Back in Black Black IPA

If i'm honest with myself, there really does not seem to be any style of beer that i just don't like.  Sure, there are some that are not my favorite...which is really just a nice way of saying i'd rather not drink them, and there are certainly some i favor more than others, but it really all just comes down to my mood.  That said, i love me some IPA's, and all the wonderful variations of said style.  Back in Black is a black IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery, a collision of styles and flavors that i thought worked together fantastically.  The beer pours a nice black with a tan head and smells of orange and citrus, but with some detectable coffee notes.  The flavor brings together the citrus and some grapefruit notes with roasted malts and some light caramel, the whole thing finishing dry and not overly hoppy, and at 4.9% ABV, it's an easy drinker.  Have one with a friend.

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BLAKKR Black IPA

When breweries come together to create beer, it's just a beautiful and wonderful thing, like making art with a friend.  The fine, fine folks over at Real Ale, Surly, and Three Floyds have teamed up to craft one real hell of a black IPA called BLAKKR.  The beer is dark with a good foamy head and smells sweet and spicy and hoppy all at once.  It's kind of different, like a mix of grapes and hops.  The taste is malty and sweet at first, a nice combination of dark fruit, citrus, and hints of coffee, but those soon give way to the spicy hops and some well balanced bitterness.  There is also a pine note to the aroma and flavor.  All in all, this is one of the best black IPA's i've ever had...so you should drink it.  And at 9% ABV, it packs a nice, solid punch.

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Austin Beerworks Heavy Machinery Black IPA

The ongoing Heavy Machinery IPA series from Austin Beerworks continues to impress and delight my taste buds with each subsequent release.  The latest batch is a Black IPA, that pours a dark, leathery color with a light, quickly dissipating head.  The beer's aroma consists of some floral and pine elements mixed with some lighter malt and coffee smells.  The taste is a bitter and hoppy one, a good mix of pine, citrus, and malt.  It's interesting, but instantly drinkable if you're an IPA kinda person.  Kudos.

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Alaskan Black IPA

It's been so wonderful the last year to have the fine beers from Alaskan Brewing Company available here in Austin.  They're really top notch, and something i'd been missing since i visited the northwest a couple of years ago.  Which brings us to their Black IPA.  It's dark and malty, looking more like a porter than anything else, but then the citrus and floral aromas and flavors hit your senses, and it's evident that you're in IPA country.  The hops work nicely with the light coffee and dark fruit flavors in the beer, and it's never too overpowering.  Strangely enough, the brew feels like a combination of a good winter ale and a hoppy, springtime IPA...and it works.  Kudos to the boys and girls in Alaska.

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