Grimross Black IPA

Grimross Black IPA is a 6.6% alcohol number from Fredericton, New Brunswick. It's a Cascadian ale from Grimross Craft Beer. I bought a 750mL bomber of the brew, which proved to be a handsome black and amber ale.

It poured with a fluffy tan head, through which emerged a woodsy nose of pine and coffee. For flavour, GBIPA had roasted malts, licorice, coffee, a bit o'spice, and substantial hops.

Not as robust or potent as other Black IPAs/Cascadian Ales that I've tried, Grimross' version was still quite flavourful and hearty. Another good offering from one of the rising stars of the active and evolving NB brewing scene.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Netherworld

I used to buy Netherworld, the Cascadian Dark Ale from Barrie, Ontario's Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, with some regularity when I first moved to Toronto in 2010, but for years it's been pretty scarce. Recently it started showing up again on beer store shelves, so I pretty much had to buy some for old time's sake.

At 6%, this beer hits the cusp of what I'd call a "strong ale". Stout-dark and crowned with a lovely cream head, this beer is a real looker. It has a malty, syrupy nose that features dried fruit notes. The flavour is quite rich, but a tad too sweet. It has raisin elements and considerable malt in the first half, while the game concludes with a gritty, hoppy finish that has a taste of espresso.

Generally, I equate Cascadian dark ales with Black IPAs, but stuff is way maltier and sweeter than that style tends to play, particularly in the early going. Still, it tastes highly agreeable and it closes out strongly.

Something worth mentioning about this ale is its label. The 355mL bottles of Netherworld are adorned with a quartet of lurid, ghoulish hops-zombies huddled around what looks like a cauldron filled with electronics, art, a pink flamingo, and a purplish potion. Very strange. Very cool.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Wuchak Black

From Ottawa, Ontario comes Wuchak Black, classed alternately on the 473mL can as a Black IPA and a Cascadian Dark Ale. Its stats are unremarkable for the style--slightly understrength at just 6%, but amply bitter at 77 IBUs. Wuchak is brewed by the Kichesippi Beer Co. The beer is definitely dark--almost black and nearly opaque--buried underneath a froth of loose cream-coloured head.

I didn't find that there was a lot of aroma that made it through the thick, foggy head, but what there was displayed as resinous bitterness and roasted malt. Initially, the flavour packs a slightly more substantial bill of roasted malt, though this is subsumed fairly decisively by a whip crack of hops that dominates the back half of the brew. Bitterness manifests in dank, earthy notes, and the ale finishes quickly.

Kichesippi's Wuchak Black proved to be a nice ale. It could certainly have been stronger, both in percentage terms and with respect to aromatics. This is a less macho black IPA than I was expecting, but I don't see that as a negative. There is lots of room for subtlety in bitter black beers, and this one certainly had some of that. Where I found it falters a bit is in the front end, with too little emphasis on the rich flavours that roasted malts can impart. The finish, though, is really quite good. Would I buy this beer again? Oh, no question--in a heartbeat! But it's unlikely to ever be my favourite black IPA.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.