New Holland Black Hatter - New Holland Brewing Company

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Red-black color. Lacy beige head. Looks very sticky.

Mildly malty (light coffee and cocoa) and nicely hoppy (grapefruit, herbaceousness, light pine). Not too showy.

Floral pine-y with some resinous flavors. All coupled with light coffee roastiness and maltiness. Mellow, but not without bitterness.

Medium-bodied... maybe a little fuller. Carbonation is lacking, however. Could use some livelihood.

Okay black IPA. Very forgettable. Nothing I'd seek out.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 23:50:56 | More by thecheapies

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.55/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a deep-deep brown nearly black color with a small tan head. The head faded relatively fast to leave a lighter level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is a combination of hop and dark malt. The hop aromas are mainly of a citrus nature but are mixed with a nice presence of pine as well, with the malt aroma of brown bread and chocolate.

Taste – The taste begins with a roasted malt flavor of coffee, nut and chocolate mixed with a lighter caramel flavor. While initially the roasted flavors are the alone and heaviest in the taste (although not really “heavy”) they are soon greeted by a surge of some hop flavors. While citrus is the biggest, there are notes of a pine and earthy hop as well. The roasted malt and caramel body at the beginning support the bitter hop flavors rather well.. In the end a roasty and slightly hoppy flavor are left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was on the light to medium side with the carbonation level being slightly high. A little more body and a little less carbonation would have helped those roasted notes stand out more perhaps, but regardless the feel was not too bad.

Overall – A rather nice roasty and chocolaty flavor with some nice hoppy accents. While not the greatest black IPA it is rather tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2012 00:42:55 | More by Darkmagus82

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

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

This beer pours pitch black with some blood red around the edges. The beer has a hop dominant nose. There is an impressive amount of citrus notes as well as a heap of pine needles. The flavor is also all about the hops, the pine and citrus come through full force. There is not a ton that would give away the "black" part of the beer other then the appearance, the roasted malts and other dark flavors aren't too strong. However this beer drinks really well and is a worthy version of the original.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 03:48:04 | More by TwelveOunces

Shibbykaiyai

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Ashleys in Ann Arbor, MI.

This brew pours as black as coffee, with a little bit of tannish head.

A good, simple tasting brew. There are some hints of citrus and it is not overly hoppy. The brew goes down easily as their is very little alcohol bite or excessive hoppiness.

This is my first foray into Black Ales, but I will definitely heed the other reviews and look at others in the genre.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2012 18:28:35 | More by Shibbykaiyai

srv33

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark pour, inch head, great lacing. Smells like an IPA. Tastes like an ale with a bit of slightly smoky malt with a decent amount of hops. Roasted malt is prominent in this blend and works well adding balance to this beer. Unique and very drinkable. If you get a chance to pick this one up, go for it. One of my favorites from New Holland.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2012 00:35:34 | More by srv33

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

With sharp flavors coming from all angles, the grain, the hops, the alcohols all take turns with their assault against the palate. It reminds me of when I first tried IPA and couldn't fathom who would drink it by choice.

Black hatter begins with a dark, bark brown pour that constructs a short statured but densely creamy foam stance. Moderate on retention and lace, the beer doesn't really sing best the head character that's expected of IPA. However, the dark color gets me every time.

Vegetation plays on the nose with a lot of earthy and fragrant scents: tree bark, citrus, leaf, and straw blend for a very sharp and earthy aroma profile. Any softer caramel or bread scent offers slight rebuttal but at a distance as not to interfere with the aromas of hops or char.

Flavors are every bit as sharp as the taste of heavy toast, coffee grounds, chocolate, and burnt caramel deliver a decidedly dry malt character that acts as sparse support for the dominance of hops. Lead by grapefruit pith, the sharp and excessively bitter beer also attributes subsidiary flavors of leafy hop matter, twigs, tree bark, leaf, straw, and lemony sassafras. It's somewhat obvious that we're getting a lot of chlorophyll, tannin, and phenolic character from the hops and grain along with the more desirable oils and resins. It seems that the dry roast and high attenuation brings further attention to the vegital character.

The pang of hop bitterness and grain-derived astringency seems to attack the palate immediately, and without allowing the creamy carbonation or malt structure to fully support the hop dryness or alcohol. This leaves the beer lackluster in mouth feel and ushers in a quick finish of char, wood, and citrus snap.

The beer is pleasurable enough to drink, but the problem is that the beer has a tough time competing with the black IPA of Southern Tier, Stone, or Rockers.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2012 03:14:31 | More by BEERchitect

deebo

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at blackbird cafe
A. Pretty dang black with a touch of tan head
S. citrus hops not much else
T. Decent malt flavor but mostly hops. Some pine with a citrus tropical bite
M. Not much body. Fairly high carbonation. Not picking up any alcohol.
D. Pretty good.
O. A decent beer. Drinkable with a manageable amount of hops

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2012 22:12:45 | More by deebo

bnes09

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark brown, almost black in color. Ruby hues at the bottom of the glass. Off white head forms but does not stick around for too long. Not too much lacing either.

Aroma is mainly from the hops with floral and citrusy notes.

American hop flavors of grapefruit, orange and pine needles control the show from the start. Mild roasted character creeps in with a touch of coffee and nuts. Biscuity malt backbone holds the brew together. Bitter character overall.

Medium bodied. Somewhat high carbonation. Dry feel.

Pretty good.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2011 03:16:50 | More by bnes09

alleykatking

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Fiddler's.

A- Pours a dark brown color. Half finger khaki colored head shows light retention. Left some medium sized streaks of lace down the sides of the glass.

S- A tame aroma for a black ale I thought. There was a light roasted malt throughout the entire nose but it was layed under longer whiffs of floral and bitter hops, light bready malts, and hints of chocolate. The alcohol was light which fell in line with the whole aroma profile of this beer.

T- Light roasted malts in the front with hints of chocoalte to balance out the malt. Floral hops come in next and counter balance the malt flavor. Hints of bready malts toward the middle of the beer. Chocoalte malts come back with some light roast toward the ending. Piney hops give a nice crisp hop bite in this beer. Alcohol is light and clean tasting in the ending.

M- Light mouthfeel. A little watery feeling at times. Carbonation was good for the beer. Light roasted malts, chocolate malts, and bittering hops are left on the palate. Aftertaste is more along the lines of alcoholic chocolate and hints of hops. Flavors were balanced for the style not too bad but a little light on the flavor. No off flavors were present. Light alcohol drying on the palate.

O- A nice try on a new style of Mad Hatter for New Holland. I think they went a little too safe and it shows as this is not more than a average beer. The ABV is light making it drinkable for many pints over but I would just stick to one and then go onto something else.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2011 00:30:09 | More by alleykatking

Franch

New York

3.88/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i liked this one. i'm a fan of new holland's regular mad hatter ipa, and this was a great variation of it. the citrus/pine of the ordinary hatter shone through very well. the roasty/malty notes came afterwards, with a strong emphasis on coffee, and then back to the citrus/pine and bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2011 15:25:35 | More by Franch

AgentMunky

California

3.38/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a pint glass at Beer Run.

A: Coca-Cola brown. No head, but moderate lacing. Translucent, barely, but too dark to see through.

S: Hops. Vegetal hops. And...marinara sauce?

T: Hrmm. Huh. I'm not sure I like it. Sort of bitterly, herbally sour. Hops are vaguely astringent and the citrus is like chewing on a lemon peel. The finish is light and mediocre. The herbalness grows on me...

M: Thin and disappointing.

O: Not my favourite black ale. Drinkable if you can get past the bitter herbs, but I won't be having another. I might dry one out of the bottle...

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 20:30:52 | More by AgentMunky

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ive had the Mad Hatter, the Oak Aged Hatter, and now the Black Hatter, brewed with black malt.

Appearance: A rich dark chocolate brown with a light khaki colored head and a superb display of lacing.

Smell: Floral hops and just a tinge of bready malts.

Taste: Bitter and resinous hops are the first to the scene. There is a roasted malt backbone which is very nice and I find this brew to be dark and uplifting. Pine, zest and roasted malts. As it warms, the black malt comes out ever so slightly, but never loses hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied. Good level of carbonation.

Drinkability: A very impressive brew from New Holland Brewing. A good style of beer too.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2010 21:20:28 | More by Stinkypuss

nickadams2

New York

4.45/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Uptown Grille Commerce MI

A_Dark brown with ruby red highlights. Thick khaki colored head. Lots of lacing.

S_ Hops,roasted malt,chocolate.

T_Dark fruits,roast barley,hops,hint of coffee and vanilla.Chocolate. Very nice.

M_A little thin but very smooth and very creamy.

D_Very very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2010 16:15:29 | More by nickadams2

nrbw23

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a really dark brown color with just a ring of bubbles for a head. This ring did however leave a ton of lacing down my glass.

S- Is a bit of smoke, some chocolate, and some floral and piney hops.

T- Taste is a bit of smoke and roasted malts, with a nice little bit of a hop bite in there too.

M- On the thinner side of medium and carbonation was good.

D- Pretty easy to drink and a nice little twist to their IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2010 21:16:44 | More by nrbw23

fear025

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Aroma:Less aroma compared to the normal Mad hatter IPA.

Appearance:Nearly opaque black with nice head.

Taste:The dark malt and the hops add a mild astringency to the beer. On subsequent tastes, I get a ginger ale flavor that's very interesting. The more I drink the heavier the ginger ale comes through.

Mouthfeel:Nicely carbonated, and pleasant.

Drinkability:This is a very interesting beer, with subtle qualities.

Serving type: on-tap

06-26-2010 22:56:17 | More by fear025

beerhan

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Had this charm on tap at reverend's and i must say besides the imperial hatter this is probably the best of the series. A very malty BLACK hatter. A truly rare beer that should probably be bottled sometime. Not very hoppy but still a verry good brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2010 19:07:34 | More by beerhan

Bubslang

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

on tap at brewpup (july 2007) poured a deep dark brown with a miniscule tan head. Aroma is of roasted malts with some herbal hop notes. medium bodied with a roasted chocolate malt flavor backed with some citrus and floral hop notes, and a nice bitter finish. A solid beer

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2008 23:26:24 | More by Bubslang

BattleRoadBrewer

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a 16 oz glass on tap at the brewpub.

Color is dark brown mahogany, no red notes. Poured with very little head by the bartender, it left excellent lacing.

Plenty of chocolate aroma, combined with notable hop aroma, herbal a bit piney.

Flavor is subtly smoky, roasty but not as strong as suggested by the color.

Mouthfeel is pleasant, reflects the bitterness of the base beer, Mad Hatter IPA. Not as rich as a porter or stout.

This is a nice, drinkable beer, and easy tweak for them to use their IPA recipe and throw in alternative specialty grains. I inquired whether they considered it a porter or stout and the reply was that it's their IPA with dark grains. I'd have to agree with the first reviewer that it's most like an American stout, but not as complex or rich.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2007 15:55:20 | More by BattleRoadBrewer

mcallister

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep deep brown pushing black. A fthick tan head nice and sticky rests atop. Some spotty lacing ensues as well.

Thick with hop aromas, with a rich roasted chocolate malt smell. Not the most complex smelling beer but it does smell nice.

A smokey dark chocolate roasted malt quality. Hints of caramel help balance the rough edges of the chewy hops. The beer drinks more like a hopped up porter than an american stout. The rough tannins of the hops do hurt the mouthfeel somewhat.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2006 10:08:14 | More by mcallister

granger10

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I don't know what style to put this under so I guessed.

Deep mohagany pour with black in the middle. Medium but durable tan head atop. Smells really roasty and sweet with a nice hop twinge in there as well. Roasted chocolate flavor with some herbal qualities. I really liked it. Tasted similar but wasn't quite as enjoyable. This still was quite good. Stronger roasted flavors, almost smoky at times, but they are tempered by the piney flavor of the hops. I always thought Hatter would be solid with a more stouty profile and I was right. Give it a try if you're at the pub.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2006 18:48:01 | More by granger10

Franziskaner

Missouri

4.68/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Good carbonation level. Intense citrus hop aroma is very inviting and leaves me wanting for more. Intense hop taste and mild carbonation tickles the tongue fading into dark malt flavor. Not a ton of roasted malt flavor, but enough for me. Viscous mouthfeel. Excellent!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 00:33:54 | More by Franziskaner

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This sucker was cheap, cheap, CHEAP! Only $5/bomber.Pou

Served in a Delirium Tremens shaped-glass.

A: Poured as black as night, with a light, 2-finger mocha head that resembled a souffle somewhat.

S: I got more citrus than dark malt, which in many circles is a good thing. However, this IS a Black IPA. I wanted a bit more roast.

T: Definitely an IPA, not sure about the rest. Not a lot of bite to the citrus (maybe that's what they were intending with the dark malt), but still pretty good.

M: There was rounded, non hop-bomb finish to the end of it. I liked that. This wasn't sweet in any way and the lacing was absolutely insane.

O: I think this is slightly better than the overall average here on BA, especially considering the price.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 20:28:45 | More by Chaney

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Trying the Black Hatter...and I think it is pretty good. Another fine creation by Holland. The beer pours a almost opaque black with teh deep ruby hugh. The head is at least a finger thick and is leaving a lace. The smell has very fine hoppy with pine leaning tones. There is not much in the form of roast or malt. The taste is a bit bitter than I would prefer from a black ipa....would like a bit more roast and malt to start and then let the hops clean the pallete. The beer has a light to moderate body with smooth carbonation. Overall it isnt bad....but definitely not the best. I like the flavor with the lower abv which makes this a potential session brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:31:48 | More by WoodBrew

Beer_Runner

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The label states: “Vintage 2012.” There are no dates on the label or bottle that are more specific.

A: A slow pour into a standard pint glass created about two fingers of a dense and slightly clumpy head, light mocha colored head. After a few minutes the head dissipated to a collar and left some fairly good lacing. The brew was a dark cola color with a red hue, and it was opaque.

S: The aroma consisted of dark, sweet malt and floral hops with a hint of citrus, too.

T: The taste consisted of mild roasted malt and a strong floral and citrusy hops flavor the bordered on harshness. There was also a little earthiness to the hops flavor.

M: The body was to the lighter side of the medium range and it was very smooth with a medium amount of carbonation.

O: This was a different take on IPA. The darker malt did not provide a strong enough backbone to support the hops. It lacked the sweetness necessary for balance. And, the hops flavors were one dimensional and almost harsh. Overall, it was okay, but not something I would go very far out of my way to find.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 20:59:15 | More by Beer_Runner

dfillius

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint.
A: Moderate pour yields 1/2 finger of fizzy dark brown head with fair retention. Chill hazy dark brown liquid. I'd like better head retention, otherwise nice.
S: Delightful hop forward aroma. Centennial, maybe cascade? NW hops no doubt, not terribly fruity, slightly dank. No roast. Slightly estery apple is not forceful and pleasant.
T: Hop forward with only slight roast in the finish. Exactly as I like my CDAs. One of the top 5 that I've had. Slight green banana rides on the alcohol. Slight chocolate. Very tasty. Would rate it higher if the hops stayed stronger than the alcohol throughout. They end up equal near the end.
M: A tad thin at the start, becomes fuller once esters and alcohol character grows. Slight warmth.
O: Very nice and a good CDA. Will buy again, especially since it's only $4.50 for a bomber. I'd order another.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 18:53:57 | More by dfillius