I stated in my last post (“My Fondness for Grand Teton Brewing”) that I was in the midst of writing a review for another Cellar Reserve by Grand Teton Brewing (www.grandtetonbrewing.com) and this is that review.
The Cellar Reserve Series by Grand Teton is one of my favorite beer concepts. Not only is the beer great but the idea is very drinker approachable. It eliminates the guess work of “to cellar, not to cellar” by giving you a line of beer specifically meant to age.
Tonight’s review is on the Cellar Reserve: Trout Hop Black IPA
“Trout Hop Black IPA is a spicy and bold American-Style India Black Ale, with notes of fresh pine needles and spruce tips. Brewed with Idaho 2-Row Brewers’ Malt and German specialty malts, this ale has a deep rich color and roasted finish but does not have the thick and rich body that often accompanies malty brews. Kettle hopped and dry hopped with Pacific Northwest hops, the resulting bitterness is bold and pronounced, the aroma piney and zesty. The full body and dry finish create a refreshing autumn ale, perfect for any crisp afternoon or cool evening. The spicy hops of this ale complement bold, flavorful foods. Chocolate mole enchiladas, Indian and Thai curries, and barbeque ribs will go nicely.” (- from the web page)
The Boys first response was along the lines of “tastes like an imperial porter”. I can say I understand that. I’ve begun collecting every Black IPA I can find. It’s quickly turning into a favorite style and I have to say there is a fairly big margin on what falls into this category. I’ve had Black IPA’s that tasted like a crazy hoppy IPA and just happened to be black. I’ve also had Black IPA’s that were roasted malts with an aggressive hop presence and I don’t know that I would have identified them as an IPA if I was tasting them blind.
The Trout Hop Black IPA falls into the roasty and aggressively hopped category.
This poured a solid black with a nice latte colored head. The smell of this is likely to punch you in the face and it should seeing how this boasts 145 IBU’s. Huge agressive pine and citrus hop smells with a roasty earth malt undertone. I think it was love at first smell.
After that smell I expected a palate wrecking amount of hops but it didn’t happen. Now don’t think that means there aren’t hops, they’re abundant and assertive but they are much much more balanced with malt than I’d expected from the whiff I got.
The citrus and pine of the hops is met by toffee, caramel and the slightest roasted coffee notes from the malt. For a beer named after a fish I found this to be both bright and earthy thanks to the balanced hop and malt profiles. This holds an A- on BeerAdvocate (www.beeradvocate.com) and with good reason.
If you haven’t tried anything by Grand Teton Brewing it’s time you do.
(The Painting is by Ursula Venon who has excellent quirky art, great web comics and most recently children’s books. You can see more of her work at www.redwombatstudio.com and follow her on twitter at @Ursulav )
145 IBU’s never tasted so great. They were somehow able to balance this with enough roasted malt presence to really make it work. One of my favorite beers for this year!