Widmer Brothers - Black IPA

Hey all - I hope Christmas/Hanukkah/Holidays is going well. I have decided that I'm going to post reviews twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday, so tune in then to check out new beers. I've got a review of a not so local brew and I'm going to finish the review of the 21st Amendment Allies Win the War. Here goes - Enjoy!

Beer: Pitch Black IPA
Brewery: Widmer Brothers (Portland, Oregon)
Brew: Black IPA (Amusing considering IPA stands for "India PALE Ale")
IBUs: 65
ABV: 6.5%

On pour the beer had a dark color - almost "pitch black" - with a thick creamy light-brown head and a nice citrus/pine aroma. As it is an IPA, the beer has a very light malt aroma, but it was mostly hidden by the strong hop smell.

With the first taste, the body of beer had a distinct lack of a malt backbone despite the color of the beer. A black IPA should have just a little bit more of a malty base. No so much as a porter or a stout, but more than its paler counterpart.

With a quick bitter bite and a nice dark malt flavor, the finish was perfectly in the middle - not too fast, not too slow.

Most definitely worth a try - a quality brew, but I would have preferred a stronger malt body.

Overall Rating: B+

Finally - After much deliberation amongst family-members and friends about the Allies Win the War brew, I have come to the conclusion that while definitely worth a try, I thought that the Ale was a little bit too sweet and thus my final rating for the beer is also a B+

See you on Saturday!

Allies Win the War!

Alright guys, this is a seriously weird one. As per the description on the website, this beer is an English-style strong ale aged with dates. I'm going to give you what I think about it, but I'm not going to rate it until I try it again. Also, I have always liked this brewery because they use cans instead of bottles, in my opinion this leads to fresher beer at the consumers end because of the light proof and airtight container. Anyway, here is the review:

Beer: Allies Win the War

Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery

Brew: English Ale? (With dates, apparently.) 

IBUs: 52

ABV: 8.5%

On pour, the beer had a rich red copper color with a very thick, light brown, and creamy head that lasted until I finished the beer. The aroma of the beer was kind of fruity, but very lightly so. 

With a slight initial bitter, the body of the beer was hard to describe. To me the beer seemed to have a full body, with a sweetness (probably from the dates) that complimented the malty flavor well. Allies Win the War had a very quick bitter finish. 

As I said before, I don't feel comfortable rating this beer until I try it again. I'll give everybody an update in the next few days. 

Overall: Unrated (Try it and let me know what you think!)

Enjoy!