Dark Element
Element Brewing Company

Dark ElementDark Element
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From:
Element Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Black IPA
Ranked #47
ABV:
9%
Score:
89
Ranked #10,732
Avg:
4 | pDev: 10.75%
Reviews:
86
Ratings:
212
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 09, 2023
Added:
Jun 04, 2010
Wants:
  47
Gots:
  37
Previously named "Dark Matter."

DARK ELEMENT
This New American Black Ale, our strongest signature beer, has the malt profile of an Imperial Schwartz Beer and the floral characteristics of an American IPA. Saturated in hops, this intrepid style offers smooth dark toffee and chocolate flavors without the roasted bitterness found in many "dark" beers.

65.5 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by OBIrish24:
Photo of OBIrish24
Rated by OBIrish24 from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

Dec 27, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.74/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a can into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a dark brown color with a small head of brownish-tan foam. The head fades rather fast, leaving a light level of streaky lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is strong of a mix of roasted and toasted malt and a strong presence of molasses and cocoa. Other smells of burnt bread and notes of a coffee and crème are in there as well. Mixed with these aromas comes some brown sugar and a bit of caramel, along with a decent showing of pine and herbal hop.
Taste – The taste starts with a heavily toasted brown bread and light cocoa taste mixed with some light caramel and molasses and a hint of graininess. At the start there is a decent showing of a pine and herbal hop presence, with both getting stronger as the taste advances. As the taste advances more and more coffee and some bitter nut comes to the tongue, all while the sweetness gets lighter and the roastiness gets stronger. All the while a musty and somewhat dirty taste comes to the tongue, mixing in the hop rather nicely (in an odd way). Toward the end, the sweet fades a touch more, but there is a bit of crème and smoke that work their way in, leaving one with a dark and decently dankly hopped taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – For a brew of its strength, the feel is rather thin with a carbonation level that is a tad too high. Overall, however it is an OK feel.
Overall – A decent black IPA with a rather big roastiness and a decent hop presence
Nov 09, 2023
Photo of ReverendSoup
Reviewed by ReverendSoup from Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Poured from tallboy can into pint glass.

Dark beer with reddish tones, short but lingering tan head. Gorgeous dense lacing. I'd give it a six for aesthetics if I could. Smells like chocolate and black cherry. Tastes about the same. Chocolate notes, roasty toasty malt. I'm not usually a malt guy, but there's great malt character here! Leaves a pleasant sweet aftertaste. I wish I tasted more of the advertised floral hops, but the beer tastes good, and I can't bring myself to be too mad. It said it wouldn't be too bitter and it did not lie on that point. I like bitter, but maybe you don't. Not gonna knock a beer for the horrible, terrible crime of being what it says it is.

Regrettably, it falls apart a little at the mouthfeel- it's strangely watery and undercarbonated. It's a shame, because it's got a lot of things going for it, but this one particular flaw is distracting me a bit. Makes me wonder if it's just an off can, but there's another review that mentions the issue.

It's a good beer overall. It does a lot right.
Apr 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Aisha from Massachusetts

May 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by craigferraro from New Hampshire

Oct 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.93 by Stephan16 from Connecticut

Aug 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.45 by lic217 from Connecticut

Jul 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by AGust82 from Connecticut

Jul 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by kdevilliers from Massachusetts

Jun 05, 2016
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Lighter back with a tan head and thick lacing bands. Dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, slight earth, with light bitter hops. Taste is malt forward, light toffee added but hops are so faint. Feel is medium bodied, decently crisp yet creamy, hops are light.
Jun 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by JohnnyB from Massachusetts

Feb 08, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.6/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pretty pour, dark beer, black in the center, brown towards the edge, and dark red right on the edge yielding a 3/5" head that was tan, all roasty bitterness in the aroma. Plenty of schwarzbier like hopping going on.

Lots of carbonation, high hop prickliness, bitterness contributions from both the roasted malt and the hops. Probably should tone the roastiness down to keep this from coming off like a high American hopped porter. Would be interesting to know if it was an ale or lager yeast, I can't tell given the high roastiness and hoppiness. Enjoyable.
Jan 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.29 by mudboneINla from California

Jan 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by sgregory from Connecticut

Dec 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by hockeypuck from Maine

Nov 27, 2015
Photo of zander4dawin
Reviewed by zander4dawin from Texas

3.68/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
Sludgey dark brown beer with a thin head. Heavy notes of burnt toast, oats, piney hops at the end on a creamy body. Pretty good for the style never been a fan of dark IPA plays off the roasty malts and burnt sugar flavors.
Nov 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.66 by AlexPV from New Hampshire

Nov 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.34 by thatoneguymike from Georgia

Sep 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Magister_Beav from Vermont

Sep 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by gonzo000 from Massachusetts

Aug 06, 2015
Dark Element from Element Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 212 ratings