Toxic Sludge Black IPA - Blue Point Brewing Company

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This brew was served from the cask at The Old Toad in Rochester, NY. It arrived in a house becker glass, showing the color of cola. It held a one and a half finger head of light brown bubbles. This showed awesome retention, with eventual spots of lacing left around the glass. No haze or sediment was noted, and carbonation appeared low. The nose gave roasty chocolate malts, cooling and sugary vanilla, melon, black cherries, passion fruit, charred woodiness, raw cocoa nibs, drying chalkiness of grain, and a finishing touch of light grassy hops. Our first impression was that there was big complexity to the taste, which was much fruitier than expected for the style, but not following that nose. As we sipped, tropical fruit of passion fruit and pineapple started things off sweetly. Mixing in were lactic and sour cranberry notes, dark chocolate and coffee malts, and a tangerine flesh sweetness. The middle peaked with charred coffee malts, a flash of metallics, white sugar sweetness, plastic bite, and a leathery twang. We finished with more of that smoke and leather, some more chocolate and coffee from the malts, and another plastic flash. Things did, however, lighten up right at the end, with final washes from plastics, drying chalky malts, and lactic sourness of cream. The aftertaste breathed of dark chocolate truffles, grassy hops, fig, dried wood, cashew nuttiness, and light smoky coffee. The body was light and almost watery, with that very cask-like drying bite. Carbonation was very light. The mouth was left wet and satiated, with that light chalky dryness all over. Slurp and smack were okay, but there was little in the way of cream of frothiness to the sip. The abv was fine, and the beer drank easily .

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the wily fruity inclusion in the nose and taste. It really reminded us of Stone’s 15th Anniversary Escondidian Black IPA in its sweetness, but here we found much more plastic, leathery, and chalky cocoa bite. This beer was certainly intense, and it will probably take you by surprise, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Serving type: cask

09-10-2012 22:49:02 | More by TheBrewo

Burkbom23

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Dark brown color, i want to call it rootbeer looking, but its actually lighter than that. You can see through it and there are a ton of red hughes coming through it. About a 1 finger light tan rocky, frothy head on top. Lots of laving being left on the glass. This really is a cool looking beer. Aroma is grain, toasted barley, dark fruits, raisens, and some toasted bread. Same flavors on the palatte that I got in the nose. Bitter finish, and dry. Good Balance, leaning a little to the side of malty. Creamy medium/full mouthfeel. Litte bit of bite from the carbonation. They say it is a "Black IPA" but it doesnt feel anything like an IPA to me. Think that is just some creative marketing. It is a little too sweet for my taste to drink more than one of these. Still a pretty good brew non the less.

Serving type: can

05-19-2013 02:43:43 | More by Burkbom23

cnewcombe4

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-18-2013 23:43:11 | More by cnewcombe4

BMart

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -26.5%

05-13-2013 17:04:06 | More by BMart

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -19.8%

05-10-2013 22:07:27 | More by mikeburd1128

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -19.8%

05-10-2013 14:59:09 | More by twenty5

Gregwa

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-09-2013 02:13:19 | More by Gregwa

bellb

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-04-2013 23:19:30 | More by bellb

coz

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-23-2013 04:40:08 | More by coz

jbaker67

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7%

04-20-2013 18:33:50 | More by jbaker67

Ljoreilly

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

04-18-2013 01:17:35 | More by Ljoreilly

Mister_Falcon

Pennsylvania

4.59/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured a ruby-brown color into a pint glass with a three-quarter inch head. I smell hops! Wonderfully balanced hop to malt character. Roasted malt flavor, bitterness of some hops, tons of carbonation. Feels very crisp on the tongue and goes down easy like a coke on a hot summer day. This is a delicious beer.

Serving type: can

04-15-2013 00:55:34 | More by Mister_Falcon

Mersh

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

04-13-2013 16:07:30 | More by Mersh

fredmugs

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-10-2013 23:35:04 | More by fredmugs

beernads

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

04-10-2013 09:24:52 | More by beernads

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-06-2013 05:52:44 | More by DrunkinYogi

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-01-2013 04:23:23 | More by RblWthACoz

Mitchallica

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-01-2013 01:43:06 | More by Mitchallica

Steve_Oldrati

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-28-2013 03:54:15 | More by Steve_Oldrati

sendbeer

Georgia

2.75/5  rDev -26.5%

03-25-2013 01:42:48 | More by sendbeer

MadScientist

New York

3.65/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: A very dark brown with good clarity. The thick head is made of long lasting, light tan rocky bubbles that leave a sticky lacing on he glass.

S: A medium citrus hops aroma with a moderately-strong grassy note from dry hopping. There are medium-low malt aromas of sweetness and chocolate. A strong alcohol character brings a bit of floral note towards the back.

T: The bitterness dominates with a medium-strong hops bitterness and a a fairly strong citrus hops flavor. There is a bit of the malt sweetness coming through with a low chocolate and coffee note. The balance is very bitter, overly so with out enough malt to support it. The finish is off-dry and the aftertaste is all citrus hops and long, lingering bitterness.

M: A somewhat creamy, medium bodied beer with a moderately strong level of carbonation. A light bit of harsh prickle on the palate and some warmth in the back of throat.

O: This is an unbalanced beer with a harsh bitterness, but it drinks better when not too cold. It does have a lot of hops with some dark grain character but it just come together more so because of too much C hops. That being said I'd still try this beer if I found it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 00:12:29 | More by MadScientist

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-22-2013 02:32:02 | More by LXIXME

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.64/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to korguy123 for this can. Poured in to tulip.

A - Poured very dark amber; opaque in the middle. One finger of bubbly dirty white head.

S - Coffee and roast are the dominant aromas with some sweet chocolate and piney hop notes also present.

T - Bitter coffee and roast up front with a huge piney hop presence. Some sweet cocoa and brown sugar notes help balance out the bitterness.

M - Medium body with some sticky hop oils present. Light carbonation.

Serving type: can

03-21-2013 02:03:17 | More by TheSevenDuffs

wedge

North Carolina

2.69/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a dark chestnut with a large, slowly deflating head of dense foam. Vaguely hoppy aromas backed by some chocolaty roasted malt. The hops are primarily of the floral, grassy, leafy variety...the more it warms, the more bittersweet, dark chocolate takes over. Tastes of grassy, dried fruit, earthiness, cocoa, and molasses. The malt seems thinner here and there's not enough hop flavor to justify the bitterness. The cryptic code on the bottom of the can isn't a clear date, so I have no idea how fresh this is. There's something sort of amateur homebrew-ish about this that's pretty disappointing.

Serving type: can

03-21-2013 00:59:26 | More by wedge

AndrewMichael

Virginia

4/5  rDev +7%

03-20-2013 00:26:50 | More by AndrewMichael