Toxic Sludge Black IPA - Blue Point Brewing Company

dirtylou

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz CAN, really busy design, served in an imperial pint

The body resembles that of a cola, with a huge fluffy tan head. Aroma provides whiffs of licorice, pine, and sticky charred malt. The flavor profile hits with more of the same - bitter pine resin, smoke, char, malt. This doesn't hold up that well compared to some of the west coast staples. It's spicy and bitter but lacks a clean hop profile underneath all of the blackness. Worth a CAN purchase, but would be challenging to drink more than one.

Serving type: can

01-06-2013 21:39:50 | More by dirtylou

godlessape

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this one into my trusty, ever ready, Sam Adams pint glass. The body is a deep dark glossy brown, almost black, with a beige head that hangs on like a champ.
The aroma is complicated mix of roasted malt, burnt pumpernickel, molasses, plum, booze and pine.
What I taste is everything mentioned above plus a fair heaping of coffee malts accompanied with a rather sinister hop sizzle and sting that lets you know that what you have before you is not for beginners.
I found the mouthfeel to be of medium body with perfect carbonation.
Overall this is a solid brew from a great brewery.

Serving type: can

01-05-2013 03:19:23 | More by godlessape

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a tallboy into a tumbler pint, the beer is a dark, clear, auburn-caramel coloring with a thin, off-white, fluffy, foamy head of about a half an inch, with a slight cling along the glass. Aromas of roast, slightly charred malts with a spiced, cedar hops profile. Flavors of char on the forward tongue, with rich, resiny hops following quickly behind it. Peppery and oregano spiced, with a cedar and pine pitch overtone. Very spiced aftertaste, with a resiny linger. The body is surprisingly light, but not crisp, which felt odd for the style. Roasty, mildly resiny linger in the finish, which is carbonated bubbly and short-lived.

Serving type: can

12-27-2012 01:10:51 | More by GarthDanielson

kylehay2004

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Two finger off white head on a clear deep amber body, a very attractive beer. Nice lacing an excellent retention. Roasted malts, caramel ad burnt toast. Not much in the way of hops which are mosty earthy. Although the flavor is very well balanced I feel both the malts and hops are understated. Hops are earthy, caramels dn hint if chocolate for sweetness on a roasted malt base. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Not a bad beer, nicely balanced just feel the malts and hops are a bit weak with too simple a hop profile to be considered one of the better of this genre.

Serving type: can

12-26-2012 02:45:57 | More by kylehay2004

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The hops have faded somewhat, yet the shwartzbier, roasted black beer aroma and flavour remain. And so I get a somewhat citrus integrated shwartz. Good aroma, good colour and off-white head and lace. Very drinkable. Pleasant, below average as a straight out black ipa.Can from Steve in Warren. Middling mouthfeel.

Serving type: can

12-25-2012 21:14:43 | More by northyorksammy

Huffs

New York

4.13/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Labeled a dark IPA, poured with a good sustained head that maintained a good lacing through the dring. Color was a dark deep brown with a clear look. Aroma was sweet and malty. Tast was just a bit sweet and malty with some coffee and citrus notes. Aftertast was dry and a bit hoppy. Overall a great drink, nice change from the usual IPA's and a cool name.

Serving type: can

12-22-2012 02:58:22 | More by Huffs

babaracas

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear dark brown with two fingers of tan foam, settles to a half inch ring with spotty lace on the glass. Smell: orange, light pine, notes of cocoa and dark bread, toffee. Nice, understated. Taste: milk chocolate and toasted dark bread, grapefruit, earth and a little pine. Medium bodied, velvety feel. Relaxed, tasty. Canned on 320/365.

Serving type: can

12-17-2012 07:00:58 | More by babaracas

Brad007

Vermont

3.23/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Let me just say that I love the title. I can't say that I've seen it used on any other beer and that's what made it stand out to me. No kidding here.

Pours more of a dark burgundy than black color when held up to light. Still dark and plenty of head for those who like that.

Is my nose fooling more or do I detect a whiff of roasty malt? Hops have some citrus and pine characteristics.

Damn, the bitterness is overwhelming by a bit. Lots of caramel, molasses but for some reason, not enough malt character.

Mouthfeel is convincing. Thin, almost flimsy. Some lingering bitterness.

I'm glad I only bought one can. It's interesting but I'm not convinced that it fulfills all the hallmarks of the style.

Serving type: can

12-02-2012 04:14:58 | More by Brad007

cosmicevan

New York

3.6/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

drinking a "vintage" toxic sludge that i forgot i had. pretty sure this is from the first bottling...WAY too long ago, so bear that in mind.

a - poured a deep watery black with a thin white head that eventually fizzled away leaving a thin skin on the surface and some lacing on the glass.

s - roastedness and hops. really nice and smoothed over.

t - well, surprisingly the hops are not gone, but definitely muted. kind of watery. very roasted. kind of charred.

m - thin and a bit charred. watery.

o - overall, an old black ipa, but the hops held out and are actually the highlight of this brew. roastedness. pretty enjoyable and tasty albeit a bit thin and watery.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 20:44:55 | More by cosmicevan

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

Sotbas

4.53/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Overall I think of this as the best black IPA I have ever had. Granted, I haven't had a ton, but I love this one. It has a sharp, pungent aroma that is unique amongst black IPA's... it is very reminiscent of a porter/stout actually.

What I really want to add to these reviews is this... a couple of days ago a opened a bottle that I have had sitting on a shelf for over a year which I purchased directly from the brewery (I live in the area). All I can say is WOW! I always enjoyed this beer but never realized how much it actually improved with age. It was creamier and brought out all of the best flavors in the beer. Really quite fantastic. If you have the means, pick up some 22 oz bottles, have patience, and let them sit for a minimum of a year. You won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 22:24:52 | More by Sotbas

n2185

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a dark brown with some ruby highlights and two fingers of beige head that fades into a thin cap with pretty decent lacing.

S: Dry piny aromas dominate. It smells almost like a dry Irish or oyster stout with some piny hops aromas. There are notes of roasted malts and smoke in there as well.

T: Similar to the aroma, dry roasted malt flavors dominate at first with some light char and bitter notes. Resin and pine hop flavors bring up the lightly bitter finish.

M: Medium body with mid-low carbonation, this beer avoids being watery, but could use a bit more carbonation.

O: An alright beer, overall, though nothing really special. I'd like more roasted and creamy malt characters along with a stronger hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 04:31:35 | More by n2185

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

on tap at devils den in philly

Pours a cola brown color with a thick, fluffy tanned head resting on top. Retains throughout most of the pour, leaving patchy and ringed lacing all over the glass.

A spike of piny hops in the nose, quickly swept away by a somewhat sweet malty note. Hints of chocolate and char with a faint warmth.

Bitter up front with a decent hop character. Definitely more on the sticky piny side of the spectrum, with a pretty roasty, solid malt backbone lurking underneath. Bready and toasted with a chocolate sweetness in the malts. Finishes fairly bitter and dry with a little suggestion of alcohol.

Medium body, smoother carbonation, very fluffy and creamy on the tongue. This drinks okay (thanks to the cask conditioning), although I there really wasn't an abundance of memorable flavor here.

Serving type: cask

03-16-2012 02:32:11 | More by xnicknj

RyanLigeia

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Cambridge House in Granby CT.

Look- Dark, just about black with a thick tan head that lasts a bit and leaves plenty of lacing.

Smell- Very sweet and more on the malt side. A little vanilla and caramel maybe.

Taste- Surprisingly hoppy, didnt expect that from the smell. A little bight from the alcohol but not in a bad way, the alcohol taste is blended in nicely.

MF- Heavy body, warmth from alcohol, decent amount of carbonation.

Overall- Unique beer, glad I tried it. It tastes like a very hoppy stout almost. I know that sounds like an oxymoron but thats the only way I can think of to sum it up.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 15:51:05 | More by RyanLigeia

oberon

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Mellow in Greensboro.Poured into a stanard pint a deep cola color with a 1/2 finger tannish colored head atop.Dark roast and earthy tones with mild bitter chocolate upfront in the nose,piney hops come into play late and linger well.Dry and roasty on the palate mixing with piney hops,light bitter chocolate as well,like others have said it seems more like a hopped up porter.It's not bad but again it seems more of a porter than a IA in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2011 18:49:02 | More by oberon

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Served with a black colored body and chestnut hues towards the bottom of the glass...one finger, white head retained to a ring and a wispy spider web...some lacing was left

S - Dominated by citrus hops...the roasted malt does not come out until it has a chance to warm up

T - The flavor flips around from the nose...without having a chance to warm, there is already chocolate and roasted malt notes all around...the chocolate is adding some bitterness to the beer while the hops are adding their bitter part as well...the hops are providing an earthy and fruity flavor while leaving the palate fell prickly

M - Medium bodied...oily resin, bitter with some chocolate roast coming in

O - Overall this was just another average Black IPA...not too many can hit the nail on the head...this showed a hoppy nose, but more of the roast came in to play on the palate

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2011 20:56:45 | More by thain709

tdm168

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep brown with a reddish hue with a thin lacing of head. The nose has notes of chocolate and faint roasted malts. The taste is very malty with notes of chocolate, caramel, and roasted malts. The hop character is light, earthy, but not on par with an IPA. It's full bodied, rich, smooth, and well carbonated.

I have been looking for this beer in my area for a while and then finally found it in an area. It's rich, delicious, smooth, but in my book not an IPA. Good nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 22:39:46 | More by tdm168

MaxSpang

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass.

APPEARANCE

This beer is a deep, deep red when held up to light with barely any light coming through. The head was a good 3-4 fingers when first poured, and dissipated quickly. There was quite a bit of lacing in along the glass. There was not very many bubbles coming up along the side of the glass.

SMELL

The first few sips were from the dark side - roasted malt, chocolate, and some slight nuttiness. Then the hops came in - some nice citrus and spicy floral notes. There's a little bit of graininess, too. Overall a very pleasant smelling brew!

TASTE

At the front of the tongue, some nice sweet maltiness and chocolate notes came through in a big way. Very soon after, the hops hit. This isn't as bitter as other Black IPAs that I've had, but it's got a nice big bitterness that mixes well with the roasted malt and chocolate flavors. It resembles very dark bitter chocolate without much of the chocolate sweetness. There's a slight artificial flavor that hits midway through, but the aftertaste is excellent. This is a really nice tasting beer!

MOUTHFEEL

There isn't much carbonation to speak of, but it works in this beer. There is a slight sweetness at the front, but it finishes nice and dry which makes you want to keep on drinking it! The mouthfeel is very balanced, and it's very easy drinking.

OVERALL

Ah, Black IPAs (or IBAs, or whatever they're called) are becoming so popular. I welcome the popularity. This is a nice example of the style. It's not the greatest example, but it's a really well-made beer (especially for a beer called Toxic Sludge!). This was an extra in a trade, so I'm glad I got the opportunity to try it. It's for a good cause, so I say drink up!

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 02:07:44 | More by MaxSpang

tempest

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a $5 bomber at Euro Market in Queens. I thought it was a great example of the style. It wasn't too heavy, but I could still enjoy both the dark, dry cocoa malts and juicy, citrus hops. The barley is on par with schwarzbier, a little less roasty than a porter. The hops mostly in the aroma, and not much bigger than a good pale ale. I need to find more of this.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 01:41:48 | More by tempest

beerdrifter

Germany

4.22/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber of this at the Mondial Bier Fest in Strasbourg, France. Deep, dark mahogany, almost black pour with two finger head, with good retention and lacing. Roasty, herbal nose nicely balanced with hints of pine, caramel, espresso, and chocolate. The taste follows suit with with toasty, malty, toffee and resiny pine with hints of caramel, burnt espresso, molasses and a touch of chocolate. The mouthfeel is not as thick and chewy as most of the black IPA's I've had, but it's smooth with a nice bitter, dry finish. The drinkability is off the charts! I'm kicking myself for not buying more of these! This was my first experience with Blue Point, and I enjoyed everything from them that I tasted at the fest. Hopefully they'll be back next year so I can stock up!

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 16:27:02 | More by beerdrifter

9InchNails

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Light brown head almost beige in color. While held up to the light a dark cherry like color with lots of noticeable carbonation. As the head settles down, it leaves a nice creamy film. I didn't think it was going to leave any lacing but it turns out it left some very foamy lacing on the glass.

As far as the aroma goes -- caramel, chocolate and a slight smokiness. I also get a scent of some dark fruits.

The taste is absolutely delicious! Chocolate and caramel with roasted malt seem to take center stage but in the middle dark fruits come in like cherries and some grape flavors. At the very end -- the true bitter IPA flavors come in alongside with citrus and pine; there is also just a hint of alcohol noticeable.

The body is creamy with a medium body and moderate carbonation. Incredibly smooth, slides right down, it feels really nice.

Wow! One of the best tasting "black IPA's" I have ever tried and this beer genre is one of my favorites. Almost, perfect except for some minor flaws. This is a must pick-me-up if you see this. On top of this being incredibly tasty, you will be helping out a great cause.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 07:01:28 | More by 9InchNails

BranfordBound

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on cask from the eponymous Cask Republic a while back, just getting back into reviews ago. From notes.

Pours a fairly dark brown, opaque from the darkness. Head is only about a finger, it's very 'quiet'.

Nice rich aromas of molasses, chocolate, and roasted malt intertwine in the glass.

Very malty beer, the cask certainly allowed for some hop fade, there must have been no dry hopping here. Lots of smokey roasted malt, epsresso, chocolate, molasses, and even a touch of anise in the middle; really spectacular.

Surprisingly very light mouthfeel makes this one quaffable.

Would love to get this one again, maybe I'll even stumble on an old bottle one day, who knows... great beer nonetheless.

Serving type: cask

09-30-2011 22:33:45 | More by BranfordBound

vfgccp

New York

4.63/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A – A great looking brew. Gemstone mahogany with ruby highlights. Thick, creamy, bone-white head lasts a lifetime leaving sheets of lace throughout the drink.

S – Roasty malt with a delicious, smooth, earthy hop character.

T – Char up front rolls seamlessly into a bold woody hop flavor. Strong roast flavors carry through a semi-bitter finish. Not overly complex, but what’s there is delicious and well executed.

M – Full body has a great smoothness.

O – Best example of the style I’ve had to date.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2011 01:18:11 | More by vfgccp

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep amber to black in color with a light tan head. In the aroma, a roast of coffee and a mellow citrus. In the taste, coffee like roast to start with a mellow orange citrus in the end. A hop bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry citrus to pine hop in the aftertaste. Coffee roast big in the front and a nice citrus hop in the end, kind of like a El Camino!

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2011 13:57:54 | More by OWSLEY069

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Blue Point : Toxic Sludge

Pours a dark brownish black color, with an off white foam collar and lace. In the aroma, piney hops and roasted malt. This follows through to the flavor, with piney bitterness, roasted malts, brown sugar, and faint coffee. There is a piney hop bite that lingers with bitterness as well. Medium bodied, crisp, and smooth. Overall, a nice American Black Ale, dig the hop presence and the toasted malt notes. Good.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 04:56:19 | More by Stinkypuss