Silk Scorpion
Karben4 Brewing

Silk ScorpionSilk Scorpion
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From:
Karben4 Brewing
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
7.6%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 8.89%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
101
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 27, 2020
Added:
Feb 20, 2013
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  18
Filled with equal parts of intense dusky citrus hops and dark malt flavors, this seasonal is seductively smooth, silky, and graceful, yet packs a hop punch for the hop-heads. The hops induce thoughts of grapefruit, blood orange, apricot, and tangerine as they intermingle with black, chocolate, and roasted varieties of barley smoothed out with a dash of oatmeal.
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Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.52/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I believe ol' Nick U sent me this extra back in early 2016.

Black ale pours black. Beige head 1/3". Looks the part. Aroma was dry, roasted malt up front, thought the commercial tug job about hop explosions and all these stone and citrus fruit bursting all over the place was quite exaggerated, but that is like 90% of the time no matter who makes the black ale. I mean, there's plenty of hops, but they just go with the roasted malt to smell more bitter than anything else.

Taste is same way, roasted malt and bitter hops. This is closer to a pine tree laden coffee ipa than it is a juicy fruit bursting ipa. The mouth feel is bouyed by a good amount of golden promise and dark breadiness. So I get where the name silk came from. You just won't understand until you're well underway drinking the beer. It is definitely a black ale that leans towards having more porter characteristics than it does ipa. The oatmeal is the best part here.
May 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.32 by GoBearsWalter34 from Illinois

Jun 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.93 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Feb 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by scaliasux from Wisconsin

Dec 14, 2017
Photo of BlackBeerPirate
Reviewed by BlackBeerPirate from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Taste: smooth, toasted hops and dark malts give it a dry and balanced finish for the most part. Same with the nose. Black, semi, clear, delicate head and a refined lattice of lace. Medium body. Easy to drink Black IPA.
Dec 10, 2017
Photo of TomH57
Reviewed by TomH57 from Wisconsin

4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
I got two 4-packs (of 12 oz bottles) of this from a Woodman's in eastern Madison, WI for $4.99 each. I suspect either a pricing error or a desire to get it off the shelves.
Anyways, I poured some of Karben4's Silk Scorpion from a 12 oz bottle into my sampling glass. This beer is jet black with a khaki head that lingered (with slight lacing on the sampling glass). The smell can be best described as hops, hops, and more hops. I could not accurately judge the weight of the body due to the high amounts of hops and malts. The hops hit the taste buds first with their usual bitterness, then the malts left a nice roasted finish.
Overall, the high amounts of hops and malts made for a VERY invigorating and bold-tasting beer. If you ever watched the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and saw Roger's reaction to alcohol...that's partially how I felt, but in a POSITIVE way. If you are tasting any other beers after this, you better make sure to thoroughly cleanse your palate, because it definitely leaves an aftertaste.
Nov 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by Benish from Utah

Sep 20, 2016
 
Rated: 2.95 by TAisaBAlla from Michigan

Sep 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by pkkosmatka from Minnesota

Aug 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.35 by jimmygord from Illinois

Jul 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.87 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Jul 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by polopaul20 from Maryland

Jun 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.81 by twb0392 from Wisconsin

May 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by markcp from Iowa

Apr 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by RichardARoss from Wisconsin

Apr 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by Peepskp from Wisconsin

Apr 08, 2016
Photo of TX-Badger
Reviewed by TX-Badger from Texas

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a dark brown color with khaki colored head. Roasted malts, pine, citrus notes, and some cocoa on the nose; follows onto the palate. Full bodied. Finishes with pine and roast. Well done.
Apr 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.22 by Angerhaus from Rhode Island

Apr 01, 2016
Photo of jzlyo
Reviewed by jzlyo from Iowa

3.86/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma is the expected pine and dark malts, along with spices and spruce. The flavor is grapefruit, tropical fruit, spruce, dark malts and a mix of acidity and slight bitterness/heat in the finish.
Mar 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by Faroveryonder from Missouri

Mar 27, 2016
Silk Scorpion from Karben4 Brewing
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 101 ratings