Gleipner (Sort IPA)

Midtfyns Bryghus Gleipner Sort IPA

Brewery: Midtfyns Bryghus

Type: Black IPA

Alcohol: 9.1%

Country: Denmark

I have been waiting a while to try this beer. I have made my own black IPA and had a few american ones, but now I will be trying a Danish black IPA. It pours out a very very dark brown, almost black, but a little light can get through. Has a small off white almost tan heat dissipates quite quickly. The nose is pretty confusing, I pick up a good deal of roasted malt   and caramel notes along with hops. I know there are hops in the nose but I can't identify an individual trait such as , piney or citrusy. The taste is a big rush of dark malt like you would get in an imperial stout followed by a giant blast of hop bitterness. There is a very roasted malt taste with just a hint of citrusy hops. It has a very very dry mouthfeel and pretty hot from the alcohol. This beer has 186 IBUs, so it is not lacking in the hops department, but the huge malts really mask it. In my humble opinion the hops should still be the star in a black IPA (cascadian dark ale, whatever). This beer is a hop and malt bomb, I would say closer to a very highly hopped imperial stout (backed up by the huge alcohol percentage). I won't even pretend to be an expert on this still young style, but I am not sure this is the best example. Maybe I can come back to it after trying a few more established examples.