Ah the black IPA. One of my favorite, and relatively new, styles of beer. Combining the hoppiness of an IPA with the color and some flavors of a porter. When done well, see Stone's Sublimely Self Righteous, this can be a truly excellent beer. Now some of you may be asking, "how can it be called a pale ale when it's black? black is the complete opposite of pale!" This style also sometimes goes by the names American Black Ale or Cascadian Dark Ale. I prefer Black IPA, as these beers are brewed with IPA like levels of hops, but dark roasted malts. Plus Black IPA just sounds cool. Heavy Seas is a brewery that you might be familiar with from their excellent Loose Cannon IPA. As much as I enjoy that beer I haven't had a ton of their other varieties. Time to knock one off the list. To the beer!
Black Cannon certainly earns it's name on the pour. This is one dark beer. It pours an almost opaque black with the slightest deep brown highlights at the edges when held to light. It's topped off by a finger of tan head that recedes fairly quickly and doesn't leave much lacing.
The aroma is mainly of big floral, slightly citrusy hops. A bit of roasty coffee and mocha follows.
Black Cannon has a pretty nice medium body with the hop presence of an IPA and the smooth flavorful finish of a porter. The floral hop character that came out in the aromas is subdued quite a bit by the roasted malt. The bitterness is still there in pretty large quantities but it is balanced quite expertly by the malt. A great earthy, roasty, almost smoky flavor mingles with the big IPA bitterness. Despite being quite bitter and sporting 7.2% alcohol this beer is eminently drinkable. Bordering on dangerously so. I don't think I enjoy Black Cannon quite as much as I do their flagship, Loose Cannon, but that is in no way a slight to this beer. Black Cannon is a well balanced hoppy roasty beer that will always be welcome in my refrigerator.
HD
Sorry about the lack of the photograph. I'll upload it when I get home after work.
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