Armored Fist Double CDA - Boneyard Beer Company

mdaschaf

Washington

4.29/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Had on tap at Uber Tavern. Review from notes.

A: Dark brown with a small tan head on top. Quick reduction to a thin cap on top. Bits of lacing form on the glass.

S: Extremely hoppy. Lots of citrus, grapefruit, and tropical fruits. Very faint roast mixed in, but definitely dominated by the hops.

T: Similarly hoppy, which is fine by me. Was expecting more roast influence, but the tropical fruits are quite dominant. There is some grapefruit, pineapple, papaya with just a touch of chocolate and roast.

M: Medium bodied, surprised to find out it is 10%, certainly drinks a lot easier than that.

O: One of the best black ales I have had, and one that I would actually drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2013 00:43:16 | More by mdaschaf

ccrida

Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Growler from Main Brew, poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Armored Fist is Black with a tan head leaving light lace.

Smell is a big blast of pungent hops, lots of tropical fruit, citrus. Sweet and intense.

Taste is fantastic. This is by far the best CDA I've had. The massive, fruity hop load really complements the slight charred notes from the dark malt. Often times I find this style clashes, but the dark malt and hops really come together into a delicious elixir here. There's just a touch of some piney hops as well, but they are a subtle back-current behind the dank citrus, tangerine. There's a modest bitterness. I'm shocked at the ABV, there's not a trace in the taste, very clean.

Mouthfeel is dry, slippery, medium light bodied.

Drinkability is dangerously high. This is a fantastic beer.

Serving type: growler

10-27-2012 22:17:38 | More by ccrida

vkv822

Oregon

3.83/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on-tap @ Belmont Station.
from notes.

Near black, with deep brown highlights and a thin, foamy off-white head.

Very hoppy upfront, citric mostly, some resinous pine, blends to a roasty malt finish. Some cocoa.

Medium body, very light alcohol warmth. Average, bubbly carbonation.

Extremely hop forward, with just enough roasted malt to keep it from being a DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2012 04:13:34 | More by vkv822

mfavoino

Washington

4.45/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Parkway Tavern on 9/27/12.

Appearance: Dark brown, almost black with a one finger light tan head.

Smell: Huge citrus hops. Grapefruit, citrus, and a more subtle roasted malt character. Hop forward for sure.

Taste: Initial subtle dark roasted malts and then the delicious citrus/tropical hop characteristics that the nose hinted at. Finishes with a nice combo of roasted malts, a bit of cocoa, and a fruity hop bite.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium-bodied, alcohol is pretty well-hidden. Hop bite doesn't detract from the roasted character of this beer.

Overall: Although I have admittedly not tried a plethora of Black IPAs, this one seems to be a benchmark. Great mixture of both dark malts and lively hops. A bit more hop forward than others that I've tried in this category.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2012 02:50:14 | More by mfavoino

spicelab

Australia

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

32oz growler from Boneyard. Reviewed from notes.

Black with a monolithic tan head that recedes at a glacial pace leaving spider-web lacing and a final ring.

Deep, damp marijuana and pungent herbs like thyme and marjoram. Less intense tropical notes of passionfruit and guava. Mild, but sharp-edged coffee roast character.

Touch more roast and less green hop character in the flavours. A vibrant, minty bitterness grows in force. At times there's a difficult to place chalky, lavender note that doesn't quite agree with me.

Medium to full, super-smooth mouthfeel. Carbonation provides a good vibrancy and lift on the front palate and feeds into a moderate bitterness that lingers nicely. No hint of booze.

Slammin' black IPA with the restrained use of roast malts allowing the intense hop character to assail the senses. Crazy drinkable for 10%.

Serving type: growler

03-14-2012 05:40:46 | More by spicelab

djbreezy

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on-tap at Apex in Portland, OR.

appearance - dark, tan head, medium lacing

smell - resinous/grapefruit hop notes backed by some subtle chocolate malt

taste - strong notes of grapefruit and pineapple hops with some pine mixed in, very hoppy, tones of chocolate and roasty malt in the background, alcohol is present as well but not dominating

mouthfeel - generous carbonation, medium/full bodied

overall - great hop profile, another staple from Boneyard

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 20:03:48 | More by djbreezy

pdxbeerdrinker

Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured a very dark brown with a light brown head.

S - First reaction to the smell was that it was great. Very hoppy with citrus and smoky notes.

T - Hoppy, citrus, and smoky. A little bit of grapefruit makes it's way through. Surprisingly smooth and easy to drink for being 10% abv.

M - Thick, smooth, and lingering. The aftertaste of citrus stays with you for a while.

O - Got this in a half growler and would definitely like more. Boneyard needs to start bottling asap.

Serving type: growler

01-15-2012 23:20:53 | More by pdxbeerdrinker

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Apex, Portland, OR
Courtesy of johnmichaelsen. Thanks!

I was really just shopping for rare beers at Apex, and didn't intend to drink anything else for a while, but suddenly this beer appeared in front of my nose, so what the hey.

Attractive pour: served in a snifter, a solid, dark brown with a well-retaining cap of eggshell head. Aroma of chocolate malts, tree bark, pine and citrus hops. Mouthfeel was quite smooth and mild for the style, probably one of the more easier drinkin' CDAs that I've had. Woody on the palate, roasty malts, piney hops, cirtus zest, notes of cigary tobacco. Very nice, very drinkable. Too bad I couldn't savor it more, but I had to rush to move my illegally-parked car!

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2012 03:33:05 | More by Rifugium

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Apex the other day.

The beer pours a fairly dark brown color with very good head retention and considerable sticky lacing all around. The nose is interesting and attractive, consisting of coffee, dark chocolate, dry citrus and some underlying green leafy tobacco. As good as this beer smells, it tastes even better, and I'm impressed by the mocha flavor and soft creamy mouthfeel. The beer comes across as moderarely sweet initially, but then the hoppy bitterness comes on strong in the finish, leading to fairly dry, citrus and tobacco finish. The alcohol is very well integrated into the flavor profile, and I really got no sense of the 10% abv. in this beer.

Very impressive. Not that I'm surprised, as pretty much every boneyard beer I've sampled has been excellent, but this is right up there with Barley Brown when it comes to making outstanding CDA's.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2011 17:09:15 | More by johnmichaelsen

Vancoubeer

Washington

4.78/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I got this off draft at my local growler filling shop.
A: So for the appearance, as it came out of the tap, it was a very dark brown. In my jar it was black as night. It looked as it sounded. Dark. When I got home and poured it into a glass, it had a very off white head that was sticky as hell. It basically stuck around and made a nice lacing on the glass.
S: The smell is fantastic. Beers this dark should not have all of those citrus tones mixed with the roasty malt tones. Unbelievable. This is rated at 80 IBUs but this is going to be a citrus bomb mixed with the mounds of roasted malts.
t: At first taste, you get the hop bitterness that quicky gives that acidic tingle as it turns to that citrusy flavor that I smelled up front. Towards the end of the gulp you get that roasted flavor that dark beers should have. Amazing taste at every sip. I really like this beer and wish it was not as hard to find as it is.
M: Sticky...very sticky and it keeps the flavor lingering and that acidic tingle that is not unpleasant keeps that citrusy vibe around. The carbonation is there but not enough to clean the palate.
O: Overall this beer kicks ass. There is no way you can tell that it is a 10% beer until you drink a bunch of it. You will get drunk off of this very easy so it should be drank in moderation or share a jug with a friend. Its very easy drinking and my favorite cascadian dark ale at the moment.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2011 05:17:58 | More by Vancoubeer

loren01

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Had this out of a mason jar, pours a dark black color, decent sized head with good retention.
S: Very citrusy and piney, also lots of roasted scents
T: Much the same as smell, lots of hops both piney and citrusy but more citrusy I would say. Roasted barley and peat.
M: Medium bodied beer, carbonation is good. ETOH is very well hidden
O: This is a really good beer, would get this one again for sure.

Serving type: growler

12-17-2011 04:00:20 | More by loren01

cavedave

New York

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks go out to oregonskibum, my favorite trader, who sent more of the Oregon blessedness we both love so well.

Pours darkest brown with slight ruby highlights, no head, but thin, lively, off-white cap. A swirl paints the tulip with thick bubbly legs.

Man what a great smell. Citrus goodness, hints of pine, just a hint of roast, some neutral sweet, a touch of herbal bitter, and even a bit of floral add up to a medium strength and absolutely delectable aroma that is making my tongue giddy and causing my saliva glands to activate.

Good gosh but this is a delicious beer. It starts with a thick attack of sweet and citrus. I get orange peel, lemon, caramel, grapefruit, tangerine, candi. Then it transitions to some of the roasty notes. Not a full on blast of roast by any means, but a wonderful hit of dark grain and light bitter chocolate, no ash to it, no bitter burnt to it, a perfect counterpoint to the hoppy and sweet. The end of the sip carries all these flavors into the finish, adding just a bit of bitter hop resiny pine in just the right proportion.

Quite thick and full of hoppy resin, perfectly low carb., well attenuated but retaining some body to be full in the mouth, easy drinking, refreshing, interesting, with a killer finish. Black Ales don't get better than this, my friends.

If you see this magnificent brew for sale do not hesitate to get some as you will love it for sure. Rating this beer an A (would have been A+ but for the appearance) was a no brainer it is staggeringly delicious.

Serving type: growler

12-16-2011 23:21:07 | More by cavedave

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.8/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Poured a deep brownish color with good carbonation leaving a dirty white cap

S: Loads of citrus, roastiness and cocoa.

T: Starts out with cocoa, roasted malt and light espresso punch then the citrus hop kicks in big time. Booze is minlam and it has both a creaminess and hop bite

M: Medium to big body on this, lots of flavor, no way this beer is 10%ABV

O: My favorite CDA behind Stone 15th

Serving type: growler

10-18-2011 01:36:45 | More by barleywinefiend

dgilks

Australia

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brown colour with a creamy tan head. Good.

Bright, floral hop aroma with a touch of chocolate. Slightly nutty.

Smooth, nutty chocolate malts with a good grapefruity hop punch. Great flavour.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Great.

A solid Cascadian Dark Ale. Good flavour and a great malt profile.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2011 09:55:02 | More by dgilks

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer pours a very dark brown, almost black, color with a creamy khaki colored head.

S: Lots of dank hops on this. Tons of grapefruit and citrus notes with a touch of tropical fruits. There are some herbal hop notes as well as a decent pine. Quite a bit of roast with a slight malt sweetness.

T: As on the nose, tons of grapefruit and mango flavors with a lot of piney hop bitterness and a light herbal character. Roasted malt adds to the bitterness and there is a little bit of chocolate flavor.

M: Medium bodied with a medium carbonation. Sort of sticky on the tongue.

O: After all the lackluster PNW hoppy beers I've had of late, this was really quite nice.

Serving type: growler

09-03-2011 23:21:35 | More by womencantsail

Boozecamel

British Columbia (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a day old growler into a pint glass.

Appearance: Poured 1 finger of dark brownish white head. A lot of alcohol lacing. Dark brown colour can see through slightly.

Smell: Wonderfully floral, hoppy aroma also quite caramelly.

Taste: Bitter hoppy taste balanced amazingly well with the caramel, toffee and coffee notes. Warmth without much of an alcohol taste. Intense flavours.

Mouthfeel: Quite thick and syrupy in a good way. Not highly carbonated, although I reviewed this a ways into the growler.

Overall: I like the Cascadian Dark Ale style a great deal and this double version is just a flavour bomb. Easy drinking at the alcohol content. Had me quite merry by stealth. I’m a huge fan of this beer and it was a highlight of my tasting at the Boneyard. Diablo Rojo was also a standout. Unfortunately Black 13 wasn’t available to try.

Serving type: growler

07-13-2011 00:19:25 | More by Boozecamel

jdense

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Apex PDX, $4.75 12 oz. pour 4.17.11.

Jet black/very dark brown body, 1/2 finger brown head, no visible carbonation due to dark hue, quick dissipation resulted in thin ring of head around edge of glass, no lacing. Big whack of resinous hops in the nose, as it warmed the citrus aromas became a bit more prominent, roasted malts with some coffee notes, I picked up a bit of caramel. Taste mirrors nose insanely resiny though balanced a bit by citrus sweetness, lingering bitter finish, yummy. Mouthfeel is pretty thin for style, pretty boozy, slightly sticky. This is one big burly CDA along the lines of Barley Brown's Turmoil, IMO the beer that's come closest to replicating that killer brew yet. Tasty in small doses but a real palate destroyer, we had to go to Cascade for a sour palate cleansing after this!

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2011 13:43:29 | More by jdense

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

2.17/5  rDev -50.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Served on tap in a goblet at Three Floyds.

Appearance: This pours a maple brown, nearly mahogany, with an eggshell colored head that retains nicely. Strangely light appearance for a double CDA, though.

Smell: Wet dog, gym socks, ad barnyard. Too strong and terrible. The first whiff made me tear up and want to cry. I almost cannot move past this point.**

Taste: It is tough to ignore the smell, but I am doing the best I can. There is some sweet molasses up front. Sage, tons of cloves and all spice, lots of funk follow. The sweet and spicy flavors blend in with spicy and earthy hops. A little alcohol bite.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, which was, again, light for what I was expecting. Candy sweet on the lips, and it leaves some hop resin.

Drinkability: I could not finish this. The smell was just too overwhelming.

**Note - the aroma was bad enough that I handed it to my friend, who agreed it was awful. Before even having a sip, I asked our server if something had gone wrong. He smelled it and told me that was how it was supposed to smell. So, I moved on.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2011 22:46:38 | More by KickInTheChalice

MasterSki

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Three Floyds, who apparently were involved in making this beer. Served in a tulip glass.

A - Persistent finger-plus of tan foam that leaves behind glass-coating lace. The body is a kind of dark brown-orange-red color that is slightly transparent and not very pretty. Much like Krunk Monk I'm splitting the difference here.

S - Citrus orange zest, pine, perhaps some light cocoa in the periphery. This one is clearly all about the hops though.

T - The taste is quite different. There's far more herbal and dank character, and what appears to be a combination of flavors that evokes thin mints (herbs and chocolate). Finishes with plenty of bitterness that is not out of control, but would grow fatiguing after a while. Not much citrus at all, which was a shock after the aroma.

M - Medium body, soft carbonation, really oily resinous finish, with some dryness as well. Alcohol is well hidden - for some reason I thought this was 7-8%.

D - I'd happily drink a glass of this again, but it's not in my top five Cascadian Dark/Black IPAs. The alcohol and bitterness are too high for it to be a good session beer too. Still, it went down fairly quickly and was nice to try.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2011 05:01:39 | More by MasterSki

jrallen34

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Three Floyd's as part of a collaboration between the two. Thanks to our server for finding a way to bring us over a glass despite it blowing when we first arrived and the second keg being all foam...Pours an ugly dark brown with reddish notes. Way too light for a black ipa. However, there is great carbonation, a huge thick light tan head, good retention and great lacing...A lot is going on with aroma, but not totally successful despite interesting individual parts. Orange zest, cascade, soap, a hint of chocolate... The taste is weird, soapy hops, herbs, minty, not really my thing. However, the alcohol is hidden really nicely and this is easy to crush.

Doesn't really fit a specific style, nor have a great taste, however its drinkable at the abv. Wouldn't go out of my way for this but I'd have it again toward the end of my night.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2011 04:41:03 | More by jrallen34

LordAdmNelson

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I'll call it a growler since this isn't bottled, but I had this guy hand-bottled from Tony. This is certainly a wow beer for me, great work again from the guys at Boneyard. This was a collaboration with the guys at Three Floyds and it really delivered.

Pours a deep brown color with amber edges and moderate tan head. No real lacing to speak of. Black in the center of the beer, but relatively mahogany-colored and transparent toward the edges. Not the blackest of the black IPAs I've had, but I'll let it slide because it is very pretty and a damn good beer.

Nose is hoppy as hell. Big piney, weedy hop notes hit hard, with some supporting sweeter citrus notes, lemon zest and such. A bit of malt under there too, but this is a hop bomb no doubt (FFF would make a hop bomb, and it's looking like Boneyard is moving that direction too).

Flavor shines in this guy. Really, this is one of the best beers I've had. I love the style, and these guys nailed it. The first black IPA that I've had since Stone SSR that is on par (or better) than Stone SSR. Big piney/weedy/earthy hops blast through on the front of the palate, with a wave of roasted malts coming through on the finish. Sometimes I get chocolate, others coffee/espresso, and still others some smokey notes. The malt bill is impressive, leaving a nice lingering smokey/chocolate/coffee/rye toast flavor. Love this beer.

Feel is pretty moderate to light... this is a very easy-drinking beer. Its 10+% ABV, but I swear it drinks like 6%. No booziness that I could notice. Huge beer, easy drink. Wow.

This might be blasphemy or way off base, but the hop bill in this really reminded me of Pliny the Elder. Imperial Black IPA version of PtE? Really, that's what I was thinking as I had this beer. Boneyard is the real deal.

EDIT: Also had this side-by-side with fresh Stone SSR. Armored Fist was the clear winner for all three of us tasting.

Serving type: growler

01-03-2011 19:30:55 | More by LordAdmNelson

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Bailey's Taproom in Portland. Pours a dark amber-brown colour with thin tan head. No lacing. Smells of mild coffee, hops and quite alcoholic. Flavour has a lit if boozy heat, with the roasted malt coming through. Syrupy mouthfeel. Fairly nice imperial cascadian dark ale.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2010 01:09:51 | More by kwjd

Docer

Washington

4.7/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at the meet the brewer event in PDX at the Green Dragon. Tony and Clay were some real stand up guys... and this beer was amazing.

- Nice black brew... fuzzy light mocha tan head... left a nice thin layer on top always...

- Super floral and citrus notes blended perfectly with lightly sweetened and roasted grains, oats, malts, bready.. cocoa, and some grassy herbal mad hops...

- What a smooth awesome blessing of a brew. Easily my all time favorite CDA... what a balanced, yet massively hoppy brew. Smooth sweet and bitter brew... citrus, pine, grassy and seriously good skunky hops... all blended to perfection. I want kegs.

- Medium bodied, not at all sticky or chewy sweet... just perfect.. like a smooth draft cola it goes down... great aftertaste.... what a beer!

- Overall one of the best brews I have had in a very long time. I hope they continue to brew this over and over again. I am now saving for a nice kegerator and I hope to tap this bad boy with it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-01-2010 23:50:04 | More by Docer