Black Sand - Strand Brewing Co.

charlzm

California

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Consumed at BoHo Hollywood - September 12th, 2012. Reviewed from notes.

Clear dark brown with deep, deep amber highlights. A three-finger dense foam head sits atop this beer, primarily because they blew the keg on my pour.

Slight aroma of soap.

Dark roasted grain character on plate, more toffee than coffee. Quite bitter. Aftertaste is resiny hop flavor.

Medium body, prickly carbonation, slightly dry finish.

As "black IPA"s go, this one is pretty standard.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2013 03:52:10 | More by charlzm

kevanb

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into a stemless wine glass

The beer pours a deep amber color, hues of burgundy, very opaque in complexion with a huge 3 finger head, off white in color that has great retention and leaves behind a large network of soapy lace. The aroma is massively bitter with lots of resinous piney hops, yet also incredible sweet with light wildflower and rich caramel malt with backing alcohol. The flavors are even more bitter with huge amounts of pine and sticky hop oil, light floral tones really bring out the sweet pitted fruit and rich malts, again, with alcohol finishing harshly. The body is very thick, very rich and full, low carbonation and very dry with a harsh, booze laden finish.

Verdict: Super an aggressive DIPA that almost drink like an American Barleywine that seems out of sorts for a 7.80% beer. There is almost zero complexity and a lot of harsh qualities that make this one tough to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:33:34 | More by kevanb

drewone

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-11-2013 02:27:09 | More by drewone

cgentzkow

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-07-2013 14:47:55 | More by cgentzkow

ElSid

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The Beers of California

#84

Bottled Date: None

A: Hazy amber with a creamy white foam that settles to thin layer.

S: Gorgeous malt sugar complexity complemented with earthy, resinous hops served with several scoops of dank, pine, tea, and citrus.

T: Biscuity malt; full, thick, and full of caramel sweetness, supports the earthy and bitter hop bite. The hops follow the nose with dankness, grapefruit, green tea and pine. The bitterness builds to the finish along with adequate alcohol warmth.

M: Moderate feel, resinous, and good linger; all trademarks of a solid IPA.

O: Bordering Imperial Red territory, this "too dark for style" IPA features some awesome sweet and earthy malts which paired well with the hop bill. Looking forward to getting more of these for the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 02:12:01 | More by ElSid

Bnoise11

California

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

05-05-2013 02:18:15 | More by Bnoise11

UCLABrewN84

California

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Pours a clear dark copper with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. A foamy curtain of lace coats the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and tropical fruits. Taste is much the same with a citrus zest flavor on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some solid aromas and flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2013 05:03:14 | More by UCLABrewN84