Heavy Seas Black Cannon - Heavy Seas Beer

Mitchster

Michigan

4.83/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

$10.99 for a 6'er at Jacks. No ingredients per the bottle or website, just an allusion to the fact that this is their loose cannon IPA recipe with black malt. 7.25% ABV.

Pours to a clear black, not ink-jet black, but more like a very dark porter, forming a modest light yellow head with very good retention and nice solid sheets of lace. No sediment in the bottle. The aroma is wonderful, full of leafy green skunky hops (guessing Amarillo) with a subtle note of chocolate and coffee. I could smell this all day. The mouthfeel is clean and crisp, svelte, with a medium body. The taste opens with the aforementioned skunky hops, apples, a touch of sugar cookie like sweetness, bittersweet dark chocolate, very distant coffee, chalk, and burnt grains. Bitterness is mild, and makes it wonderfully easy to drink. No off-flavors or aromas. Very well made.

A wonderful brew. Well worth the price of admission. I would buy it again, and recommend it. Almost, but not quite as good as Founder Black Rye-PA, which is VERY similar. Delicious!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 02:12:10 | More by Mitchster

Guden

Maryland

4.78/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A- Pours an inky jet black with no light coming through at all. A dense but short tan head sits on top and fades quickly.

S- Wow! Up front is a blend of woody hops and vinous fruit and alcohol followed by a wave of heavily toasted bread, toffee, spices (coriander, cinnamon and anise), dark chocolate and over it all is a sweet baked honey ham caramel. If there was a touch more hops it would be perfect, but as is it smells amazing.

T- Wow again. The flavor has hints of the dark fruit, spice, toffee and chocolate of the nose but the piney and citrusy notes of American hops and the light roast of charcoal fill the middle before a battle between the caramel and moderate bitterness washes out the end.

M- A bit thick and creamy for an IPA but it still works with how much is going on here.

D- This beer goes down dangerously well for its 7.25% abv. The balance is a bit more towards the malty side than one might expect from an "IPA" but it definitely works. One of the best beers I've ever had from a great brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 02:58:33 | More by Guden

dhartogs

Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark black, thick head that stays a while with nice lacing. Hop forward with a malty finish, very balanced and smooth. I thouroughly enjoyed this beer and would love to try it on cask. I had bought a mixed 12 pack and this was the mystery beer thrown in, a real treat.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 00:53:53 | More by dhartogs

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Deep brown color, some visibility creamy one finger off white head. Awesome nose of rich roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, coffee and classic American hops. Really blends into something I've never smelled before of being earthy, fruity, yet tamed I'm loving of.

Fuller side of medium bodied, great carbonation with an awesome malt character that holds everything together. Taste is much like the nose with great complexity yet amazing drinkability. Jesus Christ this beer is good. Subtle notes of candy and licorice. Simply put this beer has amazingly blended flavors. Quite a surprise in a world of mediocre black ales. This thing really shines. I love it.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 03:23:04 | More by jtierney89

PhantasIPA

Delaware

4.54/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The appearance of this beer is, well, black! Looks like a porter but tastes like a stout and IPA made malty love and this came out. Poured it from a bottle into a glass and got a small head (1/8 of an inch) and the lacing is average as well.

The smell is really unique; it smells like pine from the hops, coffee and toffee for the malt. Pungent yet smooth...somehow!

Taste is very good as well. First beer I have ever had that tasted quite like this. Hoppy and dark is a hard flavor to create but they did it. The coffee and malt really balance the pine notes of the hops, as opposed to a normal IPA where the citrus notes accent the pine flavored hops.

Mouthfeel is very smooth since is is such a heavy beer. The density and sweetness make it drink like a Guinness but sting a little like a classic IPA. Carbonation is not a factor at all.

Overall this beer is very unique. A dark and sweet and smooth IPA...pretty cool. Worth a try if you want a unique taste that is well balanced and not too strong at 7.25%.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 18:41:50 | More by PhantasIPA

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Everybody is doing the Black IPA, why isn't this listed as a Cascadian Black Ale or a Black IPA? Decent pricing as always with Heavy Seas brews, this one pours beautifully with pitch black dark roasted malts and a thicket of khaki tan head forming large bubbled head clinging sporadically to the sides of my chalice. Aroma has a strong herbal tea/citri component from the hop department that works well amongst the dark roasted barley just hints of dark chocolate and mild coffee amongst the back drop of dark roasts. Flavor isn't as hoppy as the nose would entail, definitely hop flavors citrus/herbal/hints of pine with dark black roasted malt character going on. Finishes with a touch of cocoa and creamed coffee. Mouthfeel is medium bodied carbonation is sturdy throughout letting the flavors collide and blend effortlessly. Some of the best versions so far have been the most affordable versions, including this one and the Otter Creek BIPA...hop burps are welcome very nice presence and feel there's reasonable six packs down the street I better go grab one before they sell out of this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 17:00:45 | More by WVbeergeek

shand

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a nonic.

Black is serious! This pours a pitch black colour with a finger and a half of mocha-coloured head that retains well. The aroma is nicely hoppy, plenty of pungent hops over a nice roasty background. The taste is just great! The hops are all I taste at first, they're very pungent and dank, and work together incredibly well with a background roasted coffee and just a touch of chocolate. Seriously exceptional, this is the best of two worlds right here.

The mouthfeel is great, it's not too thick for a proper hoppy brew, but still has some weight to it. It's also quite creamy. The drinkability is also great, I just want to keep drinking this due to the exceptional flavor profile. This is just a very, very good black IPA (or American Black Ale if I'm going to start being "proper"), one of the best I've had of the style yet. Doesn't hurt that this is super fresh, of course. And it's available for quite a good price for a style that still seems to command a price premium. Needless to say, I'll be going back for a six-pack of this awesome brew. Drink it.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 06:20:06 | More by shand

rhartogsq

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle to pint glass.
A. nice black, charcoal color.
S. not as pungent as I would have liked, but had some nice hop, coffee (dark and subtle) characteristics.
t. Brought a smile to my face. had a nice hoppyness to it, with a nice malt bone to it.
m. pretty good. had the right carbonation and feel for a black IPA
o. one of my favorite black IPAs (Note this was the first time I tried it), and I want more! I had it right after a work out at the gym, and it put my in a happy place.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 20:21:30 | More by rhartogsq

hoosier3334

Indiana

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Really like this beer. It was my first black ipa and I was really impressed. Smooth and black, with a great blend of hops and malt. Being an offshoot of an ipa, the hops still stood out, though. Overall a real joy of a beer. Definitely worth the money.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 17:03:18 | More by hoosier3334

nickthetick

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: pours an opaque black into my duvel tulip with two fingers of brown head that slowly dissipates and leaves spotty lacing.

S: dark roasted malt and coffee and citrusy and grassy hops mix to make an off putting nose.

T: not like the nose the malt and hops mix in a favorable way. It starts with a overcooked biscuit quality that's a bit bitter, some what like a sourdough bread roll left in the oven too long. Dark citrus comes in and fallows through to a grassy or earthen tone. Hint of dark chocolate and coffee linger.

MF: a tad heavy in a good way, great carbonation, smooth with a semi dry finish.

O: what a great beer! I can't wait to grab this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 01:53:22 | More by nickthetick

tbrown4

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours dark dark amber, not quite black. Just enough for a tiny bit of light to shine through. Fluffy light tan head. Light moist lacing all the way through.

S - Roasty, light floral hops.

T - Just a tad of sharp hop bitterness on one side and sharp roasted notes on the other. Two distinct personalities here.

M - Light, just a tad more viscous than water. Pools up in the middle for a bit then washes away.

D - I could put back 2-3 in a session with this one, but that may not be the best of ideas at 7 1/4 ABV. You'd think this would be a palate killer, not as much as I'd expect.

Missed the various releases of this on tap/cask. Was somewhat excited about since I first heard about it. I'm a long time IPA fan and have been making a point to try as many black IPAs as I can find. None have blown me away yet. I drink it and think, "that's cool they can do that with an IPA". This is a very nice clean representation of the style, or what we're identifying as a style recently. It doesn't push the envelope too much from that perspective.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 20:42:46 | More by tbrown4

number1bum

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very dark brown, very nearly black actually, with two fingers of tan head. Settles to just a thin lace, not very full and somewhat patchy. Coats the glass nicely with a good amount of webbing.

Smells of some lightly roasted malt, a bit of chocolate, and a nice amount of floral, citrusy hops. It's quite hoppy really, with juicy orange and some white grapefruit as well. Not an overly robust nose, but a nice one.

Taste, like the smell, is very hoppy and is decidedly hop forward. It's really juicy, with lots of orange and grapefruit flavor. The malt is more subtle than is typical of the Black IPAs I have had; it's very lightly roasted with some dark chocolate as well. Hop bitterness is moderate, certainly on par with a typical IPA, and there is a bitter dark chocolate flavor that lingers in the finish as well. This is really very tasty.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied but feels much lighter than I'd expect given the ABV and the dark malts. It's not super creamy, it's soft, light and quite clean.

This is a very pleasant surprise; one of the best Black IPAs I've had and one of the hoppiest. Lots of juicy citrus flavor. As Black IPAs go this one is not overly roasty at all and it's pretty light bodied. I'm actually surprised they got this to be so nearly black without more black malt and roasted flavor. This is probably one of the most drinkable black IPAs I've had. I wish I'd gotten a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 01:20:21 | More by number1bum

bubseymour

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pitch black and beautiful but very little head. Nice lacing though

Smell- Exactly like loose Cannon. Very citrus and floral

Taste - Again exactly like Loose Cannon which is one of my favorite IPA's. Therefore love the taste on this one.

Mouthfeel - Very nice

Overall - Because I couldn't tell this beer apart from Loose Cannon, I'm knocking it down a little. I don't really understand making the same beer but different appearance. Anyway, love to drink it.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 01:15:13 | More by bubseymour

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - pours dark but shows reddish mahogany against a good light source. Light mocha cap is nice and thick. Good stick as well, sort of an ice cream float look on the surface.

Aroma - sharp piny notes, some roasty notes initially but they fade as this sets up to a resiny hop-owned aroma.

Taste - a brief dose of hops at first, then the roasted grain and hops make a real nice blended flavor at mid-palate. A grapefruit rind flavor on the finish, then roasted grains end the ride with a touch of citrusy sweetness. Good lengthy finish too.

Mouthfeel - decent smooth flow to the beer, crisp and fluffy in the mouth. Refreshing for such a flavorful brew.

Drinkability - an excellent brew. Dry hopping would put this over the top. Probably my favorite 'hybrid' style. Good tasty beer for anytime.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 03:59:38 | More by brewdlyhooked13

ghengisflan

4.3/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Appropriately enough, Black Cannon pours completely black with about half an inch of medium brown head. Holding it up to the light reveals a hint of red at the edges; it's still pitch black.

Aroma: Hops definitely dominate the aroma; they're maybe stronger in the smell than they are in the taste of the beer.

Taste: A great balance between dark, roasted malts and a good range of hop flavors. It's brighter and sweeter to start and darker and bitter to finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and rich but crisp. It's exactly what I would ask for in a beer that balances roasted malts and strong hop.

Overall: A great beer, one I like to savor slowly: one of my all-time favorites.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 02:05:16 | More by ghengisflan

rdilauro

Connecticut

4.28/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beautiful dark pour with a little creamy white head. I could pick out the hop aroma as soon as it hit our wine glasses.
The first sip was crisp, dry with a very well balanced amount of hops and malt. I was a bit surprised at the first taste when I picked up some coffee or espresso flavor.
What I loved was that from the start, the first sip was full and that it ended the same way.
Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 23:59:54 | More by rdilauro

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on cask at Max's in Baltimore. Have only tried cask beers a few times before, but this was definitely a great beer. Nice jet black color, roasted malt and hoppy aroma. Medium bodied, great mouthfeel, great balance between roasted malts and hoppiness with the smoothness of the cask giving it the perfect touch. Awesome beer, but still not as good as the Siren Noir on cask which was like a liquid Hershey's bar. Totally glad I got try this on cask and I would definitely pick up a sixer of it in the store.

Serving type: cask

01-15-2012 02:24:05 | More by marlinsfan4

Kendo

New York

4.23/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass. Body is coca-cola-black with a small tan/light brown head that leaves behind good thick rings of lace.

S: Very nice nose - strong. I get citrus, pine and tea. Also some roastiness - more so as it warms up a bit.

T: Follows the nose somewhat - some underlying roasted barley malt followed by a touch of char, a hint of cocoa, and then it's the hops: pine and pine resin and a bit of citrus. Juicy at times. Finishes without any noticeable alcohol (despite the relatively strong 7.25% ABV), but heat is felt in the belly right away.

M: Medium in heft. Very smooth - lower carbonation levels, but it's not at all slick.

O: I like a wee bit more chocolate malt in my American Black Ales, but the roasted barley and charcoal provides a nice enough contrast to the hops that it's a fairly minor quibble. Good stuff, and highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 03:11:44 | More by Kendo

dedrinker

Kansas

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This here's a dark beer, looks like a porter. Nice tan head; shows some root beer color at the edges when held to the light.

Aromas...after warming up a bit are a 60/40 blend of woodsy resinous hops and lightly toasty, chocolaty malts.

The flavor is quite the same but I really want to impart how well integrated the IPA character is with the dark, roasted malt taste.

medium body and finishes on good interplay of porter-meets-IPA character.

Well worth it.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 06:39:50 | More by dedrinker

thespaceman

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass:

Appearance: Like the name states, pours a deep opaque black in color, nice size head emerges slowly and holds together nicely on top of this beer. Great head retention and good lacing to go along with it.

Smell: A wonderful balance of aromas here. Most black IPA's I've tried you only get the hops in the smell, but here I get a beautiful toasted malt backround, a bit of of chocolate and some coffee like roasted elements as well. Hops are florals smelling and very light, yet very aromatic.

Taste: Nice! Again the actual chocolate and coffee like malt sweetness takes the forefront here which is very rare for a black IPA. Right off the bat you get hit with a good deal of malt sweetness, espresso bean and some toffee. A light vanilla tone comes into play. The middle of the beer starts to show off it's citrus hop presence, I get some mango and grapefruit flavors towards the finish here. Balance between flavors is superb with one not overwhelming the other.

Mouthfeel: Perfect carbonation, could be a bit sharper but I think with the abundance of malt sweetness here the mouthfeel is toned down which is not a bad thing. Good back-of-tongue bitterness here which really hits the mark. Medium bodied and stands firm on the tongue.

Drinkability: Overall one of the top 3 black IPA's I've had since they've become a household name. I like that Heavy Sea's made the malt notes stand out more than the actual citrus notes from the hops. Usually with black IPA's all I see is brewers making a regular IPA "black" without adding any elements to make it stand out and live up to it's name. Very sessionable at 7.5% ABV and a interesting beer with every new sip. A job well done!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 01:21:54 | More by thespaceman

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a shaker: Dark brown, "round-up-to-black" body with deep ruby highlights under two fingers of frothy, khaki head. Some sticky lacing right around the lip.

Nice resiny hop aroma, with some grapefruit & pine over a slightly coffee-ish background. The combination combines to create a very nice, dank coffee.

Taste follows the smell, with a slightly sweet lemon character, some piney, woody bitterness, & mildly roasty coffee that's not overly bitter. Some malt sugar perks up, actually this is really nice.

Sweet & a little sticky, plus sticky hop character too.

Honestly, one of the nicer black ales I've had - nicely balanced, pleasantly sweet but really tempered by the hops, no one aspect overpowers the other. The booze is well-concealed, too. Nothing wowing here, just good.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 21:40:44 | More by OneDropSoup

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a deep dark amber, porter like, with a half inch of mocha colored head.

S - You get some roasted and chocolate malts beside a lingering piney hop presence.

T - I believe this is a solid Black IPA recipe! You get sweet chocolate then a roasty center with a mildly hoppy finish. The hoppy finish doesn't linger rounding out the flavors pretty well.

M - Light to medium. Found it very easy to drink.

Overall I could see buying it again. A nice break from stouts and hoppy IPA's its a great even ground. One of the Best Black IPA's I ever had.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 01:44:05 | More by DrDemento456

billzav

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep black in color, it has rich notes of caramel and citrus fruit such as grapefruit, balanced by roasted malt and hints of piny hops with a smoky backbone. The smokiness of Black Cannon gives this ale more of a Rauchbier or porter character, than that of a black IPA. Nevertheless, Black Cannon is a smooth, full-bodied beer that’s quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 02:33:10 | More by billzav

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

black pour with a big head of tan lacing that rose up and over the top of the glass quite quickly, settling down into a smooth layer of lacing that covered the entire sides of the glass.

near perfect balance of rich roasted malts, smoked notes, dark earthy, and piney hops. warming only brings the hops to the front even more and allows them to steal the show. quick hitting and bitter as the first sip hits your palate it was amazing how smooth and easy this one went down. nice long finish initially was wrapped in hoppy dryness and twang but melted into molasses and rich caramel malts that left a light sweet flavor

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 00:13:16 | More by mikesgroove

Immortale25

Florida

4.21/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sierra Nevada tumbler. Label has notches at JUN and 12 indicating best by June 2012.

A- Pours a pitch black color with a 1/2 inch tan head that retains nicely before fading to a thin ring around the edge of the glass and moderate amounts of surface foam. Thin but resilient lacing.

S- Citrusy hop nose with fierce roasted malt backing it. Very unique. Quite sweet-smelling also.

T- Sharp, tangy hops in the front. How can a black beer be this juicy and sweet? Roast and chocolate in the aftertaste. Lingering bitterness as well as some booze but not as bad of a burn as expected.

M- Full but still a bit thin. Medium carbonation.

O- Just like with Dubbel Cannon and Belgian yeast, they took Loose Cannon and instead introduced a high malt bill...I'm down. I especially dig the aroma.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:10:29 | More by Immortale25