Smuttynose Noonan Black IPA

Smuttynose Brewing Co.   Portsmouth, NH

Notes:

Black IPA

12oz Bottle

6.5% ABV

Appearance:  Pours the darkest possible brown to black…head is a lightish khaki and maintains at a thin level…it does thicken up a bit with a couple swirls, but is meager…a very dark, dense beer, though I can see bubbles lining the bottom of the glass…(3.25/5)

Smell:  Very malty with a roasted malt, brown malt and some nuttiness showing strongest…some malty earthiness and the lightest hint of citrus hops when I stick my nose in there…it’s really a mild smelling brew that doesn’t display too much complexity…there’s a touch of creaminess, caramel and maybe even some cocoa…overall though, it’s lacking…(3.25/5)

Taste:  Very malty, roasted and brown malts with a mild citrus/piney lightness and mild bitterness…there is the tinniest touch of peppery bite and some light creaminess…the more I drink, the more I taste some coffee bitterness…it’s not strong, just becomes apparent as it warms…it’s a flavorful brew, but it’s not overly dynamic…the malt character is very strong, making it more like a hopped up brown/porter, than a brown IPA…with that said, the flavor is nice and has a freshness, which the hops do provide, so they’re not unnoticeable…it’s good, not great…(3.5/5)

Mouthfeel:  Medium body with a very generous amount of carbonation…it fluffs up bringing a cloud of lightly roasted malt and lemon peel freshness and bitterness…malts lay heavy on the back of my tongue in the after taste, not overly bitter in the finish…flavor lasts a long time after swallowing…(3.75/5)

Overall:  It’s not a bad brew by any stretch, it’s just not the brew for me…the flavor is drinkable, though I’m not sure how many of these I could have in one sitting before needing something else to lighten up my palate…from my experience, Smuttynose makes some solid ales and this is another in that long line…worth picking up and mixing in a six, I’d struggle drinking an entire sixer in a month…not bad though…(3.5/5)

Score:

(3.47/5)