Hopper Wagon Black IPA
I have to admit, I had never heard of, let alone seen, a “Black IPA” before. But, I love IPAs and dark beers (stouts, porters, etc), so I was intrigued by this beer, to say the least, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Wow! I wasn’t disappointed at all. This was a really smooth beer that started with a nice malty flavor and finished mildly hoppy. Neither flavor was strong enough to make my palate tired however, so the beer finished as nicely as it had started. I’d almost call it session beer because it was such an easy drinker, but at 7.5% ABV, I think most people would rightly argue with me about that moniker. Mike pointed out to me that there was a distinct coffee flavor as well but I was drinking a some coffee on my way to the brewery so I didn’t notice it.
I’m going to keep my eyes open for more Black IPAs. If this one is indicative of the style at all, I may have found a new favorite style.
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 70
