Anger - Greenbush Brewing Company

muskabeatz

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured out of a growler, courtesy of Mattyb319...thanks Matt!

A- Black, quite black. A bit of burgundy around the edges when held up to the light, with a healthy tan head resting on top. Good lacing, great head retention.

S- Nice! First thing to jump out of the glass is the hops: floral, slight citrus, a hint of tropical fruit, and peaches and cream. This is coupled with a nice wave of milk chocolate and a bit of roasted malt. As the beer warms, the peaches and cream becomes less prominent and the milk chocolate comes more to the front.

T- Follows the nose, with more of the roast coming through in the taste, and the beer leaves more lingering bitterness than the aroma would have suggested. I think this is a good balance between hop character and caramel/roasted malt presence, which is what we all seem to seek out in a black ipa.

M- This is the one area in which I don't think this brew performs quite as well. It's still good, good carbonation, creamy, medium-bodied mouthfeel, but it leaves a slightly harsh finish that just doesn't sit quite right on my palatte. I will, however, give this beer credit for disguising the 7.6% abv...no alcohol presence at all, well done.

O- Great beer and I'm glad I had the chance to try this...really makes me want to get my hands on some more Greenbush brews. My buddy Matt clued me in on the great things that this brewery is putting out, and he's definitely right. If Greenbush isn't on your radar now, it will be soon.

Serving type: growler

12-18-2011 23:00:33 | More by muskabeatz

SmartyPints

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the brewery.

A-Pours a deep dark brown pretty much black. One finger dark tan head rises and fades away to spotty lacing rather quickly.

S- This beer has the perfect balance in the aroma with the roasted malts and bittering hops playing the two major parts with light bitter chocolate and settle alcohol bringing up the the rest of the aroma.

T- The roasted malts in the front give way to a hint of bitter chocolate. The malts do a good job of not overkilling the palate in the front and you can tell when the light grassy hops and citrus hops kick in right afterward. The ending of the beer is a balance of roasted malts and hints of citrus hops to me.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation I think is perfect for this beer. Medium alcohol drying on the palate with each sip. Clean roasted malts and hints of bitter hops are left on the palate. Aftertaste is mostly alcohol, citrusy hops, and clean roasted malts. Flavors were very balanced for this style with no off flavors present while drinking this beer.

O- This has got to be one of the best Black IPA's I have had. One of my favorite beers from Greenbush and a style they do well. The balance between roast and hop without overdoing either or is something a lot of brewers could take a lesson on. Fantastic beer

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2011 17:45:19 | More by SmartyPints

AgentZero

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to dschuster03 for sharing this growler.

A - Dark brown colored beer with a bit of khaki head that left some spots on the glass.

S - Roasted malts, little bit of bitter chocolate, floral hops. Really great smelling.

T - This is a very tasty beer that doesn't get too heavy for the style. Nice roasty malts with some good hoppyness. Very clean tasting with a touch of citrus in there to brighten it up a bit.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O - A really nice beer. Easy to drink, and has great flavors. I really liked this beer a lot and find it a great example of the style.

Serving type: growler

12-05-2011 04:13:04 | More by AgentZero

Sean9689

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, Dave! Poured into Kuhnhenn tulip.

A - Pours black, tan colored head, thin collar, spotty lace.

S - Nice mix of light bitter hops, roast, slight chocolate. Really nice and once of the better-smelling Black IPA's I've had. Just very smooth and the hops vs. roast is right down the middle.

T - Grassy hops, some floral notes, roast, chocolate. The taste lives up to the nose, perhaps better. Really nice mix of both..so good.

M - Light to medium body, good carbonation, roast finish.

O - A really great Black IPA that I would keep drinking over and over. I knew nothings about Greenbush before drinking this beer and now I'm inclined to try some of their other offerings. This one is a winner!

Serving type: growler

10-27-2011 15:53:43 | More by Sean9689

MasterSki

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler picked up by Dave (dschuster03). Served in a Russian River tulip. This is an American Black Ale - not a "Belgian IPA"?!

A - A half-finger of tan foam settles to a thin ring, wispy cap, and tiny dots of lace. The body is a dark brown color.

S - Smell is great - exactly what I want from this style. It's a blend of roasted malts, chocolate, floral and grassy hops, and perhaps a touch of citrus.

T - The taste is also quite nice, with a blend of roastiness, chocolate, and citrus hop flavors. This thankfully lacks the char, ash, and astringent black malt flavors I get from many Black IPAs.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a grainy and somewhat gritty texture. There's some mild stickiness in the finish. Could stand to be a bit softer here.

D - A very enjoyable Black IPA, and much better than almost all of the ones available in the Chicago area. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Greenbush sends a few kegs of this one our way, as I'd love to revisit it without having to make the long trek to Sawyer. My second experience with this brewery, and they're two for two.

Serving type: growler

10-24-2011 00:04:09 | More by MasterSki

cadizkyguy

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Greenbush is one of the best new mcrobreweries in 2011. In fact, when I stopped by for a taste of their brews on August 5, they had been in business less than two months.

Sawyer, MI is a small town in Michigan Harbor Country, not far from the Warren Dunes State Park. Great location, and great brews.

I stopped to sample the Sunspot, a hefeweizen, and Anger, a black IPA. It was a tough call, but I chose to buy a growler of Anger.

The growler was popped open this weekend and it has been two days of utter enjoyment. Poured into a Duvel tulip, the beer is dark as night with a frothy tan head that recedes to leave a thick coat of lacing on the glass.

On the second day of the growler, I notice a tad less carbonation and that is just fine with me. The hoppiness has also faded since it was bottled three weeks ago and this beer smells and tastes more like a smokey porter than a black ipa.

The beer gets much more complex as it's allowed to warm to room temperature. Again it tastes like a fresh Edmund Fitzgerald from Great Lakes than a two-day-old growler.

I am a satisfied customer. Greenbush really impresses me. Looking forward to a Labor Day weekend beer stop.

Serving type: growler

08-29-2011 03:49:57 | More by cadizkyguy

ahq514

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from growler into English pint glass.

Pours a very dark brown to black color. Not much of a head, less than a finger. Appears to have low carbonation. Light lacing occurs.

The first thing that comes to mind is coffee and roasted malts when I smell this thing and since I love coffee beers and stouts in general, this smells amazing. There are some nice earthy hops behind the malt, but no real bold hop aromas hit me in the nose.

Very similar to the aroma. Big, sweet, roasty malts hit you on the first part of the taste. The hop bitterness hits next and sticks around for a little bit. Seems pretty straightforward, nothing overly complex in here, but I like that. Kind of reminds me of what I would think of as hoppy stout. Different than other "black ipas" that I've had.

Mouthfeel was a little above average. Loved the "fullness" factor of the beer, as it was a little more heavy bodied than other black ipas I've had. A little low on carbonation, although that could be from the growler. Hop flavors stick in the mouth for awhile.

Overall this was a pretty good beer. Could use a little more carbonation, but loved the full bodiedness of the beer. Hops weren't over the top like in other american black ales. They stuck out for sure, but complemented the beer rather than overtook it.

Serving type: growler

08-08-2011 02:05:58 | More by ahq514

minterro

Michigan

4.21/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

from notes on 7/18/11 at Kalamazoo Beer Exchange

85 ibu

A: Pitch-black beer. Light brown head that pours about a half finger, but stays about a half a finger nail the whole way down. With a good amount of lacing and good head retention.

S: dank hops, deep, dark, roasty

T: coffee, bourbon, and chocolate. Along with the classic piney & floral hops of an IPA. A bitter and hoppy (but not overly hoppy) finish.

M: medium to full body with low carbonation. Very filling

O: originally rated from notes on 7/18/11 at Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, additional notes and rating from bottle bought at Spartan Spirits 2/23/13

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2011 21:14:44 | More by minterro