Haywire Double Black American Ale - Indeed Brewing Company

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Indeed Haywire Double Black Ale. 8.1% ABV. More details after my own notes, as per usual.

Ultimate blackness, under a long lasting cocoa-tan head that slips down and leaves light brown lace.

Aroma: hops, hops and more hops. Green grass, and pine forest floor. Some citrus, but all hoppitude.

Taste: Smooth malt at first, swiftly subsumed by big, grassy hops. Bitterness grabs the palate and won't shake loose. Grips it, holds it, spreads tingly, tasty hop flavor. Massive malt matches it all.

I've been cautious about every "black ale/ black IPA/ Cascadian dark ale" I come across, and am happy when my fears are extinguished. Here we have an Imperial/Double IPA meeting up with a black ale, and it's exceeding any expectations. Loaded with hops, backed up with black malt. Hearty, full-bodied and considerably satisfying. Toasty, roasty, and full.

Yum. I'd like to have one after another, but the 8% ABV is starting to kick in. Two in a row, and I'm getting in trouble.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2013 07:21:17 | More by feloniousmonk

caskstrength

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

pours dark, carbonation there as it should be.

This smells exactly like a DIPA. Sweet gooey pine, citrus. Sweeter DIPA vibes, however, rather than palate scraping IPA vibes.

Tastes are hop forward. (understatement).
I think if I had this blind, there is little chance I would have picked up on the "black" aspect of the beer. The roast is beaten down and assaulted by the hops. Given that I like hops, that's a good thing.

Some chalkiness on the aftertaste. I thought it might be chewy resin (which I usually love), but unfortunately I think it's more chalk. Still not that bad, nice and full on the palate. Saturates the mouth with flavor

Overall, a really good beer. Indeed Brewing is blowing up.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2012 03:10:30 | More by caskstrength

bsp77

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving glass: Poured from 750 into Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Pitch black with bubbly, large tan head and great lacing.

Smell: Citrus (mostly orange), pine, chocolate and toffee. Mmm, decadent aroma.

Taste: A lot more coffee and roast than evident in the aroma. The sweeter chocolate and toffee elements are there, but subservient to the roast and the hoppy citrus and pine. The only complaint is that the hops are more bitter than flavorful, and mixed with the strong coffee aftertaste, leads to a finish that is very bitter, but not quite as complex as their lower abv Midnight Ryder Black Ale.

Feel: Smooth and creamy full body. Carbonation is in check. Finish is extremely dry, but slightly chalky.

Overall: Excellent Double Black Ale that packs a huge flavor punch, but is slightly too chalky and simplistically bitter on the finish. Minor quibbles aside, this along with their two initial flagship beers, proves that Indeed is definitely the best MN brewery to come along since Surly. Even more amazing, if they keep this up, they could equal or even surpass Surly.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 21:20:41 | More by bsp77