My last foray into the brave new world of Black IPAs was 21st Amendment's less than stellar Back in Black. However, the idea of darkening IPAs has intrigued me since that San Francisco beer crossed my path at this year's KLCC brewfest. There have been too many times I've had my brains hopped out without even a kiss of flavor and it always seems as if it's the bed of barley that's missed in the passionate rush to get straight to the flavor.
So, when I found the Widmer Bros. had attempted a simmilar beer, I had to know how a solid Oregon brewery does the dirty (ehrm...IPA that is).
Let's just say that I heart the Pacific Nortwest (and un-heart California) for a reason. The Widmer Pitch Black IPA reminds me a lot of their Broken Halo IPA in terms of aroma and hop taste. What sends me over the moon for this beer is the rich malt flavor that balances out a definite increase in hoppage. The malts in this beer give the smooth flavor (a la New Belgium's 1554) that makes me feel like I'm drinking a good porter, but finishes with the gorgeous fireworks only the best IPAs can deliver.
In short: Black IPAs have found a standard. I look forward to see if this stays a limited release or a Widmer mainstay.
Apologies to A, I meant to save him some so he could share in the review. Whoops.
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