I haven't been a beer fan for all that long, and sometimes I feel like I'm getting in over my head. I've been to the Portland dive bar where I didn't recognize a single tap handle (thanks to Mike Harper for the recommendations that night). I've also spoken with homebrewers whose knowledge of beer chemistry makes me look like a high school dropout. And, sometimes, I try a beer that I don't really know if I like or not. Iniquity Black Ale is one of those beers. The name is exceedingly appropriate; Southern Tier Brewing Co. has taken an Imperial IPA and blackened it to the colour of a Los Angeles night sky (think: no stars). One of the things that strikes me about this beer is the attention to detail on the label: 21* plato, 2-row pale malt, debittered black malt, and a list of hops that makes me giddy with anticipation. Quite frankly, I still don't know what plato is (although, as a philosophy major, I sincerely respect the name). I did a quick Google search and found out that the Plato Scale is a brewer's way of measuring sugar content in beer. Aparently 21* is quite high. Who knew?
Anyway, it seems clear that Southern Tier knows what they're doing in terms of beer. From the heavy buzz I've got going on after just a couple of glasses, I will tend to agree with them. Sometimes, however, beer expertise leads you down some crazy roads (I'm thinking of a weissbier I had that smelled strongly of sulfur). After I opened the bottle, I noticed a strong scent from about two feet away. When I leaned in for a sniff, however, the aroma was light and hoppy, with a mild buttery scent. This is the reason that I was confused when I first tasted Iniquity; you immediately get the feeling that you left the steaks on the grill for too long. In terms of taste, I'd have to describe Iniquity as a mix between an IPA and a stout; still a strong hop presence, but that is somewhat overshadowed by the strong burnt malt taste and moderately high alcohol content. What's even more interesting is they haven't added any of the normal flavours you expect in a stout; there's no coffee, chocolate, dark cherry. . .
In terms of drinkability, this beer is a bit of a hit-or-miss. If you're a fan of both dark stouts and IPAs, you will want to give this beer a try. If you prefer clean, crisp flavours, however, you might want to try something with a little less "avant garde" ingenuity. I loved the first glass, but had a hard time finishing the whole bottle. At a moderate 9% ABV, this beer will get you nice and toasty off a bottle, but not so much that you'll never want to drink it again. I bought it for $7.50 in my local store (remember, these are BC prices). If you consider yourself an intense craft beer lover, it's worth a try, but if you savor drinkability over all else, stick with something a little more traditional.
Colour: black, deep reddish brown notes, thick tan head
Aroma: hops, sweet malty, buttery
mouthfeel: thick, creamy, foamy, more carbonated than a thick stout
taste: burnt, alcohol, stouty, hoppy
drinakbility: really intense. If you like stouts, IPAs, burnt tastes, you will probably like this, but not for the faint of heart. I had trouble finishing the whole 650ml bottle, but loved the first glass.
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