If you’ve been following along with this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Church-Key Brewing. While they’re small, and have a fairly limited distribution, I so get to stop in the brewery outside of Campbellford whenever we pass by. They also are available on tap at a fair number of bars around Toronto. A while back, John (the owner/brewer) started to do a series of special brews that were available only in 650ml dinner bottles from the brewery (and in very limited tap-release). The Lactese Falcon (a Flanders sour that tastes like blue cheese), Raiders of the Purple Loostrife (flavoured mead), and Scarlet Pilsner are all part of the series, as is the Black IPA. While hard to find, these beers are all well worth seeking out (even if it means a bit of extra driving on an east-bound road trip). This particular bottle was grabbed for me by Kevin, our cousin (sort of…), thaks bro!
Church-Key Brewing Black IPA
Poured from a 650ml bomber with no dating, the beer is opaque black, with a generous tan head that drops to a ring and some film fairly quickly. Aroma is super dark malts, licorice and a nice dose of hops. Taste is burnt sugar, sweet malty goodness, followed by a very heavy herbal hop with a heap of bitterness and a nice dry bite on the cheeks and tongue and a roasty malt finish, a bit like a porter. As it’s warming, there’s an almost whiskey like smokey/woodiness. This is a pretty complex brew, big on hops and roasted malts, it’s not a beer for pounding. Velvety and rich, it’s like a dessert, a bitter roasty dessert. Give me a torte made with coffee and cocoa and a good caramel drizzle over it and leave me alone with this bottle for 20 minutes, okay?
Nice one John, keep the great brews coming!
4 Comments