I write this blog fairly sadly this evening. I don't like not liking beer. I really like to like it. I want to be able to say good things about all the stuff I drink. I want to. This one was tough.
Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet Black IPA ABV: 7%
Clown Shoes Beer Ipswich, MA 22 oz brown bottle with nice artwork poured into tall pilsner
A - Even with the standard slow pour, this beer was way to happy to get out of the bottle. I fought an hour to get it fully poured, mostly staring at a glass of thick, chunky bubbles. Since the frothy head lingered so long, its really tough to tell if the strong lacing properties are from quality or just a result of holding the foam so long.
S - Roast, charcoal, smoke, malt. I am getting no hop aroma whatsoever.
T -Very, very bitter. Roasted notes with some charcoal and smoke kicking in. Way more BLACK than IPA as the hops hide in the background till the very last, coming through piney and bitter on the rear of the palate, leaving a long, dry finish of BBQ coals
M - Definitely on the carbonated side of right for my two cents. The rich coating flavors do work hard against that however.
O - This is a bit of a letdown after the 94 rating on BA. Although looking through those ratings, it does seem split between people like me, and people who loved it. I hope I just got a bad bottle, especially since I have another sitting in the cellar. There was just too much that was off in this bottle. There seem to be lots of good building blocks in place, they just never really get built upon. Its almost as if this beer was caught between a porter and an ale, and they decided to call it a Black IPA. I need more balance, more hops to sign off on this one. If the other bottle is good, I will certainly amend this review.
Cheers
Chris
