Abita Select Black IPA - Abita Brewing Co.

JordonHoltzman

New York

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i went to the abita brewery and brewpub and had this

great appearance, visibly looks not too thick, more of a good porter than a stout, as it should.
the aroma is balanced well. immediately get the ipa hop aromas, followed by porter characteristics.
it tastes like an excellent combination of the two, matches the aroma. i taste coffee first, and then the pine and citrus of the hops.
the mouthfeel is good too. fresh tasting from the brewpub on draft.
overall this beer is ridiculously good.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2011 16:37:15 | More by JordonHoltzman

sendbeer

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -14%

10-22-2012 16:57:53 | More by sendbeer

jenray

Texas

3/5  rDev -26.3%

11-20-2011 02:42:48 | More by jenray

LSUPT

California

5/5  rDev +22.9%

11-17-2011 06:36:18 | More by LSUPT

wyatt

Louisiana

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

I had this on draft and in a growler about a week later.

Overall it is a great beer.

Smell - The smell is very hoppy. Almost no malt smell comes through.

Look - It is jet black. Not as big of a head as I would have expected though.

Taste - Hop bomb. I am very pleased with the way this turned out. There is some malt there, but it is primarily in your face hops.

I think with some small variations they could release this as a year round bottled beer.

Serving type: growler

07-30-2011 03:04:52 | More by wyatt

MrHassellYaHurd

Louisiana

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at Lager's in Metaitie, LA.

Pours an extremely dark Brian with a single-finger off white head.

The citrusy hops are front and center; the roasted barley and toasted bread notes don't lag far behind.
This brew has a wonderful balance of a delicious roastiness and the big, tart American hoppiness associated with the west coast IPAs.
Overall, the texture of this brew is on the heavier side of thick, with a grainy texture.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2011 05:49:52 | More by MrHassellYaHurd

GSmithBeer

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

had this on draft at beertopia
A: the appearance was black. as advertised.
S: the smell was very nice. punchy hops. very floral
T: the taste of this ipa was very good. a great interpretation of a black ipa. i was actually a bit surprised.
M: good carbonation - just right. with a good mouthfeel.
O: on my sheet of beers i was impressed with this black ipa. not really expecting it from abita. happily surprised.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2011 21:39:04 | More by GSmithBeer

goindownsouth

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed on tap at The Handlebar, thanks to their rotating offerings through "The Community Tap".

Deep and rich in appearance with a hefty light tan head. The head faded slowly into a good, hearty lace on the glass. Aromas were rich of hops and roasted malts with the hints of some dried stone fruit for good measure. The balance of the malt and hops play well together here with the after taste giving the best of both worlds, hops and malt. This was surprisingly crisp and smooth. I was surprised, I must admit. A very tasty offering and one I would not hesitate picking up again down the road.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2011 19:38:37 | More by goindownsouth

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap 3/20/2011 at Battleship Brewhouse in Fall River, MA, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains floral hops, roasted malts and some dark fruit.

T: The taste starts out malty and a little smoky with flavors of chocolate and a hearty roasted malt character. Then a strong hops bitterness comes in that is not quite as strong as it is in the smell, but still creates a good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is dry and slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, decent kick, very good representation of style, very nice beer to drink for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2011 19:29:34 | More by TheManiacalOne

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pint on draft at Columbia St. Taproom in Covington. Pours a near-black color with a light airy head. Nice lacing.

Nose is pungently citric with some mild floral and fruity hop notes. Light roast from the malt and overall quite pleasant...one of the better smelling BIPAs I have had recently.

Taste starts with a bracing wave of citric hop flavor and bitterness - in equal amounts. Light roasty astringency follows with some more hop bitterness at the end. Pretty amazed by this Abita brew, sems like they can brew with the best of 'em when they want to.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2011 18:29:08 | More by twiggamortis420

theboozecruise

Louisiana

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Chimes - original location in BR.

It's served in an imperial pint glass... my friend ordered a Guinness and the color was about the same through the bulk of the beer but the Abita was a little thinner on the edges, and a much smaller head.

The aroma was definitely a piney hop-forward hit, but there were roasted malt notes as well, and subtle hints of caramel.

The flavor was a lot like the aroma... piney hops and roasted malts with a very nice balance. I'm impressed with this one... really stays true to the style. It's not overly hoppy, but that's to be expected with Abita.

It's got a good mouthfeel, nothing real special here, but nothing bad either. The hops aren't overpowering, rendering a very drinkable brew that's not lacking in flavor either.

Well done, Abita... it would be nice if these select brews that seem to usually impress could find their way into the regular lineup. Might help people forget that pub crawl mess??

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2011 13:31:00 | More by theboozecruise

BayouBengal1537

Louisiana

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at Avenue Pub in New Orleans on tap.
Poured a dark black color, some brownish hues around the edges, nice tan head, lacing ended up very sticky on the glass
Smelled of piney hops, roasted malts, coffee, hops definitely there but not overwhelming.
Taste had some really nice roasted malts, some coffee, the piney woodsy hops were the big player. very nicely balanced with the hops and malts.
Mouthfeel is medium and smooth
Drinkability was great, very balanced.
Thoroughly enjoyed this beer. One of Abita's best brews I think, they did a good job with this style.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2011 17:12:03 | More by BayouBengal1537

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

3.78/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Beer poured a nice rich, black with a large, frothy tan head. Lacing present throughout.

Smell: Nice moderate roasty aroma with hints of toffee and molasses accompanied by a nice piney hop presense.

Taste: Wonderful roasted malt flavors with nice hop bitterness. This one is hoppy for Abita but could have been hoppier. Still a good beer though. Perhaps one of Abita's better brews.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: A great brew from Abita. Good job guys!

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2011 16:01:01 | More by Beerbuddha

EgadBananas

Louisiana

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

Pours Dark, approaching black, but there are plenty of brown/red hues on some edges. Head was a modest finger of light brown head. with little to no lacing.

Aroma was nice and piny, floral and woodsy. Not intense, but pleasant. Bits of roasted malts and hints of chocolate present themselves on the back end.

Taste had a nice piny hop bite at first, moving to toasted malts and a touch of chocolate, finishing with a good bit of bitterness. Fairly lingering.

Feel was medium in body, creamy, solid carbonation and slightly drying.

Drinkability was overall good. It didn't break any boundaries, and wasn't the best I've had of the style by far, but Abita did a solid job and I'd call Louisiana's first BIPA a success in the long run!

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2011 02:45:28 | More by EgadBananas