Review: Rebellion Black IPA


Greg dropped this off at my workplace a few weeks (actually months now) but I haven't had time to try it out because I have no time to review anything lately. Rebellion's Black IPA is described as hoppy, citrus, toasty and delicious.. and I 100% believe it too as there's a Saskatchewan craft beer group on Facebook where everyone's been raving about this beer. So now it's time for me to give it a try! 6.5% ABV

Appearance: Pours a thick black body, nearly like a porter or stout, with a lot of carbonation in the body and a bright yellow cookie-dough like head on top.

Aroma: Roasted malt to start everything off to give it a bit of a coffee/peat like smell to it, followed up by a liberal and floral hop presence that gives off a hint of pine, citrus and floral notes to it, quite nice.

Taste: My initial reaction to trying this beer was that BOTH the bitterness of the malt and the citrusness of the hops were popping out right at the same time. Once I get a taste of both, it mellows down a bit with the malt being the more dominant flavour, giving off a rich, roasted flavour that reminds me of dark coffee meets peat (like in a fine Whisky). The hops surprisingly compliment the bitterness of the beer to give it a floral and citrus presence to it, predominantly lemon and grapefruit. The mouthfeel is moderately creamy while the aftertaste is a moderately bitter peat taste that lingers for a good moment or five.

Overall Thoughts: It's been a good couple years since I've had a Black IPA/Cascadian IPA. This is style that was pretty huge a decade back but for some reason it faded into obscurity. This reminds me of classics such as Flying Monkeys' Netherworld and Half Pints' Black Galaxy.. ah the memories!

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