Magic Hat Demo Black IPA

Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company

Location: South Burlington, VT

Style: Lager

Brewery Website

Rating: A-

We interrupt our run of pilsner tastings for today with a Black IPA. Today we have the Magic Hat Demo IPA, one of their "IPA's on Tour" set. The Demo pours up a deep cola-black in color with a hint of amber. There is a bit of sediment in suspension as well. The head is mocha in color and frothy. On the nose there is a rich chocolaty porter aroma with a hint of fruity hops.

On the palate there is a slightly sweet mocha note up front paired with dark wheat toast. Bitter hops comes in a wave along with some fruity hops notes. As the hops fades there is a dryer toastiness with raisins and bittersweet chocolate. The Demo is medium-bodied, and feels right for an IPA. The finish has mocha notes, toast and some herbal and bitter hops as well.

I have yet to try a Black IPA I didn't like, and the Demo is no exception. I like the transition on the palate as the experiance goes from a sweeter porter to an IPA to a dryer porter, and finally it all blends together on the finish. There is a nice smokiness here, but it is not so overpowering to affect drinkability. Another highly recommended Black IPA.

Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA

Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
Location: Middlebury, VT
Style: Black IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A-

We're following up on our recent review of the perfect Heavy Seas Black Cannon with another Black IPA. Today we have the Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA on tap. The Alpine Black is ebony-amber in color with a thick, foamy dark-tan head. There is a considerable amount of chunky sediment as well, so take care in pouring if you prefer not to have it in your glass. The nose has the classic grapefruit note of Cascade hops along with some smoke.

On the palate the Alpine Black IPA has a long initial fruity lead-in before bitter and smoky notes start to roll in. Hops provide citrus fruitiness and a mild kick of juniper/bitter hop resin. Smoke and roast notes are here, but mainly play a support role to the hops. Also notable are yeast notes and a touch of residual sweetness. The Alpine Black IPA is medium-bodied and juicy, making this a very drinkable beer. The finish has a squirt of lemon over bitter hops notes and black coffee.

In contrast to the Black Cannon that we recently reviewed, the Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA is really more of a fruity IPA with some smokiness as a highlight rather than equal parts porter and IPA. This is just as effective of an interpretation of the style, as the smoke and roasted coffee-like bitterness really play well in supporting the hops-forward flavors of an IPA. The Alpine Black is a great beer with some great flavor. I'm really liking this Black IPA style. I hope more breweries follow the lead that breweries like Otter Creek and Clipper City have set, because there is a wide range of interpretations possible on this style and I want to taste them all.

Heavy Seas Black Cannon

Brewery: Clipper City Brewing Co.
Location: Baltimore, MD
Style: Black IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A +

In my glass today is the Black Cannon from Heavy Seas. Black Cannon is a Black IPA and is billed as a dark version of their Loose Cannon IPA. The Black Cannon pours up opaque and reddish-black in color. The head is creamy and dark tan in color. The nose has a big citrus note of Cascade-style hops (actually from Simcoe here) and some faint toast aromas as well.

The main overall impression on the palate is roasted coffee fading in and out with citrusy hops. There is a piny note on the bitter hop side. The roasted malt contributes wheat toast, peat smoke, dark chocolate and caramel. Fruity hops yield flavors of apricot and grapefruit. The Black Cannon is medium-heavy bodied, which is perfect for a big IPA like this. There is a touch of warming alcohol as well. The finish has dark chocolate and espresso paired with lingering citrus.

To put it plainly, if there is one beer to choose as the standard for the ideal Black IPA, then the Black Cannon is your winner. The balance between hops and roast is spot-on. This beer is a perfect marriage between porter and double-IPA. A wide-mouthed glass is highly recommended as the hoppy aroma is intoxicating and entices with each sip. Get some in your glass ASAP; the Heavy Seas Black Cannon is absolute perfection.