Bludgeon Yer Eye PA - Short's Brewing Company

Fanhitter

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on draft at Ashley's in Westland on 11-28-2012

Poured into a pint, this beer looks as sinister as a no-headed Guinness. Not quite as brown and muddy as far as looks go, but just as opaque. The meniscus of the pint is a thin layer of bubbles. The lacing on the side of the glass resembles a trashy garter belt after a big draw. Love it.

Smells of a musty, pruny hop character. Nothing spectacular as far as the nose is concerned, but a mild sweet aroma creeps in unexpectedly.

Tastes of a powerful murky hoppiness with a subtle caramel/basil flavor. I know it sounds weird, but the creamy aromatic nature works adversely with the heavy, dry maltiness. This is the risk/reward complex that I feel like a lot of Short's beers aim for, and flavor-wise, this is one of the best.

The mouthfeel is mild but robust; the hop note adds to the texture, but the subtle bubbling adds a small bite to the initial draw. It's easy drinking but a bit thorny; however, it works with a beer that drinks so easy.

Overall, this is one of my favorite seasonal beers from SHORTS. I'll admit, I like a lot of Short's, but I look forward to this one year after year, and this annual batch is great. I reccomend this beer to everyone who appreciates an experimental brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 02:26:56 | More by Fanhitter

oline73

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on-tap at the brewpub. Poured into a sample glass.

Appearance: Pours black with a little light coming through at the edges when light hits it. There is a finger of light tan head that clings to the glass well.

Smell: Very mild smell. Citrus hops with some roast and a mild sweetness.

Taste: Citrus hops up front. The roast shows up in the middle with a very bitter finish. There is more roast in the taste than the smell.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with mild carbonation and a smooth, dry finish.

Overall: I thought the hops and roast were fighting each other a little bit. The bitterness in the finish was a little too bitter, but it was still a pretty good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2011 23:28:01 | More by oline73

dirtylou

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on-tap, Brickhouse - Madison

from notes

appearance: served in a shaker pint, dark mahogany body, quickly dissipating tan head

smell: piney hops - very green, charred malts, roasty, smoke

taste: really great - instantly one of my favorite black ipas...lush evergreen, dark chocolate, char, smoke, burnt malts, heavy roasted dark malts.

mouthfeel: rich medium body

overall: nice

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 16:29:59 | More by dirtylou

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at HopCat - December 29, 2010. Served in an imperial pint glass.

Pours close to black with a single-finger tan head and some nice lacing. The nose brings forward a good dose of roasted malt as well as some nice pine character from the hops. A bit of an earthiness to it as well. The taste is more toward the roasted end of the Black IPA scale with some mild bitter chocolate there as well. Pine hops linger throughout, providing more bitterness than flavor. Good body and carbonation. A nice and drinkable version of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2011 03:55:09 | More by Thorpe429

WeisGuy

New York

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap during Short's night at Ashley's in Ann Arbor. Excited to see Short's take on the relatively new Black IPA style.

Pours a shade or two short of black with a one-inch light tan head. Nice head retention and great lacing. Huge, fresh-cut piney hop aroma leaps out of the glass with milder roasted malt and dark chocolate notes providing a little depth. As with the nose, the flavor is dominated by bitter, piney hop flavors. There are light notes of roasty malt and dark chocolate, but the hops play center stage here. Enjoyable, but perhaps a little too one-dimensional for the style. The finish is quite bitter, dry and a little hot. Slightly light-bodied with moderate carbonation and alcohol warming. Quite bitter but still pretty drinkable as the flavors are clean and fresh tasting. Overall, very good stuff though I'd like to see a slight bit more chocolate and roast malt to complement the piney hops. Here's to hoping they bottle this stuff at some point.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2010 01:21:34 | More by WeisGuy

dudecandle

New York

4.55/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Ashley's, Ann Arbor, MI:

A: Black body with a small off-white-to-coffee colored head, some lacing, holds well.

S/T: This black IPA brings together two wonderful sides of beer which rarely work together: a nice fresh herbal and grassy hop, plus a nice dose of coffee, smoke, and caramel. While up front, you get the bitterness of the hops, the coffee takes over on the back end with its own bitterness. The slight touch of caramel and smoke add a third level of complexity which is just not common enough in this world.

M: Medium body, somewhat creamy.

D: Great IPA with essentially a touch of stout. Not a huge hop bomb, but still a very respectable amount of hops. The flavors don't crowd each other out or create some unpleasant cacophony, but rather blend together quite nicely, with each new level of flavor developing further along the palate. I don't know how wide this is going to spread, but it should.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 21:47:33 | More by dudecandle

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour is dark black with a mostly tight dark tan head. Nose has a light smoke to it, some malt depth with chocolate, and a faint citrusy hop behind. Taste is much smokier, complex malt of caramel and chocolate, hops are light and like the nose citrusy. Not much bitterness, lingering smoke, decent carbonation, lighter body and very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 13:36:53 | More by cpetrone84

superspak

Michigan

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

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 10/30/2012. Pours hazy very dark reddish brown color with a nice 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of huge grapefruit, mango, orange zest, pineapple, toast, pine, roasted malt, light char, grass, floral, and light herbal. Damn nice aromas with a great hop profile and solid roasted malt backbone. Taste of big dark roasted malt, coffee, grapefruit, orange zest, pine, light char, pineapple, toast, floral, grass, and piney spiciness. Nice amount of pine and roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, toast, pineapple, roasted malt, light char, coffee, pine, floral, grass, and piney spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Great flavor balance and hop complexity; with a nice roasted malt backbone that is well balanced with the hop flavors; almost zero cloying flavors are present on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and sticky mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with nearly zero warming present on the finish. Overall this is an excellent Black IPA! Great hop flavor profile and balance with roasted malts; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering as expected.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 06:13:55 | More by superspak

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a bottle of Short's Bludgeon Yer Eye PA last week for $1.89 at The Lager Mill. I had this beer when it was first released in bottles last year and I thought it was a pretty good Black IPA, since then I have tried much more of the style so I'm interested to see how this years release stacks up, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but I know it's pretty fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a Short's imperial pint glass.

A- I really like the label on this beer, it's well done and pretty funny, it shows you how good of a sense of humor Joe Short has. It poured a nice slightly light black color that didn't let any light come through and it had two and a half fingers worth of fluffy darker tan head that died down to a thin layer that stayed till the end and left some nice rings of lacing. This beer looked really good the color was were it should be and head and lacing were better then expected, there's nothing wrong with it at all, it's a very good looking Black IPA.

S- The first thing I pick up is some nice hop aromas that smell pretty dank, there's some piney, floral, and citrus hops that comes together to make a pretty nice dank aroma with none of the hoppy aromas overpowering each other. After that comes the malts which are pretty roasted and impart a slight charred aroma followed by a little bit of chocolate and coffee, with a little bit of black licorice at the end. There's some very good balance in the aroma of this beer both the hops and the malts show up nicely and they play well off each other. This beer had a good aroma that was just what I'm looking for in the style.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with the malts which are nice and roasted and impart some slightly charred flavors along with some grainy, coffee, and chocolate flavors. After that comes the hops which impart some citrus, piney, dank, and resinous hop flavors with the citrus and pine seeming to stick out the most. Towards the end the hops impart a slightly higher amount of medium bitterness that is right where it should be and there's a roasty, citrus, and dank aftertaste that sticks around for a little bit. This beer has a good taste to it, the hops are nice and dank, the malts are roasty, and it has some really nice balance to it, I enjoy it.

M- Pretty smooth, slightly creamy, a little dry on the finish, medium bodied with a good amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is good and it worked well with this beer, I have no complaints.

Overall I thought that this was a good beer and a pretty good representation of the style, it had everything I look for in the style with the balance that you don't find in a lot of Black IPA's. This beer had pretty good drinkability, it was smooth, the flavors held my attention nicely, and at 5% percent it doesn't wreck you which makes it pretty session able and it isn't overly bitter, I think two or three of these would be the right amount and it makes for a great beer to drink when the weather gets colder but you still want a nice dose of hops. What I liked the most about this beer was the balance it was very good and right where it should be, I also really liked the way this beer looked, from the label to the lacing this was one good looking beer. What I liked the least about this beer was that it's very limited, I could see this as a nice year round beer, I don't think any Michigan brewery's have a Black IPA in their year round line up and with the quality of this one I could see it being very popular. I would buy this beer again, I only got two bottles this year and that was a mistake, plus Short's just released their 2013 release schedule and this one was on the list you can bet I'll be getting at least a six pack next year. All in all I was pretty happy with this beer, it's a damn good Black IPA, and it has all the quality's that I look for in the style. Short's did a great job with this beer, the only Black IPA I like more than this is Arcadia's B Craft, but this one is pretty close to that and it's very well done. I hope they bring this beer back again and I would love to try the version that was brewed with spruce tips, it sounds like it could be pretty epic, keep up the good work Short's you guys are killing it.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 04:05:29 | More by StoutHunter

DrinkMoreBigBeers

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out almost dark as night with slight transparencies of dark burgundy in the sides of the glass. Nice two finger frothy tan-ish head with a mixture of big and small bubbles. Leaves above average lacing.

S - Can you say dank hops, fresh citrus and pine, sweet dark malts, a mild milk chocolate. This beer tends to change every time I smell it I pick something new up. No alcohol presence. Smell was great in the beginning and died down after a few minutes.

T - Bitterness of pine and citrus hops right up front in your face which tend to last throughout and even linger on the palate in the end. The dark malts come in mid palate to cut the hops presence but they really only come in for a few seconds to let you know this is not an ordinary IPA. No presence of alcohol.

M - Nice soft medium bodied beer with a good amount of carbonation. Pretty wet on the mouth.

O - A really pleasant beer from shorts that is perfect for holiday seasons with a fresh pine presence from the hops that get me thinking of a fresh cut Christmas tree. I will buy this again shortly while its style around. MMMM. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 00:58:27 | More by DrinkMoreBigBeers

tectactoe

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a deep, deep brown, black in the middle. Thick, light-tan head, good staying power. Heavy pines and dank oils/resin on the nose - this one's gonna be good! Taste follows through with a nice dose of pine needles and oily hop resin. Slightly dank; bitter, but not as bitter as you'd expect from the heavy nose of hops. Malts follow through and become noticeable in the aftertaste. Toasty and caramely, they play nicely with the hops and provide an excellent balance to the brew. Slight watery in the taste after a few sips, might be due to the low ABV. Medium body, very, very slight stickiness, leaves the mouth a bit wet and watery. Nice helping of carbonation.

Solid brew! And only 5% ABV? Awesome! This one could be enjoyed all day. Nice helping of hops, resins, oils - enough to satisfy any hophead. Beautiful black color and the unique addition of slight caramel and roast flavors from the malts make this a very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 18:40:24 | More by tectactoe

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle courtesy of radio2525 in the Barrel Aged Goodness BIF. It was poured into my petite Duvel tulip.

Bludgeon Yer Eye pours almost completely black, but I'd swear it lightens a bit at the edges when it's backlit. Two fingers of khaki colored head comes together to fill out the glass, before slowly creeping down. A solid ring of lacing tops the glass, and it's still present, albeit spotty, underneath. The nose has a nice potent grapefruit kick, with just a bit of roast underneath. The flavor profile is not quite as hop dominant. There's a little bit of biscuit and carame, as well as a moderate coffee/roasty flavor. That's all interrupted by a bitterness that's noticeable, but not overly aggressive. The finish is citric, and as purely grapefruit as any hoppy beer I've had lately. The mouthfeel is just average, thanks to an overly chewy body. The carbonation makes a game of cutting through the malt and elevating the hop profile though. On one hand, Bludgeon Yer Eye falls in a weird spot where it's too malty to be a black IPA, and not full on malty enough to be a hoppy stout. On the other hand, that roastiness helps fill in the gaps from a fairly one-note hop profile. I think I liked this one more than the score indicates, it's a brew that defies easy categorization.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 01:27:02 | More by axeman9182

hopfacebrew

Colorado

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from undated bottle to pint glass. The beer pours a pitch lack with some dark brown edges when held to the light. 1 finger cream/off-white head with some retention and minimal lacing. The nose is a pleasant mix of roasted malt, chocolate, and citrus hop character. Hints of pine and grapefruit and residual sweetness as well. Similarly, the flavor starts with a rush of roasted malt followed quickly by a mild sweetness and bitterness. The citrus, pine, and earthy character of the hops come through in the middle. The beer finishes mildly bitter with lingering chocolate malt character. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Somewhat dry. Overall, a solid offering.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 14:04:52 | More by hopfacebrew

gustogasmic

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a quick-forming and quick-dissapearing one inch cappuccino-colored head. body is, dark, dark brown, cloudy dark brown-black.

Smells sweet and slightly boozy. Enticing, sweet, strong odor. Lots of dark roses.

Tastess wonderful- both dark and floral. Darkness is the roasted, smoky flavors of the malts, floral is the complex and forward hoppiness that is (barely) tempered by the smoothness of the malt bill. Lingers both citrus and coffee... you know some drink their coffee black with a wedge of lemon, Ukranians ,I hear.

Feels watery at first but then the malts come in and stick the beer (and bitterness of the hops) to your mouth. I love it; I could see someone hating it. It's carbon; roasted and burned yet floral, a black IPA that is certainly black in flavor. delicious and specific and bold in concept, as i've come to expect from the prolific Short's brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 07:37:50 | More by gustogasmic

riored4v

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in to a tulip. Pitch black body with a very thin, off-white head that faded quick. No lacing.

Aroma had a nice amount of roast along with a great citrusy hop aroma. Notes of pine and grapefruit come forward. Some mild malty sweetness as well.

Taste was roasty up front that turned to a mild sweetness followed by a nice hoppy profile. Good amount of citrus and floral hops, with grapefruit really coming forward. Finished a touch on the bitter, but not overpowering. Notes of chocolate and burnt malts.

Medium body with medium carb. Mildly dry finish.

Overall a decent brew with the expectations you would hope for out a black IPA. Nice hoppy profile with some roasty malt flavors. Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 01:28:18 | More by riored4v

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark black color with some brown mixed in and a finger of frothy khaki colored head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is bursting with citrus and earthy hops with some roasted and lightly burnt malts and some smoke.

T - Starts off with a nice kick of citrus hops with some grapefruit flavor and some bitterness alongside some roasted caramel malts and a hint of smoke. Through the middle, some more earthy hops come through with more citrus flavor as well and some stronger bitterness. The finish continues the big hop trend with some stronger earthy hops, plenty of bitterness, with some smoky and burnt malts.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a bit bitter and dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really big hop flavor that is a bit unbalanced, but I really find myself enjoying the boldness of it.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 07:45:56 | More by ngeunit1

david131

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a deep dark ruby red with some dark brown highlights. The light brown head is thin and splotchy.

S- Pine, grass, oats, and a bit of smoke and roastiness. Like a smoky Gumballhead.

T- Same as the aroma with a bit more emphasis on the roastiness. The bitterness is pretty apparent, in true Short's fashion.

M- A nice creamy mouthfeel right up front but it falls thin on the finish. There is a definite lasting bitterness and smokiness.

O- A very unique beer that is nice for something different but it is not something I would really seek out.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 05:12:12 | More by david131

Ratman197

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured a clear dark brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of roasted malt,charcoal, grapefruit, pine and light orange zest. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of charcoal, roasted malt, pine and grapefruit with a smooth dry lingering bitter roasty finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 23:33:23 | More by Ratman197

TheStove

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a tulip. Nice deep black color. Ridiculously opaque like a heavy stout with a nice white lingering head.

Smells of deep hops mellowed with a little malt. Nice, rich and smooth. Tasty substantial malt flavors come through initially. Many layers of malt, in fact, from rich, slight chocolate and sweet. It all finished off by a lingering malt flavor with a mix of hops, that fades from slightly citrus and floral to bitter. The hop flavors act as an excellent comparison to the malts as the drink goes down.

Enjoyable and almost more a hoppy stout. Stands up to the Speakeasy Butchertown Black ale that recently came out as a complex multi-layered IPA. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 08:27:09 | More by TheStove

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour is a dark chocolate brown. Not entirely opaque, I can see through at certain angles on this in a pint glass.

S: Aroma of a freshly bittered IPA with a healthy dosing of patent and other dark roast malts.

T: Taste is pretty bitter. I think this may be overly bitter when compared to the aroma hops that are present in here. Overall a slightly refreshing black ipa on a nice fall day after blowing leaves. The finishing taste is overwhelmingly bitter dark roasted malts. Toffee and a strong black licorice flavor are also ever present.

M: Medium body with a light carbonation.

O: Definitely more bitter and charcoal flavored than I like an American Black Ale to be.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 19:01:27 | More by alpinebryant

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

black as night opaque liquid. You could tell it was not that thick though as there was some light getting through on the sides and bottom. A nice off white head formed on the top, maybe about two inches in height. Sticky and foamy it gradually relented and rested back down to about a half inch layer across the top and this hung around for the rest of the session.

pine aromas, Almost ripping the nose apart, very good indeed. Now there was some underlying roasted malts in there as well. Now to be honest this was nothing extraordinary, nothing really new, and nothing really absurd Somewhat sweet in the finish at first, but that lasts for all of about two seconds before your lips stick to your teeth and the dry bitterness kicked in.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 02:06:21 | More by mikesgroove

StarshipPoopers

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours black with a creamy off-white head. Great retention which lasts for the entirety of the glass. Lets some light through with a ruby hue, but mostly opaque. Not much in the way of lacing.

S - Aroma is mostly hops. Mainly grapefruit, with some faint notes of citrus that are much milder, almost floral. You can smell the malt in there balancing the hops, but it doesn't really impart much to the aroma. Perhaps a very faint aroma of dark chocolate, but not very noticeable.

T - Quite a strange taste, especially the first few sips (in a good way). All of the flavours seem to hit you at once. You've got the bitterness and kick from the grapefruit hops, with a fruity citrus sweetness in the middle (which is much more pronounced then those subtle citrus aromas in the nose), and at the same time you have a heavily roasted malt base. Having all of these flavours come out simultaneously gives it a much heavier taste than I was expecting. The sweetness dies off quickly upon swallowing, but the finish lasts for quite a while and consists of the grapefruit hops and roasted malts.

M - As I mentioned, the palate really gives it a heavier presence. Medium bodied with an appropriate amount of carbonation.

O - A rather solid BIPA. Not my favourite, as the sweetness in the middle kind of threw it off a bit for me, but it's a nicely balanced BIPA that I would certainly like to try again.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 05:30:14 | More by StarshipPoopers

Florida9

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a very dark brown, but appears jet black in the glass. Forms a sizable khaki colored head. Good retention and some light lacing.

S: Licorice and mint. Odd. There are some bright fragrant hops in there, but against the roasty malts, I guess it comes off as licorice.

T: Surprisingly sweet on the front end. More mint. Roasted malts, even a slight bit of char sits on the tongue. Cooca mixed with a piney hoppiness. Mild, but persistent, bitterness on the finish.

M: On the heavier side of medium in body with appropriate carbonation. However, the roasted malts give this beer a somewhat dirty, chalky feel.

O: Not sure what to think about this one. Too much of both, not enough of either. Than there is that weird minty flavor. All in all, not a bad beer, but not such a good one either.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 01:30:35 | More by Florida9

scottfrie

California

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into Portsmouth tulip. Thanks to biga7346 for hooking it up.

A: Pours very dark brown with three fingers of dark khaki head that took its time fading into a thin film that left a sticky network of lacing down the glass.
S: Very strong and fresh notes of grapefruit citrus and pineapple. I get a note or two of tangerine and pine as well. Very hoppy and citrusy smelling.
T: Flavor is still full of fresh citrus hops but there is large amount of roasted malt and chocolate balancing it out. The finish is lightly bitter with flavors of pine resin, and the aftertaste is similar to bitter dark chocolate.
M: Medium body, smooth mouthfeel, decent bitterness, moderate carbonation.
O: One of the better ones I’ve had and a pretty good beer despite this not being one of my favorite styles. Thanks again Austen!

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 20:23:19 | More by scottfrie

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a thicker black than most BIPAs but not much. Head is decent as is lacing and sticks around for most of the drink.

The aroma is really bad, as much as the taste would suggest differently. I really can't think of a better way to describe the aroma than fecal matter. Luckily, it's light enough that it doesn't interfere with the drinking experience.

I found the taste was superbly balance, perhaps moreso than any BIPAs I've had to date. The malt and hops seemed to come to a perfect 50:50. While most BIPAs are hoppy stouts or IPAs with dark malt, I think this would be the consummate BIPA.

There's plenty of dark and roasty malt as well as it's share of pine and citrus, and they're all there immediately and in the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is a bit light, but a tad full at the same time. Carbonation works its wonders without drawing any attention to itself and it hides its tracks as well. The finish is moderately dry and slightly sticky.

Overall, this was probably the most skillfully made BIPA I've had to date. I've had some that have had more flavor than this but I don't think anything comes close to the balance this one achieved.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 02:45:56 | More by BBP