Dark Side Black IPA

A generous 7% number from Toronto’s Granite Brewery, Dark Side Black IPA is sold in noir 473mL cans. The beer is handsome and dark with a plume of creamy head.

Dark Side has a cracking aroma that balances pine and roasted malt. The flavour parades from bitter to sweet; initial evergreen gives way to roasted malt and a touch of licorice.

I love a good black IPA, and Granite’s version delivers satisfying suds. Good strength and a nice flavour make this a solid offering.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Dunham Black IPA

From Brasserie Dunham in Dunham, Quebec, comes Dunham Black IPA. Sold in 341mL bottles and containing 5.7% alcohol, this little beauty contains a staggering 95IBUs.  That's some seriously bitter beer! That said, there was less booze than I expected.

Dunham Black IPA is an alomost opaque midnight black brew, topped with the thickest, most unrelenting tan head I have ever encountered. This stuff was genuinely hard to pour--I'm not kidding--it took me the better part of ten minutes to get the bottle worth into my glass. The hop heavy aroma makes it abundantly clear that the hop plant is related to hemp. The rich flavour is highly bitter. Hops are dominant, but there is some molasses sweetness in the mix too. There;s a slight touch of black espresso near the finish.

A truly full-bodied black IPA, Dunham has a mouth-puckeringly bitter, but complex and interesting flavour. As with so many of the beers out of La Belle Province, this stuff is a winner with lots of character.



Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Hop Head Black India Pale Ale

If there are any words that this beer geek can't resist, they're "Limited Edition".  When I see them, I open up the ol' wallet pretty damn quick.  These words were emblazoned on the label of Tree Brewing Co.'s Hop Head Black India Pale Ale. HHBIPA is a formidable dark ale sold in 650mL bottles featuring badass black, grey and red labels.  It is brewed in Kelowna, British Columbia and contains a robust 8.8% alcohol.

HHBIPA pours an extremely dark brown, almost opaque, and topped with a thick tan head. It has a big aroma that blends dark malts with molasses and rich fruits. The flavour starts sweet and malty with fig/raisin notes, like a boozy fruitcake, but veers hard to bitter. It has the pungent, powerful bitterness of a full-bodied espresso.

This is a take-no-prisoners style brew.  It's strong, potent and bold. Still, in spite of all the bravado, there is some real craft on display. The flavours are neatly blended, creating a complex taste sensation, and they come out nicely as the beer warms. This stuff is great with a cigar as an accessory.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Garrison Brewery-Imperial Black IPA

Another tasty offering from Garrison Brewing Co., the Imperial Black IPA comes in 500mL bottles and contains a vigorous 6.2% alcohol.  It pours an impenetrable dark, dark brown colour that's topped with a fluffy tan head.  This brew looks for all the world like a stout.

The Imperial Black has a considerably punchy hop-heavy aroma. The tastes flirts briefly with sweet before veering abruptly toward bitter. It's a very full-flavoured beer, with a stout-like molasses front end and a big ol' hop body and finish.

With its deep, ominous look, full hop monster flavour, Garrison's Imperial Black IPA is a beer worth trying. It's an uncommon style, nicely executed.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.