Appearance

The St-Ambroise Black IPA comes in an appropriate black colored tall can, with Black IPA and the brewery name in silver. Decorating the can are green and silver hops. The beer itself pours like a dark brown ale, with a short tan head.

Aroma

Nosing the beer, I picked up mild piney hops, with some undefined sweetness. The hops have a fresh green aspect, and there is a subtle floral note buried.

Flavor

The first few sips are tough for my palate to decipher. It comes across like an Irish stout mashed with a New England IPA. The green piney hop character comes at the beginning of the sip, and then gives way to the dry stout character. As the beer warms up, the floral notes I was picking up on the aroma start to mix into the flavor.

Balance

The first part of the sip and the second half of the sip seem to exist as two firewalled flavor profiles that never blend together.

Finish

The beer finishes with a dry oatmeal and coffee flavor. The strength is deceptively medium

Overall

The St-Ambroise Black IPA is different, but interesting and enjoyable. The profile is an unusual combination of IPA and classic Irish stout flavors that ends up working well.

John McTavish

SCORE

6.33

Cost/Point

$0.36

Scoring System

Personal Beer Review: St-Ambroise Black IPA