11.04.2015, 0,65l bottle (5-6 years old) shared with friends:
Tiny shortlasting head. Aroma is well oxidized, butterscotch, minerals, raisins, chocolate, caramel malts, grass, burnt toffee, candied sugar, paper. Taste is slightly concentrated and well oxidized, butterscotch, grass, caramel malts, raisins, burnt toffee, nuts, paper, chocolate. Medium bitterness, slightly harsh mouthfeel. Interesting, but it's not really aged very well.

I like this hybrid black ale-IPA. Wasn't sure if it would work well for me, but it does. Like a malty IPA, not quite a black...thinner for sure. Good balance between the malt and hops, but the hops is what stands out in the finish. Aroma is a little citrusy, but not as much as an IPA. Appearance a dark redish brown almost black. I would get this again.

Pours a black color with tan head. Piney pale ale like hop aroma and taste, some roast character. Notes: old note, at RFD DC

Aroma and flavor is dark malts, pine/grapefruit, slightly coarse and a big bitter/hoppy finish.

Pours a purely black and opaque body with a thin dark beige head. The nose is roasted heavily with big chocolate, light espresso, hop notes seem subdued; floral, light citrus. Big body, no carbonation, bitterness is heavy but shortlived. Big robust malts, dark chocolate, no sweetness. Alot of the bitterness seems to come from the roast. Nice viscosity, heavy and warming, no booze on the finish.

Smells hoppy, but also boozy and sweet. Lifeless black color, not much head to speak of. Tastes like a hoppy porter.. slightly bitter, but great creamy texture. It’s as good one.

Poured into a snifter. 3.25 A: Black color. One finger of beige head. Retention is below average and just a few wisps of lacing are left. 3.5 S: Floral hops with pine and citrus underneath. Pithy grapefruit and clove honey. Earthy with bready malts. 3.75 T: This is a black IPA done well. It’s not overly bitter, indeed, it has just a light bitterness. Good mix of earthy, citrus, floral, and grassiness from the hops. Honey comes through fairly strong despite it not being in the recipe. Bready maltiness with a pleasant spicy finish. 4.0 M: Heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Very nice creaminess that makes this super smooth. Alcohol super well hidden. 3.75 D: Very good example of the style. ★ 729 characters DavoleBomb, Sep 26, 2015

UPDATED: APR 11, 2020 Well-known BIPA by New York’s Southern Tier, 65 cl bomber. Thick, moussy, lacing, pale greyish beige head over a very dark chestnut brown beer with rusty hue, approaching black in general appearance. Lovely sweet malty aroma of chocolate sauce, baker’s chocolate, cappuccino, strong caramel, burnt brown bread, cashew nuts, nougat, adorned with a ’high’ hoppy fragrance of blood orange, mango, mandarin peel, green pepper; other impressions include kahlua-like alcohol, a striking liquorice component getting stronger as it warms up, and very ’natural’ iron well-integrated into the whole. I cannot wait to dive into this. The flavour absolutely meets my high expectations: a deep, noble candied sweetness opens with accents of fig, pear and coconut, very light ’deep’ sourishness and mild meaty umami balance this sweetness to perfection. Carbo is soft, mouthfeel very smooth and slick, gliding over the tongue with a notably oily, velvety texture and leaving behind a lovely deep dark maltiness, caramelly, nutty and very chocolatey, with a bitter chocolate- to even mildly coffeeish roasted bitterish touch in the end; peppery hops show up as expected, with lovely retronasal citrus flesh and mango accents, drying and providing enough balance against the chocolate sweetness, but not quite as strongly bittering as I had expected, though a deep earthy spicy bitterness last for a long time after swallowing. A soothing, deeply warming but nowhere burning glow of kahlua- and bourbon-like alcohol ensues and further accentuates the lovely sweet chocolate maltiness sticking in the throat. A bittersweet black beauty, I’d love to taste this younger when the hops still breathe their aromas at full force, but in this somewhat aged form, I suspect this has become a bit more rustic, consolating on a gloomy December day, and in terms of style, almost imperial porter-like (but with thinner, more lean body) - a style I love as much as I love black IPA. Not cheap, but I’m glad I bought this, I will enjoy this to the last drop.

Bottle received as gift and then promptly spilled about half of it (ugh!). This is a really good black IPA. It pours a very dark, dark brown-black. Aroma of nuts, roasted grain, some hops. Flavor is a great mix of coffee, chocolate, roasted grains, and hops and all combined in a very smooth-drinking beer. Will have to try another of these to make up for losing so much of it to the floor...

Nice color. Aroma of nuts, chocolate, malts. Soo great black Ipa from the states.