Black Perle

22oz blue wax sealed bottle received in trade with beernerd81. Thanks for this one Ben! Poured into a Portsmouth goblet.

A - Described on the bottle as a Dark IPA...pours a dark, dark brown with hints of amber when held up to a light. Nice finger of cream colored head tha drops quickly to an uneven layer of various bubble sizes with some eratic lacing left on the sides of the glass. Not bad for a 9.5% beer.

S - Hmm, dark IPA...smells kinda like a thin, hoppy imperial stout. Lots of dark roasted malts and some coffee like bitterness. Not much for hop aroma just a small amount of earthy hop varieties. Smells good...as a brewery described IPA, it is lacking (but I don't really know what a dark IPA is anyway?) hop aroma for sure. Blind pour - this is a light, somewhat bland impy stout.

T - Dark and roasted flavors dominate...lots of burnt malt and coffee. Hops are subtle yielding only a modicum of fruity, citrusy hop flavor. At any rate, it doesn't stand up to the heavily roasted malt flavors - just sits neatly in the background. I like the flavor of this beer, but I really don't know how to judge this...IPA - NO...Imperial stout - maybe...just a hoppy, thin version. Anyway, the brewery says its an IPA, so I'm rating it that way...but I think I like this beer more than the rating would suggest.

M - A bit thin in body, carbonation is tame but adequate...plenty of life but I wouldn't be upset if there was a little more either. Hoppiness is felt more in the aftertaste, a fruity and somewhat grassy flavor is left behind after the swallow and this lingers for a long time...not a bad thing. Definitely in line with an IPA in this category.

D - So...I'm liking this beer quite a bit, but I'm not sure I agree with the style here. Blind tasting, I'd call this a weak Impy Stout. As an IPA it falls short in hop character...kinda defies definition. Blend half IPA and half Impy Stout and blend together well and this is what you get. More of a hoppy, thin Impy Stout than anything...in that regard it is a pretty easy drinker. More than anything, I'd say disregard the style, drink it for pure enjoyment, and don't worry about the rating. Good beer...enjoyable...I'd have another anytime.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-17-2010 23:51:44 | id: 1129850

Appearance: Pours out a clearish, dark brown body with a bubbly, sudsy, beige-colored head.

Smell: Pleasant mix of various hop and malt notes: roasted barley, robust coffee, chocolate squares, citrus, and lightly resinous pine. A bit of warmth pulls out more chocolatey tones.

Taste: Dark, roasty maltiness developing tastes of bittersweet chocolate and Colombian coffee with some soft caramel sweetness. An iota of dark fruitiness. The hops are made to compete with the earthy roast character here, though still they manage to present pine wood, citrus fruits, and a few coarsely-chopped mint leaves. Moderate bitterness that couples with the roastiness. Finishes dry, subtly warming, and roasty with a few final hints of spice and citrus zest.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a moderately smooth mouthfeel. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Fairly enjoyable, well-rounded brew. Not nearly as notably hoppy or bitter as some of these so-called Black IPA's (or in this case Walnut Brown IPA) on the market today, which is fine with me. It's good to see RJ Rockers rolling out some new brews now that they've settled down in their new facility.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-16-2010 22:32:02 | id: 1129125

A-poured dark brown and very viscous into a tulip style glass. Had a bit of dark caramel with nice wavy lacing and moderate head retention.

S-burt molases and caramel notes with a slight woodsy evervescence. Nice choc.malt notes at the end.

T-chocolate and smokey wood with a slight tinge of fig and caramel.

T/M- very heavy handed but well blended malt profile that def.overpopulkates any hops. Nice mouthfeel and is a good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-13-2010 02:16:36 | id: 1126297

A fascinating beer that combines what's great about IPA's, Schwarzbiers, but with a Porter-like body.

The Black Pearl begins with a dark brown color (think big Brown Ale or Porter), and with subtle carbonation, short but sturdy head formation and retention, and with good lacing. The low-lying carbonation is likely due to the hand bottling but I honestly prefer this because it give a cask ale-like impression and I believe that most beers are over carbonated to begin with.

Surprisingly, the aromas of toast, toffee, and light coffee rise first. But the seconday hop notes aren't far behind. Quite piney, grassy, and resiny with lighter qualities of citrus rounding out the hoppy nose.

Flavors of malt also show a first impression. The toast-coffee-toffee flavors are soon dwarfed by those hoppy flavors which fade nicely into a decidedly bitter finish that is again accentuated by the bitterness of the toasty, coffee-like grains.

The body of the beer seems more like a sturdy Brown or a moderate Porter. Malty and medium froathiness gives way in the middle of the palate to the hop bitterness and dryness. But the hop dryness is once again met with the malty wetness of the toffee sweetness. I'd prefer to see the ultimate dryness of an IPA to govern the finish.

A very nice beer that's riding the experimental wave of the Dark IPA's. I think it needs more hop dominance in the nose and taste and with a drier finish. This would religate the toast and coffee as a distant complimentary character to enhance the hops instead of competing with them. Nevertheless, the beer seems to be error free and quite tasty. Always welcome in my glass.

Thanks Ding!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-01-2010 04:21:12 | id: 1117682

Appearance: Interesting. A rough pour into my Duvel glass shows the beer to be a very dark brown, almost black, with absolutely no head. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this beer was more of a porter than anything else, though it didn't seem to be very thick. Of course, with a name like Black Perle I suppose this is to be expected.

Smell: Not really picking up much bitterness from the hops, surprising for a DIPA. There's definitely a sweet quality to the nose, with an almost chocolate like hint to it. Not bad, but not what I'd expect from an IPA.

Taste: Well, the "almost" chocolate quality I picked up in the nose is confirmed in the taste. Very subtle hop presence, definitely more of a sweet, roasted chocolaty kind of taste. If it weren't for the label specifically calling this beer a "Dark India Pale Ale" I would figure this beer to be a slightly hoppy porter.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth and creamy, which is the result of a lack of carbonation, and a nice medium- to full-body.

Drinkability: I'm not quite sure how to approach this beer. If judged purely by style I would say it failed. If judged purely by taste I would say it did well. A very interesting beer to be sure. I will end by saying this: an IPA this is not. As a hop head I am a little disappointed. However, no matter what style this beer claims to be, it does taste good and in the end that is all that really matters. Though I may not give this beer top marks for style, it tastes good and I would certainly have it again.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-27-2010 01:21:14 | id: 1115834

Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

Pours a cola color. Smallish mocha-colored head leaves behind some rings of lacing.

To be totally honest, I thought this smelled more like a sweet stout or a porter than a Black IPA. Lots of caramel, roasted barley, some chocolate, and just a light dash of hops. It's a solid nose, but it's certainly no Black IPA/DIPA.

Flavor follows. Roasty finish with a light hoppy bitter kick. Tasty, no doubt.

Medium body, perhaps a bit thin, and lightly carbonated. Booze is pretty well-masked.

This is at least the third different example I can think of involving an in-state brewer producing a tasty beer that doesn't really fit the style guidelines. But, then again, I'd rather have a really tasty porter/sweet stout than a by-the-book, but not very good black IPA.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-26-2010 02:12:18 | id: 1115138

22oz. bomber into snifter on 2/15/10.

A - Poured a dark brown, cola-colored liquid with a thin beige cap that yielded thin strands of stringy lace.

S - Opens with citrusy hops, light herbal notes and a hint of wood/oak character. Malt character is dark and rich, suggesting caramel and chocolate as well cookie dough. Slight waft of alcohol also emerges as the liquid warms up a bit.

T - Like the aroma, citrus hops are at the forefront, followed by a touch of wood and dark roasted malts suggesting chocolate and caramel. The alcohol heat builds as the liquid reaches room temperature.

M - Medium bodied, a little thin perhaps, with a slight oily texture and light carbonation. Finishes fairly dry with subtle alcohol warmth and moderate bitterness on the palate.

D - Solid dark IPA and a cool bottle to boot. This was my first experience with this brewery, and I'm intrigued. While the mouthfeel was slightly thin, I thought this was a good IPA overall, although I didn't get DIPA from this brew.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-17-2010 01:44:21 | id: 1108133

Bottle thanks to mikesgroove.

Pours a very dark brown, near black color with a small off white head with pretty good retention.

Scent of sweet syrup, grainy earth, dry sugars, sweet hops, and a touch of roastiness. Balanced well, one of the more impressive smelling Cascadian Dark Ales I have had.

Taste of roasted malts, sharp grain, caramel, some coffee, subtle sweet, juicy hops, and soft sugars lasting throughout. This one was fairly harsh initially, but as it opened up a bit, I started to like it a lot.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and slick with a refreshing bite of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-05-2010 00:31:32 | id: 1098767

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Southern Tier tulip glass. Pours black with a thin tan covering on top. The head retreated to the sides of the glass but left excellent lacing on the sides.

Aroma is a mix between the citrusness of the hops and the roastedness of the grains. They almost cancel each other out in that neither one is dominant. The taste is pretty much like someone mixed a stout with an IPA. Its hoppy and citrusy but also roasty with some chocolate and coffee flavors.

Mouthfeel is medium to thick bodied with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is good, I really enjoyed drinking this one. It really tastes like someone blended an IPA with a stout, and that's not a bad thing. The two flavor profiles balance each other out pretty nicely. It definitely has more stout characteristics then the other black IPA's I have had, with a little more of the chocolate and coffee flavors.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-31-2010 02:54:25 | id: 1095201

a: the wax-dip chips away easily, a little rust underneath but the inner cap is a-okay, poured into a tulip snifter, the beer is an opaque dark brown with a thin surface layer of carbonation

s: the thick caramel malt body creates an underpinning for moderate roasted barley addition and citrus pith hop aroma, dusty cocoa, spicy booze, neither of the would-be features of the aroma - the roast or hops - manage to make much of an impression, lacks a harmony of ingredients but it's pleasant enough all told

m: carbonation on the light end, body medium-full

t: caramel backbone with a layering of full roasted malts that might provide more color than flavor - aside from a medium char flavor the caramel seems to stand out more, riding along is a full - but far from what would be "strong" in context - citrus hop flavor fading to a piney bitterness in the finish, a decent beer but lacking complexity and never inviting much interest

d: easy enough for the abv

had higher hopes for this beer, but it ultimately proves to be something of a letdown

bomber from Charleston Beer Exchange

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-25-2010 01:50:42 | id: 1090663