The lines between style boundaries continue to blur, but I for one don't really give a rip. It's a phenomenon that's existed for eons, but became particularly apparent with the rise in popularity of Three Floyds and its flagship pale ale, Alpha King in the early 2000s. Pale ale? So says the brewery. Others would argue that its stats suggest otherwise: with an ABV over 6% and more than 60 IBUs, that delves into the realm of IPA.
While craft beer nerds (myself included) debate this very topic over several snifters of cellared beer, tugging at beards in frustration and contemplation, the blurring of the boundaries has escalated further in the family. Lines are no more distinct between IPAs and double IPAs. Or imperial IPAs and triple IPAs.
"Some say pale ale, others say IPA. I say whatever." That's Tim Eichinger, head brewer and co-owner of Black Husky Brewing Co. in Pembine, Wis., describing his 7.2% ABV pale ale. I'll have whatever he's having.
The boundaries get even muddier when you throw in dark malt and enter into the realm of black IPAs. Like their paler cousins, the range in variance between black IPAs, double black IPAs and imperial black IPAs can be sizable or whimsically insignificant. There are plenty of beers labeled as black IPAs that exceed the ABV and IBUs of double black IPAs. Other times, they follow suit. However, go too far in the dark direction and you get into hoppy stout territory.
Style guidelines give guardrails. Just as an IPA can be turned black by a touch of dark malt, a brewery can defy style guidelines with a splash of ink on a beer label, giving a beer whatever style classification it desires. And I, for one, am happy to accept that at face value.
This week's tasting notes bring you not one but two beers. One is from Tyranena—an imperial black IPA clocking in at 8.5% ABV with 100 IBUs—called Fatal Attraction. The other is Silk Scorpion—a 7.4% ABV black IPA from Karben4 in Madison. Both are some of the best darn black IPAs the state of Wisconsin has to offer, and they both show the similarities and variance you can have when you move within the style.
Tyranena Fatal Attraction Tasting Notes
Black licorice, orange peel, candied grapefruit, mangos and dark chocolate shavings nail the nose up on a chalkboard for how to properly pump out aromatics for the style. Citric, roasty, dry and chocolaty at first quaff, recessing with tropical fruits of pineapple, papaya and crystallized ginger on ruby red grapefruit. Charred oats create grist and weight in the mouthfeel, but they get cleanly swept away with cocoa powder and blood oranges before turning too darkly. Supple carbonation with equal parts candied citric hop flavor and balancing bitterness, finishing with flame-liked bricks of bakers chocolate and orange milk chocolate truffles.
Karben4 Silk Scorpion Tasting Notes
Dark chocolate shavings are cast over black licorice dipped in milk chocolate for a dark, decadent aromatic treat. The first sip pushes anise into chocolaty flavors, with a bitter scrape to the middle of the tongue before a subtle warming kicks in near the throat. Orange fudge brownies and dark chocolate-covered mangos impart citric and tropical fruits embedded in the bitterness and smoothness. Roasty cocoa and broiled toffee condense down into a silky liquid ribbon, adding creaminess to the body. Cold pressed coffee hangs around with milk chocolate fudge and orange-laced 3 Musketeers bars in the finish.
Want more tasting notes on black IPAs? Check out the Craft Beer Compass Tasting Notes Directory (and especially this imperial black IPA from Bank Brewing.)
For more from Craft Beer Compass, visit craftbeercompass.com.
