I was at one of my local craft beer outlets creating a mixed six pack. With all but one spot empty, I was stuck at a dead end, staring at the singles cooler, mouth open, eyes glazed, potentially drooling on myself like a zombie on tranquilizers trying to make the million dollar decision. Then, out of nowhere I hear from behind me, "Hey man, I have the new Magic Hat variety packs out back. We can't put them out yet but they have this new black IPA you gotta try."
"Black IPA? What?!"
"Yeah man, I'll go grab you one. I was going to open it to get one for myself anyway."
I felt as though I should have walked out of there with the beer in a brown paper bag, or have him leave it by the back door. I felt like I was doing something wrong, not just because I was given a beer that he realistically should not have given me, but because he called it a black IPA.
Skeptical and curious, I saved it for last. For a week it stared at me from the back of the fridge, taunting me and challenging everything I thought I knew about beer. Finally I caved and gave it a try. Looking more like a dark brown ale than an IPA, and being a big sensory person when it comes to any beer I'm surprised my brain didn't shut down completely. The taste was that of a subdued IPA, not what I have come to associate with Magic Hat. I walked away from the experience pretty neutral. Unsure of how I felt, and positive that this seemingly black market purchase was the only one of it's kind, I went on with my life as though I had seen a UFO, like I would never see it again...or so I thought.
Cut to present day two months later: after making the decision to blaze my own trail amongst the vast jungle of beer bloggers and craft beer enthusiasts I had no real expectations. Of course I was aware the beer world I knew would open itself up to me much more so than it already had, yet I was unaware that once the flood gates were opened that this style of beer would somehow track me down yet again.
The style, as I have been told, was developed around 20 years ago by the late Greg Noonan, who is credited with opening the first brewpub in Vermont in 1988 after spending three years lobbying to legalize brewpubs in the state. He was an innovator and introduced many uncommon styles to the northeast at the time, the black IPA being one of them as well as the "Wee Heavy" strong scotch ale, which no one was brewing at the time in the area.
So why is this style of beer so damn important? Why should the black IPA be in every craft beer enthusiast's radar more so than any other style right now? One word my friends: evolution. It is no secret that our world is continually evolving and there are people out there who are always pushing the envelope, testing the waters and disassembling our liquid muse to discover it's hidden potentialities. Yet, while these advances in beer science are profound and refreshing, they are typically playing with well established styles just executing them differently.
The Black IPA on the other hand, is a style that every craft brewer can and should get behind as it seems to be the current standard of keeping up with the times. After being created 20 some odd years ago, it went into hibernation, existing like some beer sasquatch that few had seen but even fewer had tried. Now in 2011, we are seeing a rebirth of the style that gives a new meaning to true beer evolution. Combining the floral, citrus bitterness of centennial or cascade hops with roasted and black malts, the style delivers a deep, thick porter on sight but will surprise you with its complex aromas and hop flavors. The malt characteristics of this brew will also appeal to any dark beer lover as they will typically compliment the bitterness nicely with a huge mouthfeel and roasted coffee and chocolate notes.
In my research, I've found that what works for some might not work for others. Some breweries are leaning more towards the roasted malt side, focusing on creating more of a hoppy porter than a dark IPA while some I've found focus less on the malts and merely create a more complex IPA with a more deep brown appearance rather than black, as I found with the Yakima from Victory Brewing.
These various shades however are what make this beer so exciting. Rarely are we given the chance as enthusiasts to witness the growth of new styles of beer. We may try some new offerings that push a certain established style but we have been given a chance, in our life time to create history and to watch that history play out in front of our eyes. The black IPA is that history and it will continue to evolve and grow and what we will most certainly find years down the road, as we can assume from the continuing evolution of any other beer style, is that what the black IPA is now, is not what it will be.
I may still not quite get it, but with beer it is always better to throw caution to the wind and jump into the deep end head first because you never know what you might like. All I know is that I like it and I feel as though that initial introduction to the black IPA was in some ways, my rite of passage into a secret society of historians who will document the path of our liquid muse for future generations of beer lovers.
So I'd like to raise a toast to the memory of Greg Noonan, whom without I would not feel so compelled to be a part of history as I am right now. Beer may be our creation, we have destroyed it and built it up again. It may be something we can mold and shape into whatever we want, but it is our duty as beer lovers and brewers alike to unite around these new styles such as the black IPA because it is OUR history.
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