Do you like the miniature Christmas tree in the background even though it's August?
That's my wife's touch. She leaves it up all year long, changing the decorations to match the season. We have pumpkins and bats for Halloween, hearts for Valentine's Day, green shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, eggs and bunnies for Easter time, flags for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. right now it's bare as we're in that in between time transitioning as summer draws to a close and we prepare for the autumnal rush of holidays. In the past we've even had a summer theme with mini sandals and sunglasses.
Realized since many of my "beer shots" include that backdrop you might have been curious as to how current these photos were. Don't worry this beer was not consumed during the holidays and I am just now getting around to rating it. The blog like the beer is fresh.
Also let me apologize for having been dormant for almost a week. Some bad bugs have been making their way through our household hitting my wife first and then me. So I was out of commission towards the end of last week and over the weekend. But I'm back on tap!
Today we are considering an offering from Otter Creek brewing of Middlebury, Vermont called "Black IPA". As you can tell from the photograph the brew matches the name. It is inky dark. And it tastes inky dark.
There is the usual hop bitterness you would expect from an IPA. And from the color you would expect a roasted malt flavor, and you certainly get that. The expected notes of caramel and coffee are noticeable. I say expected simply based on the dark color of the ale.
The taste stays with you for sure. This is no shrinking violet.
However I only give it 6 mugs out of 10. I recognize it as a worthy effort. And it is quite tasty. This rating is definitely subjective. Personally it just didn't do a lot for me. I would have no problem drinking it if offered. And it is an interesting variation on the IPA theme. And if I was in the mood for an Otter Creek variety pack that included Black IPA I would still gladly buy it and drink the Black IPA as part of the mix. I have enjoyed Otter Creek offerings for years. Have even been to their brewery and showroom and sampled their brews on site. Even purchased an Otter Creek mug there which you will occasionally see in the Brew Blog photographs. So I certainly am a fan of Otter Creek in general.
It's just that Black IPA was more bitter than most IPA's and just didn't give me enough to get past that. Like I said a very subjective rating.
That's my wife's touch. She leaves it up all year long, changing the decorations to match the season. We have pumpkins and bats for Halloween, hearts for Valentine's Day, green shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, eggs and bunnies for Easter time, flags for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. right now it's bare as we're in that in between time transitioning as summer draws to a close and we prepare for the autumnal rush of holidays. In the past we've even had a summer theme with mini sandals and sunglasses.
Realized since many of my "beer shots" include that backdrop you might have been curious as to how current these photos were. Don't worry this beer was not consumed during the holidays and I am just now getting around to rating it. The blog like the beer is fresh.
Also let me apologize for having been dormant for almost a week. Some bad bugs have been making their way through our household hitting my wife first and then me. So I was out of commission towards the end of last week and over the weekend. But I'm back on tap!
Today we are considering an offering from Otter Creek brewing of Middlebury, Vermont called "Black IPA". As you can tell from the photograph the brew matches the name. It is inky dark. And it tastes inky dark.
There is the usual hop bitterness you would expect from an IPA. And from the color you would expect a roasted malt flavor, and you certainly get that. The expected notes of caramel and coffee are noticeable. I say expected simply based on the dark color of the ale.
The taste stays with you for sure. This is no shrinking violet.
However I only give it 6 mugs out of 10. I recognize it as a worthy effort. And it is quite tasty. This rating is definitely subjective. Personally it just didn't do a lot for me. I would have no problem drinking it if offered. And it is an interesting variation on the IPA theme. And if I was in the mood for an Otter Creek variety pack that included Black IPA I would still gladly buy it and drink the Black IPA as part of the mix. I have enjoyed Otter Creek offerings for years. Have even been to their brewery and showroom and sampled their brews on site. Even purchased an Otter Creek mug there which you will occasionally see in the Brew Blog photographs. So I certainly am a fan of Otter Creek in general.
It's just that Black IPA was more bitter than most IPA's and just didn't give me enough to get past that. Like I said a very subjective rating.
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