Hop Head Black India Pale Ale - Tree Brewing

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into pint glass 29/10/12

A dark cola with a two finger mocha head that falls to a thick film after a few sips and the film sticks around, two partial rings of lace followed by random patches

S more dark malts then hops on the nose, coco powder, charred wood with faint smoke and some coffee, faint floral and citric hops but you need to search a little for it

T a little piney resin and citrus peel but I can't distinguish, more hops then the nose and a little more booze too, faint earthy woody notes and the flavors stronger compared to the nose

M medium-full body with creamy carbonation, a little heat and a citric, char, booze finish, strong aftertaste hangs around for a while

O pretty good beer but I though I'd be blown away considering how much I like the DIPA and Spy Porter from these guys, I was expecting more of a hop bomb but I suppose balance can work too

I was a little surprised to see that this one's 8%, the booze is noticed but well concealed it would seem. I'd drink another and I'm going to because I still have three left in my most awesome mixed IPA pack from the lovely people at Tree

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 05:28:58 | More by wordemupg

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

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

650ml bottle poured into a mug. ABV 8.8%.

A - Poured black with a 1cm tan head, head reduced to surface bubbles, good lacing.

S - Toasted, roasted, hint of sweetness, grapefruit, pine.

T - Toasted, roasted, brown sugar, grapefruit, pine. Alcohol is well masked.

M - Medium carbonation, medium-heavy body, sticky, some heat in the finish.

O - To me this one came across as a hoppy RIS. The hidden ABV made this quite easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 02:36:09 | More by decimator

drinkininthewood

Ontario (Canada)

3.36/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

650 ml bottle from the LCBO $6.25 served into a Guinness glass.

A- Dark brown pretty much black color with a thick frothy head of light brown foam and good lace.

S- Nose is fairly malty with aromas of roasted malt, caramel, bittersweet chocolate and a touch of dark fruit. Hops are in the background and barely noticeable.

T- I must say, a Black IPA is a style im relatively unfamiliar with but if this was a blind tasting id swear that this was a stout or some kind of dark Christmas ale. Its is quite roasty with flavors of caramel malts, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, mid palate is smoky and slightly grassy with a touch of coffee. Only in the end do i really find the hops to be noticeable and give way to mild flavors pine and some citrus in the finish. Alcohol is not present in the taste whatsoever which is surprising given the high ABV%.

M- Appearances can be deceiving. After pouring this beer it resembles that of a world class stout, but the mouthfeel is really quite light as is the carbonation.

D- a tasty beer with excellent mouthfeel, if the alcohol wasn't so high it would be quite sessionable.

Overall I was expecting more of a typical hoppy IPA with a darker appearance. I think a touch more hops would bring this brew to a higher level but im happy with the final result. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 01:55:21 | More by drinkininthewood

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%

06-04-2013 23:13:01 | More by Kmat10

HATS4BATS

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

05-23-2013 02:03:04 | More by HATS4BATS

IdeaSpeeder

Ontario (Canada)

4.74/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Serving Type - 650ml bottle, partially poured into a snifter

Appearance - Pours a very, very dark brown. It's almost opaque. The little light that gets through shows the beer to be a brownish-red colour. On top of this sits at least 2 fingers of thick brown head. It seems to last forever, but when it does give way it leave behind a spectacle of lacing.

Smell - Roasted malts. Chocolate. Maybe even some light coffee. Between the appearance and the smell, this brew is feeling more like a stout. Some fruits are coming through as well, perhaps plum?

Taste - Some light smokey notes and some chocolate up front. Some fruity notes come in towards the middle, with a decent bitter kick towards the end, along with a lingering booze-y taste. There may be some light spices in there somewhere.

Mouthfeel - Given the taste, smell and appearance, the mouthfeel is shockingly light. It's about average for an IPA, but this isn't exactly a standard IPA. Combined with the light carbonation, I'm finding this dangerously drinkable.

Overall - 4.5/5

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 02:23:38 | More by IdeaSpeeder

timiskin

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.7%

04-23-2013 20:26:16 | More by timiskin

KeKeKumba

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

04-04-2013 04:14:37 | More by KeKeKumba

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

02-14-2013 13:45:31 | More by DaPan

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

01-19-2013 08:12:56 | More by KalanM

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml single bottle, 8.0% ABV, part of Tree's Hop Pack.

This beer pours a very dark reddish brown hue, with two pudgy fingers of densely puffy, silky, and foamy beige head, which leaves a thoroughly consistent pock-marked cement wall of lace around the glass as it evenly seeps away.

It smells of dry bready malt, a bit of burnt toast, some caramel and vanilla cream sweetness, a twinge of bittersweet chocolate, and a pithy wet ashy character. The taste is roasted caramel malt, some tart citrus fruitiness, a bit of astringent pine, a dry oily nuttiness, and some faint grainy woodiness.

The carbonation is average, and well supportive, the body a decent medium weight, and more or less smooth, the ash and hop notes adding a certain mild edginess. It finishes off-dry, the beleaguered sweetness of the malt (roasting, drying, hopping) still gamely holding on, in the conspicuous absence of a single modicum of alcohol warming.

An enjoyable enough ABA (no lawyers, here, mmmk?), the roasted and bitter hoppy sides of the equation fairly well balanced, and the booze well integrated. I would gladly have another of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 04:55:25 | More by biboergosum

artemh

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

12-23-2012 14:53:42 | More by artemh

RomanticLung

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

11-08-2012 21:48:24 | More by RomanticLung

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -21.5%

11-06-2012 20:38:55 | More by cfalovo97

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

In 12oz bottles this is part of the great new Hop mix pack which also contains regular Hop head and Double Hop Head. This is a fantastic take on the Cascadian style as it really backs up the hops with lots of dark malt and blends it together into a very smooth drinking beer. Add to the fact it is in the DIPA zone with the ABV you have a beer that demands to be sipped. Possibly the best beer Tree makes.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 04:34:00 | More by canucklehead

bigox420

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -21.5%

10-06-2012 21:26:37 | More by bigox420

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

big up to andrenaline for including this in a recent trade, surprised this never appeared in Calgary stores as far as I know
A - fully black and impenetrable, solid tan head retained at half a finger and left ample lacing
S - chocolatey, nutty, light roasty, and a touch of grass in the background
T - cold coffee and pine hops out of the gate, nutty malt and a touch of perfume hops towards the end with a subtle boozy bite
M - somewhat heavy body, bitterness cuts through it, finishes full
O - a black DIPA is an interesting challenge, and they've done a great job making it a big beer with balance, its not a mind blower but a solid offering that i would buy regularly as a seasonal

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 00:56:21 | More by joemcgrath27

BGDrock

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pitch black with chocolate head that's thick and sticky

Aroma: some bitterness from the roast; burnt; I found it light, but my girlfriend smelled it across the room so must have had some strength, guess my nose was off

Taste & Mouthfeel: battle of bitters - from both roast malt and hops - is a great back and forth; malt starts things off, trades places with grassy, spicy hops, and lingers in the mouth with intense espresso notes; thick and silky mouthfeel; some raisin flavour

Overall: great mouthfeel and flavour, almost a meal in itself

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 23:46:15 | More by BGDrock

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Slight chocolate malt aroma. Nice full body with hints of chocolate and coffee. Hops come out a little bit in the finish but in all do remain rather subdued. Alcohol seems well hidden flavor wise but I do seem to feel in the head as I drink, even after two tastes.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 23:08:02 | More by Molson2000

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a jet black with good carbonation. Tastes roasty up front, with a slight hop bitterness in the finish. Could use a bit more hops in this, then it would be awesome. Still pretty good overall though, and it drinks down very smooth. No hint of the high alcohol at all in this one. Wish these black ipas were easier to get.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 21:58:13 | More by WeedKing4

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Near enough black as matters I suppose. Thin mocha head, not great retention. Not much in the way of lacings, but it may have been sitting around a bit too long.

Dark fruit on the nose with boozy chocolate.

The hop flavour is crowded up front. Slight pinyness gives way to roasted malt flavours. Transitions to very dark chocolate in the finish with a bit of heat. Restrained resinous bitterness in the finish. Nice chocolate flavours stick around for awhile.

Great mouthfeel, just the perfect body for a roasty beer like this.

I'm not a hophead, but tried to judge this according to style. No doubt the hops are less in your face than the style might dictate. That said, they're certainly evident and the stout aspects of this one are just great. Would certainly drink again. At 8.8% this is dangerous.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2012 18:00:40 | More by CanuckRover

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev -34.6%

08-11-2012 12:27:40 | More by beerhunter13

sliverX

S. Georgia & S. Sandwich Isls.

4/5  rDev +4.7%

08-10-2012 00:46:07 | More by sliverX

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from the LCBO, 650ml into a tulip.

Black body with a light brown head. Good retention and nice lacing. Nose has some lightly burnt bready malts, char, dark fruits, molasses and sweet malty notes. Not a lot in terms of hopping I thought. Taste is roasty, milk chocolate, charred notes, dark fruits and caramel. Bitter hopping is really evident. Mouthfeel is full, bitter and really roasty long into the finish. Not the Black IPA I had expected, almost idenifies with some hoppier imperial stouts. Bottle was too much for me to finish alone.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 18:42:33 | More by liamt07

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The brewery calls this beer Hop Head Black but could just as correctly gone with Hop Head Brown. It's actually both depending on how it hits the light. Either way, it is drastically darker than even the Double Hop Head, which is far from bright itself. A lot of head generated off the pour but turns out to last only short-term.

The hops are there, no doubt, but they've got a lot less energy than you'd expect from a West Coast beer. The beer smells more like the inside of a coffee shop than it does a tropical forest, but I suppose that's partly to be expected with the style. Roasted, chocolatey malts spring out the glass whereas the pine needle scent crawls. Both are present, just in considerably uneven proportions.

Waveringly 'leafy', the hops feel light and barely crisp. The hop presence is more a molehill than a mountain, which is not inherently good nor bad, although does leave a little to be desired for the 'hop heads' out there. It feels more like brushing the inside of your mouth with freshly-ground espresso beans; there's a lot of strong coffee flavour.

Most people are generally put off by dark malts and/or an abundance of hops, but this is a beer that's easily enjoyed. I had to do a double-take at the 8.8% on the label; hard to believe. The combination of oily and roast qualities makes for an immensely full mouthfeel (and quite the lingering aftertaste). It has the delicate balance of a tight-rope walker.

There's nothing sacred about definitions, and the 'Cascadian Dark Ale' or 'India Black Ale' or whatever it's called certainly has many interpretations (as the multiple names to refer it by suggest). This example is a little tame, and leans much more to the malt, but it's by no means a bad offering. Nor is it a common beer, so if you see it, give it a shot!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 21:42:33 | More by biegaman