Clipper City Black Cannon

Black Cannon is part of the Heavy Seas line of Clipper City beers, a brewery which has established itself among my local favorites. Although they tend to not put out a lot of over the top beers, what they do offer is generally a good, flavorful example of the style that's well done and balanced. Black Cannon specifically is a Black IPA, sometimes called an IBA, and is one of the currently more trendy styles out there. As would be expected, the beer pours a very dark brown, nearly black, and supports a small light tan head with moderately low retention.

The first thing that I noticed upon pouring was a distinct hoppy presence, more reminiscent of the fresh hops that I often use in homebrewing than the more common aromas found in a finished beer. There's a poignant citrus quality to it, leading me to believe that it may be Amarillo or one of the West Coast "C" hops.

A touch of biscuit malt hits the tongue initially, with just a hint of acrid roast up front, followed by a strong mix of hop and roast bitterness in the back of the mouth. I felt like there might have been just a touch of a medicinal flavor as well that I couldn't quite put my finger on. While decidedly not a sweet beer, it felt only slightly more balanced to the hoppy side to me. One thing I will say is that the "black" flavors (roast, coffee, chocolate, etc.) don't come through all that strongly in this beer. If you were drinking this beer without seeing it, you might not even realize that it's not just a Pale Ale or IPA. That's not to say that those flavors don't exist in the beer, just that they are fairly subtle.

It's a little sticky in the mouth, while initially feeling fairly light to medium bodied and a bit dry, after swallowing it leaves an oiliness. Still, from the flavor and lack of heat, I never would have guessed that this beer was over 7% ABV. While it may not be the best Black IPA I've had, it has a strong and robust flavor while remaining fairly drinkable. I could see myself putting a couple of these away in a single night. In fact, something about it reminds me of my own homebrewed Pale Ale, a beer I can drink all night long without getting tired of it. While Black Cannon might not be in the upper echelons of Black IPAs, it's certainly a decent session offering if you want to try the style out.

- Adam

Terrapin Capt'n Krunkles Black IPA

For anyone particularly interested in the beer scene, black IPAs are kind of the "in" thing right now. As a style, it's not really recognized yet by the BJCP, but there's some talk of creating a classification called "Cascadian Dark Ale" for it. It's been debated as to whether there's enough difference to give it it's own style, or if it's more of a "hoppy stout" or a "dark IPA". Regardless, this type of beer is popping up more and more in the craft brewing scene. Capt'n Krunkles is one such beer, and it's in our glasses today.

The beer pours a dark black color, with just a hint of red in it. The head is a light tan, about 1/4 finger thick and fluffy. Some lacing is left, but the head had only a moderate retention.

The smell is strongly hoppy, with citrus overtones. There's a grapefruit smell to it, probably from some Cascade. Dan said he wasn't really getting that but more of a pine aroma, which I can see a little bit, but I'm really feeling more of the citrus. I'm also getting a little bit of roast in the smell, but it seems mostly hop dominated.

The taste initially is a smooth, roasted quality that gives way to a slightly grassy hop flavor and a strong bitterness in the back. There's also some spice in the back of the mouth. I feel like there may be a bit of coffee in the back, but it's covered over by the hop bitterness.

The beer actually feels a bit light in the mouth, not really watery, but it's a little on the airy side. It's got a sharp carbonation, medium-high to high. It's not overcarbonated though. There's kind of a oily coating in the mouth from it.

Overall this beer is a delicious hop-head focused offering. The dark beer flavors don't come through a ton, but the hop is very in your face. It really doesn't seem like 7.5% either, although I am feeling it a little bit. I'm definitely glad I tried it, and I wouldn't turn it down again.

- Adam