Smuttynose Brewing Company
Noonan Black IPA
American Black Ale
New Hampshire
5.7%
12oz, 6-Pack
$10.49
Pours a big, frothy brown head, close to three fingers as it crests, full-on mix of bubble sizes, from huge to tiny, dimpled all over, the lacing is thin but forms broad sheets which cover close to half the available glass space. Black liquid yet has a shiny brightness to it, this in spite of the chunky floaties inside the glass, hard to visually gauge the carbonation, shifts to a yellow hue along the rims. The nose is sweetly roasty, oodles of chocolate, coffee, hard toffee with even more malt after that, it’s hoppy in a mellow fashion, more cleansing than herbaceous, subtle floral lift, not much fruit but maybe a little earthiness. Full-bodied, thicker and denser than expected, the carbonation is slow to unwind but it does not feel flatfooted. Here too there’s a strong emphasis on roast although it does adroitly avoid bitterness. Coffee beans, cocoa, mocha more than milkiness, although there’s moments of root beer and vanilla. Mutter of quinine. The mouth feel is grippy and dry, more pine and cut grass than flowers or citrus. Again, hard to discern clear fruit presence, more apricot, maybe cherry. Because it starts with such intent and energy, it’s hard for it not to finish likewise. Sticks to the basics, does them well enough.
3 out of 5