tease the nose.

Flavor is dark chocolate, coffee and licorice. A fair amount of hops keep the sweetness in check.

The mouthfeel is creamy with a medium body and surprisingly smooth. Damn this is going down good. A feeling of hop bitterness tingles the taste buds but isn't overdone. The balance between malt and hops is flawless.

A solid example of the style and very drinkable at 7.0%. You can't go wrong with the price either. I hope this makes it on the regular line up for White Birch. My favorite offering to date.

Good job!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 21:46:40 | More by 05Harley

c58crtde

New Hampshire

3.6/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Finally a solid offering from White Birch Brewing. Quality control seemed to be the main problem with the brewery, but this beer was great. Not sessionable at all, but thats because of style only. I don't really understand the "Black IPA" thing, seemed more like a hoppy roasted Porter to me.

Good stuff

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 16:49:02 | More by c58crtde

albern

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours like thick sludge, its great. It has a really thick, glopy head, that retains like crazy and laces all over the glass in billows of puffiness. This beer is an attractive beer and the really dark head is just wonderfully enticing. The nose is malty, somewhat subdued, a bit like a cacao shake, lots of dark malts. The nose is good.

This has many similar characteristics to an imperial stout, minus the oakiness. There is a very charred, biting, hoppiness to the beer, there is a slight booziness, and a rather acerbic caramel strain in the taste. There are plenty of dark roasted, slightly charred malts in the beer, it is plenty creamy, medium to full bodied. The beer is slightly biting and the leafy somewhat coarse hops linger a bit longer into the finish than is warranted. This beer makes a statement and is not withering violet. It's good, creamy, thick, biting, very imperial-stout like, slightly boozy, and full palated. This is worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 21:20:54 | More by albern

Overlord

California

4.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to a very generous BA!

Pours a dark, molasses-y looking black ... not an RIS consistency, but just a straight up black liquid. Big light tan head. Interesting.

Smells like a mixture of roasted cocoa, roasted roast, some pine, a bit of earthy dankness, and roasted choco-coffee. Nice.

Taste is quite well put together, considering that I find this to be a fairly disparate flavor/aroma profile. It reminds me of some of the overhopped stouts out there ... think Yeti ... but it's obviously a lighter, more "sessionable," beer. The hops predominate more than I thought, with bittering pine being the most noticeable. But, the dark chocolate and bittering earth roast rounds it out quite well.

Mouthfeel is lighter and more refreshing than the appearance would leave one to believe.

White Birch is nailing things down.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 10:45:46 | More by Overlord

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wow, pours a super dark thick rich RIS looking beer with a dark 1 finger fluffy and thick head that fades slowly with lacing, the beer is pitch black, and thick with legs, RIS style. Damn, not what I was expecting for an American Black ALe (Cascadian Dark).

Nose starts out again more like a RIS, starting with roasty dark malts, bit of dark chocolate, hint of cocoa, touch of minerality like almost soy sauce, then some earthy and slightly spicy hops, bit of coffee and caramel, lots of dark malts.

Taste starts with dark malts again, not quite as heavy as I was expecting but heavier than it should be for an American Dark Ale, still closer to an Imperial Stout. Dark roasty malts, a bit of coffee, some dark chocolate, hint of cocoa, light minerality and soy sauce, then again with earthy hops, spicy chewy hops, bit creamy and touch of sweetness. Finishes with a long bitterness, a chewy spicy smashed hop pellet taste like I just chewed on a spicy hop pellet while brewing, then some sticky sweet malts, and bit of roast and minerality, and touch of burnt coffee grinds. A bit of the house yeast last on the finish.

Mouth is fairly heavy and rich, decent carbonation.

Overall a really nice rich heavy beer, not quite what I was expecting for an American Black ALe, but more like Imperial Stout with tons of earthy spicy chewy hops, a bit of soy sauce and minerality, but I bet that will die with age, I really need to buy one and age it to see what happens.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 01:59:08 | More by jlindros