Beer Review: Fuller's Vintage Ale 2023

Name: Vintage Ale 2023

Brewery: Fuller’s 

ABV: 8.5%

Style: Strong Ale

Location: Chiswick, London

Colour: A deep reddish brown, replete with cloudiness that suggests a lack of finings, with a one finger buff coloured head. 

Aroma: Notes of oak, whisky, sherry, mulled fruit, almonds and grapes. The whiff of alcohol is notable given the strength, it quicky engulfs the senses. 

Taste: A distinct bitterness from the hops is imbued with notable toasty roasted flavours from the malt, where both pale and double roasted crystal malt work together to form the distinctive flavour profile and body. Hints of berry fruits and citrus come through from the background along with a golden syrup like sweetness. The flavour profile is reminiscent of a marmalade or conserve. The strength from the alcohol gives it’s a warming effect. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth, lacking in carbonation.

Verdict: A glorious beer in both appearance and taste. Whilst sweetness and fruits dominate in the background, it is supported by the distinct roasted malty bitterness in the foreground which helps ground the flavours, leaving it well balanced overall and smooth. This beer is largely reminiscence of a Tripel or Trappist style beer, where various malts and hops are specifically chosen, in forming the distinguishing flavour notes. Fuller’s have excelled their selves with this beer. 

Rating: 9/10

A Tale of St. George’s Ale

On St. George’s Day 2023, after a long days’ walking, I visited The New Crown in Southgate for some much need libation. Upon browsing the extensive selection of cask ales, I cast my eyes on Patron Saint (4.2%) from Elgoods, with its distinctive pump-clip that blared the St George’s cross. Launched only the year before, it was described as a premium ale with a balance well-rounded roasted malt flavours and bittersweet elements; overall it was fairly standard for a best bitter but it did the trick. It cast my mind to what other themed beers brewed especially for St. George’s Day are out there. Incidentally there a small but discernible number of examples that are currently in production, they tend to fall into three categories, limited-edition one-offs, yearly seasonals and regularly brewed products that have usually grown from being one off/ seasonal products. These beers also tend to be on the sessionable side, usually a Bitter, although there are some Golden Ales or Pales, even a few red ales have even been produced in a wry reference to the colours of the English flag. There have been a number of instances of breweries over the years promoting the cause for St. George’s Day, in 2003 the Publican and Charles Wells initiated a campaign for pubs to help raise awareness for St. George’s Day through organising themed events and including limited-edition beers[1], they steadily gathered support from a number of organisations, by 2006 there efforts paid off with the likes of brewers including Hook Norton, Greene King and Young’s throwing their backing behind the campaign, where they launched their own respective events. Hallmarks of these efforts to promote St. George’s Day have also been seen in events from all over the county, where pubs have organised their own St. George’s Day beer festivals. The Willougby Arms in Kingston, is a notable example, where they’ve been holding an annual beer festival since 1996 featuring around 50 beers and ciders, along with entertainment. Even brewers have got it on the act, Towcester Mill Brewery holds an annual beer-fest on-site which takes place over a two-day period, and since 2017 Brentwood Brewing Co. have annually organised a yearly St George’s Day beer festival which has been held on the brewery grounds. The beer festival includes a number of their draught and craft beers, including their seasonal offering George and the Dragon (3.8%) brewed especially for the occasion.

 

There is a myriad of examples out there, however they tend not be easily identifiable due to the limited seasonality of the product. Some have even appeared (only) briefly, for instance in April 2011, Great Newsome took advantage of two celebrations that month when they released England’s Pride (4.7%), which was made to mark both St. George’s Day and the Royal Wedding between William and Kate, that took place the same month. More recently in April 2024, Nethergate produced their limited-edition special Green and Pleasant Land (4.1%), although not a direct reference to St. George, its title is borrowed from a line in the hymn ‘Jerusalem’ by Hubert Parry (derived from the poem by William Blake), which since he adapted it into song in 1917, it has become an unofficial English national anthem and is frequently sung in churches across the country. Some brewers have released a successive number of specials like Woodfordes with the likes of Patron Saint (4.1%) and St. George’s Shield (4%) respectively. Greene King has been equally prolific, producing the likes of Saint George (4.7%), Down the Dragon (4.8%),  Patron Saint’s Ale (4.5%), an ESB special released in 2017, and last year they retailed George & The Flagon (4.5%), across their pubs. Don’t be fooled, but they openly admitted at the time that this was merely a rebranded offering of their annual Spring seasonal Spring Break (4.5), though thankfully this is only a rare example of this devious practise.

The majority of these themed beers brewed specifically for St. George Day, tend to be seasonal releases, which are often sold annually. One of the longest-standing is Dragon’s Den (4.5%) – Enville Ales, which has been treading the boards since 2008, it was once memorably described as a perfectly balanced mid-strength ale, perfect for slaying a monstrous thirst or simply celebrating St George’s Day in patriotic style. Many of these releases have become established yearly favourites with punters for many years like St George’s Glory (4.2%) – Bateman’s, Saint George (4%) – Acorn, St George’s Legend (4%) – Milestone and St George’s Ale (3.8%) – Wolf, for instance. While others offer a dual purpose like England’s Glory (4.1%) – Hog’s Back, which is used to celebrate both the Six Nations Cup and St. George’s Day, which take place around a similar period. There have been occasional examples that have gone against the grain, like St George’s Ale (5%) - Wantsum which is a strong hoppy golden ale flavoured with Chinook and Mozaic hops that has been impressing drinkers’ tastebuds since 2015.  Although most of these examples tend to be lightly advertised, Bradfield has commonly promoted their Ye Olde English Ale (4.6%), it can even be viewed permanently on their website. Due to the business structure of these breweries, most of these beers tend to be hard to find pubs, as they usually only appear in selected pubs as guest ales, and rarely feature beyond the counties where the respective breweries are based. This is a different matter for some brewers that have wider presence, notably Greene King have retailed a number of their seasonal products across their estate of 2,700 pubs, while Manchester based brewer Hydes had sold the likes of St. George’s Bitter (4.3%) and Dragon’s Demise (4.2%) around their managed, tenanted and free trade houses across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire. Similarly, the likes of Ascalon (4%) by Everards, is retailed across their estate of 150 pubs around the East Midlands respectively. Named after the sword St. George used to slay the dragon with[2], the story is reflected on the pump-clip design and has been described as a courageous blend of English hops including among others Challenger and Admiral, this classic number has appeared on an annual basis across their pubs since 2014.

 

While the vast number of these seasonal/ one off releases were cask only, some were released in bottles or cans, in order to take advantage of the additional market. St George’s Ale (5.2%) – Young’s was an early example of this practise, in addition to being sold in cask at Young’s pubs, it was also sold in bottle form.[3] Likewise, Dragonfire (3.8%) – Shepherd Neame followed a similar business model, it was additionally retailed in bottle, available in beer shops and their managed pubs across the South-East. And over in Birmingham, long-established brewer Davenports used to sell England’s Glory (4.3%) in both cask and bottle across their network of pubs. Many of these bottled beers used creative name to entice drinkers, Hook Norton took this to full advantage with the release of 303AD (4%), which commemorated the year St. George died, following its launch event in April 2006 which was held at the brewery to their membership club and local CAMRA members, it subsequently was retailed in bottles for a while. More recently in April 2020 due to the lockdown conditions at the time, this forced Windsor & Eton to retail George (4.2%) initially in cans, described as a fresh modern take on the traditional English bitter, it notably featured dandelion and burdock root in the mix, following its ensuing popularity it was additionally sold in cask form from 2022 onwards. Meanwhile some beers that started life as seasonal/ one off releases have gone onto to becoming part of the brewery’s core ranges, the likes Dragon Slayer (4.5%) – Banks & Taylor initially began as a one-off product before ensuing popularity led it to becoming regularly brewed and sold. In more recent times there have been occurrences, Brampton boasts two examples Ascalon (3.8%) and Jerusalem (4.6%) respectively, which have grown from limited edition releases, to becoming fully fledged parts of their core range, where it is sold in cask and bottle all year round.[4]  Rather intriguingly, Harvey’s repeatedly muddy the boundaries between seasonal and regularly produced beers, where they follow the unusual practise of selling bottled versions of their seasonal products all year round. Georgian Dragon (4.7%) is a notable example, originally released to coincide with St. George’s Day in April 2010, the name actually references Dr. Gideon Mantell, the original father of Palaeontology who came from Lewes. He was regarded for being one of the first scientists to identify prehistoric reptiles as dinosaurs. Quite appropriately for the occasion it was brewed as a hop-forward ruby ale with a distinctive bitterness and a malty backbone that leads off to notes of sweetness, berry fruits and fruit cake. The beer proved popular with punters, which encouraged the brewery to re-release it on an annual basis where it continues to be sold in cask every April across Harvey’s managed pubs. The beer is also sold in a bottled version, available all year round, and it has won a number of awards including the International Beer Challenger 2012 – Silver and Beer Bottlers Institute 2019 – Gold, rather unique for a beer originally brewed for St. George’s day.

Currently, around 24 breweries based across England produce beers specifically produce beers for St. George’s Day. For a number of years, brewers have valiantly endorsed and retailed these special beers at pubs, although many of these beers tended to be strictly localised, some of the larger regional brewers like Greene King, Everards, Shepherd Neame, Hydes, Davenports and Young’s have been able to retail these seasonal beers widely across their extensive estate of managed, tenanted and free-house pubs. While a few of the examples have been limited-edition one-offs, some have become established seasonal favourites, appearing annually every April; there has even been the odd example that has become a regularly brewed core range product. Throughout the country, there are a cornucopia of examples of breweries developing special beers to tie with St. George’s Day, which continues to recent times with timely launch of St George’s Ale (4.1%) – Daleside, earlier this month. Yet concerningly, from looking at the scope of examples out there, this stubbornly remains a cottage industry, and it still receives far less coverage from English breweries, than over other events like Halloween, Oktoberfest or Christmas for that matter. In order to maintain the efforts to promote St. George’s Day, spearheaded by a number of breweries over the years, more brewers should do their effort and produce their own St. George’s Day themed beers, honouring equally the legacy first initiated by Charles Wells two decades ago, and the enduring memory of our country’s patron saint.

 

Footnotes 

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[1] This grew out of their initial campaign to push the government to issuing St. George’s Day as a public holiday, which they launched in 1999. The brewer also successfully managed to persuade the Government to extend the opening hours of 30 of their managed Eagle pubs on St. George’s Day.

[2] Legend says that when St. George became injured, he sought protection under a mythical orange tree which both healed and gave him power.  When the dragon attacked, St George raised his sword, named Ascalon and plunged it deep into the dragon, slaying the beast.

[3] When Young’s merged with Wells & Young in 2006, the beer continued to be sold in bottle under their Eagle brand.

[4] These instances blur the lines between seasonal and regularly brewed beers, which could lead some to question whether these above examples are genuine St. George’s Day’s beers, though some would argue that this is a natural process where some beers become so popular they become regular produced, despite their intended seasonality. 

The Black IPA Gold Rush - Part 2

The year 2013 proved a bountiful harvest of success for Black IPAs, early that year Bowness flocked in with Swan Black (4.6%) which the brewery noted as a deliciously Black IPA that has a start-to-finish hoppy magnificence; rich chocolate sweetness along with subtle citrus and grassy notes. This beer subsequently joined their core range where it continues to be sold in both cask and bottle. In February, Saltaire Brewery released Kala (6.2%), described as having smooth roasted character and a big American hop presence, it was showcased at the Bradford Beer Festival that month; initially available in cask and bottle on a limited basis, its ensuing popularity led it to being added to the brewery’s core range and go onto win a number of awards.[1] Meanwhile, Great Heck Brewing debuted Black Jesus (6.5%), a potent mix brewed with large quantities of premium American hops and special dehusked German roasted malt. Villabone noted it as “burnt, hoppy, fruity, it’s all there. The taste, or aftertaste is of burnt or roasted coffee, but leaving a slight metal taste. It starts light and fresh, piney, fruity, then the second journey is the dark, roasted malts, coffee part. The carbonation is slight. The aftertaste is dry, and it stays.”[2] It became of one of their best-selling products, winning a multitude of awards including World’s Best Label at World Beer Awards 2014 and Huddesfield CAMRA Oktoberfest 2016: Silver (Strong Bitter of the Festival). Meanwhile, the Hop Studio produced Obsidian (5%), brewed with an abundance of Galaxy, Chinook, Centennial and Columbus hops, at a beer tasting event held at St. Lukes Church, Leeds that May, judges sampled both Scottish and Yorkshire beers. Hop Studio’s new Obsidian Black IPA beat Fyne Ales’ Vital Spark 69-20 votes. In July, Elland released Black Eden (4.2%), an alternative version of their pale ale Eden (4.2%), using the same hops (Cascade & Chinook) but with added Wyerman’s black malt to the brew. The following month, Real Ale Craft Beer collaborated with Sharp’s to produce Black Rock IPA (4.2%), a limited-edition release, it was initially brewed as a pale ale before dark malt was added later in the mashing process. Head brewer Simon Howe described it at the time, “this new brew, a blackened IPA, has a strident citrus and pithy bitterness in the finish, it’s dry and moreish. Black Rock IPA is full and hoppy with an alluring look. It has an intense citrus hop and sweet fruits taste which is set to thrill cask beer drinkers with the flavours of warmer climes.”[3] Sticking to the collaboration theme, on 13^th October 2013, Brewdog released 12 beers produced through collaborations with other UK breweries, three of which were Black IPAs from the likes of Arbor Ales, Fyne Ales and Buxton. On the awards front, Conqueror 1075 (7.3%) won SIBA National 2013 – Best Bottled Beer (Silver), Black Jesus (6.5%) was awarded beer of the festival in Selby, Stewart Brewing gained another gong for their Black IPA (5%) winning International Beer Challenge 2013 – Silver, for the second consecutive year, and Raven (6.6%) continued to build on its growing number of awards, winning three that year including World Beer Awards 2013 – World’s Best Black IPA, Great Taste Awards 2013 – 2 stars, and The Dublin Craft Beer Cup 2013 – Silver, respectively. As another fruitful year came to a close, Tempest Brewing Co. released the appropriately titled In the Dark We Live (7.3%), an Imperial Black IPA which the brewery described as a hybrid beer - IPA by attitude, porter by appearance, very complex hop character compliments the rich and dark malts. Featuring a dizzying flavour profile of Mosaic, Simcoe, Columbus hops blended with Golden Promise, Munich and Caraf malts, it became widely sold across Europe, including countries like Spain and Italy. As 2014 began, Brains announced a collaboration with Jonny Garrett from the Craft Beer Channel where they developed Black Mountain (5%) released through their newly launched Brains Craft Brewery.[4] Flavour and aroma were on high on the cards, Summit and Apollo hops were initially brewed, then it was dry hopped with Citra, Amarillo, Summit, Apollo and Pacifica for added flavours and aromas. It also featured a complex malt bill, including Premium Ale malt for body, along with Munich, Crystal and Extra for additional caramel and roasted flavours, rounded off with Chocolate Malt for colour. Once described as a battle between hops and malt, Simon Martin elaborated “after them nice vinous almost grapey malts with the coffee, chocolate and caramel, the hops come back into play.”[5] Later that month on the 23^rd, Mad Hatter Brewing debuted Hare of Darkness (7.4%), it was described as a hoppy winter ale and an even stronger 8% bottled version was later produced, sold in 330ml bottles.  In this instance Black IPAs are also quite versatile, as Sophie Atherton adds “Black IPA is also a year-round brew. Appropriately dark in winter months and refreshing in summer thanks to their massive hop character.”[6] Sticking to the puns, Blackjack Brew Co. released Black Maria (5.8%) in cask and bottle, named after a slang word for a police van that used to transport prisoners, appropriately in tribute to its US links, the beer was steeped in Columbus hops. Beer Manchester memorably noted it as “medium to full-bodied, the slightly spiky carbonation helps the hop flavours stay to the fore in this. There is a distinct background note of bitter roast coffee which remains throughout, daring you to have Another mouthful. But the fruitiness draws you back in.”[7] Meanwhile, Brecon upped the ante with Mind Bleach (10%), which the brewery noted as a Little Voice in the Head remover! Black as Sin, immensely aromatic and dangerously drinkable; this robust brew would become one of their most successful products, winning a slew of awards in the ensuing years. At the time, ‘Peaky Blinders’ was fast becoming one of the most popular shows on TV, Sadlers cashed in on the popularity with Peaky Blinder (4.4%). Ale Be Seeing You described it as “the first sip reminds you it's an IPA with a big hit of citrus but more orange than lemon as it's not bitter at all.  The roasted malts jump in next together with some sweet treacle and liquorice and ending on a slightly dry note.” Initially created as a one-off release, it quickly became popular with punters, which prompted the brewery to add it to its main range, incidentally it was later sold at the Black County Museum where the series was filmed. With the slew of Black IPAs appearing on the market, this prompted Roger Protz to issue a withering response “a final word on IPA: if you’re tempted, please don’t brew something called Black IPA. As the great American brewer and beer writer Garrett Oliver said on the subject: “Don’t get me started”. In other words, which part of India PALE Ale do you not understand? Black IPA is absurd and an insult to history.”[8] In response to his controversial comment, Steel City Brewing developed Protz Pleasure (5.3%), created as a wry dig directed at Protz, the bottle label and pump clip even featured a transcript of Protz comments where he labelled Black IPAs as an oxymoronic name that doesn’t exist. Later that June, Protz was more favourable towards Black IPAs when Hawkshead collaborated with supermarket retailer Booths, featuring four limited released beers sold as part of their Beer and Cider Festival which took place in its 29 stores from the 18 June – 15 July. One of these beers was Booths Black IPA (4.6%), which Protz described it as “Booths Black IPA is dark in colour but surprisingly light and refreshing on the palate, with aromas of tropical fruit and resinous pine,”[9] perhaps his opinion on Black IPAs had shifted? By this time, Black IPAs were being produced across the world, including countries like Sweden, Ireland, Spain and the Czech Republic; Brewdog bridged that gulf when they developed CapDog (9%), produced in collaboration with Swedish craft brewery CAP, initiated as part of their Development Fund 2014 to help up and coming breweries. Moreover, innovation was also on the cards, when Staggeringly Good released Extinction (5.7%) which was released in two versions, red cap for smoked and black cap with scotch bonnet chillies, if that wasn’t hot enough, in 2018 a special version brewed with Carolina Reaper chillers, making it one of the spiciest beers ever made.

 

2015 continued with the spate of releases, in March, Salopian unveiled Aphelion (5.5%) in both cask and bottle. Noted for its minimalistic bottle/ pump clip design, it was initially brewed for a Wetherspoons Beer Festival with English hops, however it wasn’t deemed hoppy enough so it was tinkered with and subsequently dry-hopped with US hops for added flavour and aromas. Described as a beautifully balanced black beer, with hints of mocha, dark fruits and ripe berries replete with piney aromas, its flavour profile confounded some, the Ormskirk Baron described it as “the weird thing about this beer, that its essentially a Porter, so its got that warming, slightly chocolaty, slightly sweet flavours and then its got this severe, really in your face hop, and very piney, which coats your tongue. Its almost like two beers in one.”[10] Meanwhile, Three Fiends Brewhouse based in Holmfirth (deep in Summer Wine country) debuted Dark Side (5.3%), the brewery described it as being brewed with a mix of American hops which, with chocolate malt, gives it a smooth chocolatey start, leading to an increasingly bitter finish; sold in both cask and bottle, it remains to this day part of their regular range. Vocation joined in the fray with Divide & Conquer (6.5%), CAMRA described it as having roast malt aroma and taste giving way to a hoppy and vinous mouthfeel, with a smooth and slightly sweet finish. Simon Martin poetically described it as slap round the chops from the hops, elaborating “that big bold rash punch in the face bitterness that you get from this beer. It’s big, its grapefruity, there’s some mango in there, and then you’ve got this big cat rasping on the curtains of the inside of your mouth of bitterness, it’s clawing at you. It’s great and that’s how I like it.”[11] If that wasn’t strong enough, Buxton came out with of their strongest beers yet, with the appropriately named Battle Horse (10.5%), meanwhile, on the more sessionable front Elgood’s released in bottle Cambridge IPA Dark/ Black (4.7%) a dark coloured variant of their established Cambridge IPA (4.7%). Unlike most Black IPAs that take influence from the US, this beer was based on a traditional English IPA recipe. Postcard Publications described it as “this beer pours almost black due to the addition of roast barley.  It has a fruity aroma and a smooth roasted tasted.  This is something of a hybrid beer, not quite a stout but more than a bitter.”[12] In June, Abbeydale unveiled their Signature series of beers that featured recipes from brewers and their pubs, one of these releases was Black Majik (6.3%) which came out in September, produced by Jonathan Stevens, it was described as a generously hopped Black IPA with upfront bitterness and chocked full of flavour. Later that same year, Greene King (one of the UK’s largest independent breweries) unveiled Black IPA (4.5%). Brewed with Simcoe and Citra hops for a lip-smacking finish, this was perhaps a sign that Black IPAs were finally hitting the mainstream. Later that November, Cardiff based brewer Mad Dog released It’s All Propaganda (5%), a Black IPA brewed with dark malts but curiously without any roast flavours, it notably featured an unusual hop combination of Kazbek from the Czech Republic, and Sorachi Ace from Japan. This unusual flavour profile confounded reviewers, Alcohol and Aphorisms described it as “the finish especially feels quite roasted stout like, sure, but the first sip is more than malt base mixed with fresh lemongrass and a kind of lemon milkshake creaminess, followed by a nice hop punch. You are always very much aware of the darker set of notes, so your tastebuds feel slightly confused as it tries to reconcile a lemon-creamy notes with bitter chocolate and hoppiness.”[13] As 2016 crept into view, change was afoot as the rush to produce Black IPAs had started to trail off. In March that year, St Peter’s launched their crafted range, a unique selection of craft ales and ciders, showcasing the skills of the brewers. One of these initial releases was Crafted Black IPA (7%), which Steve Groves, head brewer at St. Peters described it as “the Rioja of Black IPAs”, despite being heavily hopped like a traditional IPA, it had a sweeter flavour that cut through the bitterness. The Brewer’s Journal noted it as “the 7% beer offers a hint of “raisins, sultanas, sloes and damsons and has an aroma of dark chocolate with vanilla notes” according to the brewery,” this beer would go onto win a slew of awards over the next two years. On 26^th August, Staggeringly Good debuted Dawn Stealer (5.2%), heavily hopped with Amarillo, Cascade and Chinook, it also featured a mixture of Pale and Carafa Special No.3 malts. It was described as having notes of dark berries with rich noted malts. The same month, St Albans based brewery Farr Brew released Black Listed IBA (4.5%), which they initially brewed the historic pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks based in the same town. It was brewed with three types of malt and along with a combination of British and American hops for a smoky, well-rounded and punchy flavour. This beer proved popular enough for the brewery to reissue it in both bottle and can on a regular basis. The following month, Wily Fox debuted their Black Pearl (4.9%) in cask, made with Carafa Special malt along with a mixture of American and Slovenian hops, it was notably described as a hop symphony of jet black velvety smooth, intense coffee and chocolate flavours; it quickly gained a popular following and was subsequently sold in bottle and keg; subsequently at the SIBA North West Awards 2017 it was awarded Gold (Small Pack Premium Bitters & Pale Ales). Yet by the time of its release, the clamour for Black IPAs had started to wear thin as new styles like NEIPA, Milkshake IPA and Hazy IPA were emerging into view and becoming popular. Jonny Garret puts this into perspective “New England IPA removed the classical IPAs bitterness, and offered the nostalgic, comforting flavors of childhood candy. The new style’s opaque, golden color also meant it was Instagram-ready, just as the app’s popularity was climbing.”[14] The rush of releases had all but subsided to a trickle, fulfilling Garrett Oliver’s prophecy that Black IPAs were just a passing fad. In the ever-changing commercial landscape Black IPAs were drowned out in the rush to produce paler IPAs that eschewed astringency and bitterness, instead focussed on glossy, colourful and sweet flavours, favoured by a new generation of drinkers.

 

The brief popularity of Black IPA coincided with the ‘IPA of all Colours’ movement during the early 2010’s, where a wide range of IPA’s ranging from Red IPA, DIPA, Brut IPA and Triple IPA for instance, became momentarily popular with consumers. As soon as this period of rampant innovation in craft brewing ceased, so did the appeal of Black IPA. Garrett sums up the demise of Black IPA as a buzzword for a failed trend, he adds “Black IPA is also shorthand for experimentation and passion without the influence of commercialization. It’s an embodiment of that old craft cliche: that brewers brew what they like and are just delighted when it sells. To some, the disappearance of the style could be seen as the end of that era of innocence.”[14] Yet, New Trail Brewing argues “despite this, the style has maintained a loyal following and continues to be brewed by those who appreciate the unique interplay of roasted malts and high-hop flavor.”[15] The evidence can be clear to see, over the past decade there have been a number of successful Black IPAs that have come on the scene like Kviek (6.5%) - Artefact Brewing, which gets its name from the use of Kviek yeast in the brewing process, since appearing on the scene in February 2021, it has won multiple of plaudits including two great taste awards, SIBA National 2021 – Gold (Imperial IPA), SIBA National 2022 – Bronze (Imperial IPA), SIBA East 2024 – Bronze (Speciality Keg IPA) and more recently SIBA National 2025- Gold (Speciality IPA) for instance. Likewise, Black Tiger (4.8%) following its debut in March 2023, has become popular with punters, later that same year it received Untappd Community Awards 2023 – Bronze and more recently SIBA Wales & West 2024 – Gold (Specialty IPA category). It was subsequently shortlisted for the final competition at Liverpool BeerX which took place last month. Building on their popularity, these beers have found their way into the respective brewery’s core ranges indeed there are a number of regularly brewed Black IPAs out there, including After Dark (4.8%) – Kelchner’s and Trawler’s Dread (5.4%) – Tenby Harbrwr, even more established family brewers like Hook Norton have jumped onto the bandwagon with the likes of Crafty Fox (4.8%), initially a cask only beer when it first appeared in 2018, it was sold in bottle from 2020 onwards and is now a frequent fixture on their books, described as a beer that looks like a stout, but tastes like an IPA, it features a hefty mixture of five hops and double roasted malt[16], which Simon Martin recently described “that’s a proper Black IPA, with small hints of a hoppy stout.”[17] And the likes of Elusive Brewing regularly pump out Black IPAs including Vortex (5%), Midnight Oregon Trail (5.8%), Stand Up and Be Counted (5.2%) and Alone in the Dark (5.8%) over recent years. Black IPAs have even made their way onto supermarket shelves, in May 2022, Black Sheep launched Cry Wolf (5%) which was retailed across Tesco stores, which the brewery notably described in their promotions as “a fierce bite of roasted malt fused with the gnarly, tropical bitterness of new world hops.”[18] All Hail to the Beer described it at the time as “it’s pithy bitterness with little hints of sweet pineapple, then bang, bitter roasted malt, coffee which is quite intense.”[19] Later that October Painting Shadows (5%) – Loch Lomond,  was sold in cans across the UK at Lidl superstores as part of their month long beer festival, along with several other their products including Odin’s Beard (5%) and Southern Summit (4%) respectively. And last October, Badger debuted Outland Black IPA (5%), retailed as part of the brewery’s Outland range of ‘mainstream craft’ beers produced exclusively in cans, which since launching in 2023, the Beer Guild notes “the Outland brand is now listed with four of the ‘Big 5′ multiple grocers (supermarkets) in a total of 2,200 stores.”[20] They have also gained a number of awards through this range and it has vastly increased their profits.[21] Even as recently as February, the likes of Chiltern released the wryly named Malt-easer (5%) as part of their small batch brew series, combining the punchy aromas and flavours of new world hops (Amarillo and Eureka) with complex dark roasted malts including Carafa Special, oats & roasted barley. These examples prove that Black IPAs isn’t just a preserve for craft breweries, as it finds it way further into the mainstream. Coming full circle in early 2023, Abbeydale belatedly rebranded Black Mass (6.66%) as a Black IPA, despite for years commentators have quoted it tasting like an IPA, despite not being marketed as one. This unexpected pioneer continues to be an ambassador for the Black IPA movement in the UK, recently winning gongs including SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2022 – Gold (Regional Bottle/ Can – Speciality IPA), SIBA North East Beer – Gold (Speciality IPA) in both 2023 and 2024, and more recently Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2025 – Silver (Barley Wines and Strong Ales). Despite fading from prominence a decade ago, brewers continue to brew Black IPA, Jeremy Furzy sums this up “no matter what we call it, it appears the black IPA is here to stay — and I think this should be a celebrated development. It has thrust itself onto the craft beer landscape because it offers the best characteristics of several different ales in one beer.”[22] Since they first appeared on the scene in the early 90’s, Black IPAs have showcased the very best hallmarks of the brewers’ skills and despite all the criticism and tribulations these beers have faced, they have triumphed over adversity, and continue to thrive through the hoppy darkness.

List of References

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[1] Kala (6.2%) has won a multitude of awards including International Dark Beer Competition 2017 – Championship Winner, International Brewing Awards – Gold (Dark Beer 5.8%-6.9%) and World Beer Awards 2017 – Silver.

[2] Great Heck Black Jesus 6.5%, Villabone beer and testing Blog, 17^th May 2014

[3] Sharps Black Rock IPA, Beer Menus

[4] Jonny Garrett, Brewing Our Black Mountain IPA, The Craft Beer Channel, 21^st January 2014

[5] Simon Martin, Black Mountain Black IPA By Brains Craft Brewery & The Craft Beer Channel, Real Ale Craft Beer, 23^rd January 2014

[6] Sophie Atherton, Why I love… Black IPA, A FemAle View on Beer & Pubs, 17^th July 2017

[7] Bottled Beers – July 2015 – Pt 2, Beers Manchester, 11^th July 2015

[8] Roger Protz, Beer: the future is flavour, Protz on Beer, 26^th February 2014

[9] Roger Prtoz, Craft beers head for Booths summer fest, Protz on Beer, 19^th June 2014

[10] Salopian Aphelion, The Ormskirk Baron, 2^nd June 2015

[11] Simon Martin, Vocation Brewery Divide & Conquer Black IPA | Yorkshire Craft Beer Review, Real Ale Craft Beer, 26^th January 2016

[12] Craft Beers: Enjoy Elgood's Beer, Postcard Publications

[13] Tasting Notes: Mad Dog: It’s All Propaganda, Alcohol and Aphorisms, 17^th December 2016

[14] Jonny Garrett, Darkest Before the Dawn — The Unlikely Return of Black IPA, Good Beer Hunting, 6^th April 2021

[15] What is Black IPA? New Trail Brewing

[16] Crafty Fox (4.8%) features an extensive array of ingredients, five hops are from the UK and the US are used (including Willamette, US Cascade, Mosaic, UK Chinook and Amarillo), along three types of malt (including Pale, Double Roasted Crystal and Carafa), an impressive scoresheet for a Black IPA.

[17] Simon Martin, Hook Norton Crafty Fox Black IPA Review , Hook Norton Brewery , Oxfordshire Real Ale Review, Real Ale Craft Beer, 18^th November 2024

[18] Cry Wolf: Our New Black IPA, Black Sheep Brewery, 30^th May 2022

[19] Black Sheep – Cry Wolf Review, All Hail to the Ale, 11^th September 2022

[20] Outland embraces the dark side with the launch of Black IPA, The British Guild of Beer Writers, 21^st October 2024

[21] The brewery has also sold cans of their Outland beers at various music festivals.

[22] Jermey Furzy, The Birth and Rise of the Black IPA, Medium, 15^th April 2015

The Black IPA Gold Rush - Part 1

Out of all the IPA substyles out there, Black IPA is perhaps the most maligned and least credited, a contradiction in terms and a literal oxymoron to drinkers, its very status has confounded people since it first came on the scene in the 1990’s. The BJCP designated it as beer that features the dryness, hop-forward balance and flavours of an American IPA but darker in colour, where dark malts are added to give a gentle and supportive flavour rather than give a strongly roasted and astringent note. Garrett Oliver, founder and brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery added “most use dehusked dark malts to avoid a clash between hop bitterness and the acridity that conventional roasted malts can lend to beers.”[1] Black IPA as Badger Brewery once described brings together the best of both worlds, the roasted malt notes of a porter/ stout with vibrant citrussy hoppiness of an IPA. Like most IPA substyles, with the likes of Black IPA, hops take centre stage when it comes to aroma and flavour, as Nick Carr elucidates “hop flavour will be a low-medium venturing into the high range, and can bring notes of berry, pine (resinous), tropical, stone fruit, citrus, and melon. Some fruity elements are acceptable, whether from hops or yeast, however, they are not necessary for the style.”[2]  Although breweries have been producing heavily hopped stouts and porters as far back as the 19^th century[3], the first official Black IPA was Blackwatch Black IPA (5.8%) produced in 1990 by Greg Noonan and Glenn Walter of Vermont Pub & Brewery in Burlington, Vermont, five years later Jimmy Kimmich joined the team and refined the recipe, introducing Carafa Special 3 malt into the mix, a German variety which he recently came across, a de-husked malt that gave German beers like Dark Lager and Hefeweizens their colour and breaded notes, but without overwhelming their subtle hoppy character. This proved to be a game-changer, and Kimmich became one of the early proponents of this style of beer. Jermey Furzy notes “the modern black IPA likely emerged in part due to the popularity of Dogfish Head’s Indian Brown Ale. First brewed in 1999, this beer opened the door for a hoppy ale brewed with darker malts.”[4] By 2003, Black IPAs were beginning to gather pace from breweries based in the Pacific north-west with the likes of Skull Splitter (9.2%) – Rogue Ales and Skookum Cascadian Dark (7.3%) – Phillips Brewing coming on the scene, these were later joined by the likes of Self-Righteous Black IPA (8.7%) - Stones and James (7.2%) – Hill Farmstead which were hugely influential for the emerging movement as it took hold in the US.[5] By the end of the noughties this style had become very popular especially in the west-coast, Em Saunter states “Black IPAs had a huge moment in 2010 when they became very popular, especially on the west coast of America where hops are grown. Many large breweries had commercially made black IPAs and it was in demand.”[6] At the Great American Beer Festival 2010, the Brewers Association officially recognised Black IPA as a legitimate beer style, and 53 entries appeared at the festival that year.

 

Meanwhile over on home-soil, Black Mass (6.66%) – Abbeydale which was first released in 1996, was effectively the very first Black IPA developed in the UK, despite it not being labelled at the time. Heavily hopped, with a predominant use of Cascade, along with Columbus, Galaxy and Green Bullet. This was complemented by a six-malt base, gathering notes of bitter chocolate, fruitcake, coffee and raisins making it a beast of a beer as notably described; yet at the time the notion of a heavily hopped dark ale was seen as a one-off curiosity and was quietly put aside. While the likes of Black IPAs were increasingly becoming predominant in the US during the noughties, it was largely ignored in the UK. One of the few outliers in the wilderness during this time was Black Ice (4.1%) by Titanic in 2006, a hop-forward dark ale brewed with Cascade and Herkules, with strong citrus notes from the hops cutting through the initial dry notes, a hoppy finish helps round it off along with subtle hints of chocolate. The beer was initially developed as a winter seasonal, before being bottled and sold all year round, yet at the time it was labelled as a Mild due to the lack of awareness for Black IPA at the time.  Just as its appeal was peaking in the US around 2010, Jonny Garrett notes that the increase in popularity for Black IPA in the UK was facilitated by the ascent of the craft beer movement, noting “some of the country’s early leading lights—BrewDog, The Kernel, Beavertown Brewery, Magic Rock Brewing, Buxton Brewery—all had one in their core range, or at least brewed regular Black IPA seasonals. To British breweries opening in the early 2010s, having a Black IPA was proof that you were taking this “craft” thing seriously.” [7] This new generation of brewers took interest in the buzz that was taking place across the pond, and were keen to have a slice of the pie. Soon as a result, during the early 2010’s the rate of Black IPAs produced in the UK gradually increased as brewers flocked to take advantage of this veritable gold rush of innovation. Thornbridge was an early proponent of Black IPA in the UK, launched in 2005, the brewery initially focussed on developing cask beers that utilized traditional recipes, but with a modern twist through the innovative use of hops and malts. Gradually they took influence from popular international beer styles like the emerging Black IPAs in the US, and in 2009 they released Raven (6.6%)[8], that featured a combination of American and New Zealand hops including Centennial and Nelson Sauvin, that gives its piney, fruity character, along with Sorachi Ace that adds aromas of cocoanuts and citrus fruit. Louis Gunz described it at the time “Raven is a massively hopped Black IPA. It pours black as night, has a beautiful intense aroma of pine and sweet roasted malt, citrus and blackcurrants. Flavours are a complex combination of bitter chocolate with pineapple and orange preceding a long bitter finish.”[9] Since it was first launched Raven has become hugely successful, winning a raft of awards and becoming one of Thornbridge’s most noteworthy products. The subsequent success of Raven effectively led the charge for the emergence of Black IPAs in the UK, and as the new decade dawned, Black IPA would soon take the UK brewing industry by storm.

 

2011 proved to be a fruitful year for Black IPAs, on 9^th January, Kernel launched their Black IPA (6.3%) at the Rake Bar, London; members of the London Brewery Alliance[10] were invited to the launch. Meanwhile, St. Austell developed Proper Black (6%), an alternative version of the brewery’s flagship product Proper Job (5.5%). The beer used a multitude of hops, including Brewer’s Gold, Chinook, Centennial and Cascade, Beer Today described it as “black with the faintest hint of red and a thick, foaming tan head. The aroma is piney hops, with a little chocolate malt in the background. On the palate, there’s resinous, grassy hop notes dominating an edge of cocoa and bitter coffee. A great example of the black IPA style.”[11] It would subsequently go onto becoming a popular product for the brewery, appearing in their regular range for the next several years. Likewise, the same year, Moor Beer Co. released Illusion (4.5%) a session Black IPA, Bristol Beer Factory debuted India Ink (6.5%), in May, Buxton showcased their newly released Black Rocks (5.5%) at the Stockport Beer Festival, Brodies produced Dalston Black (7%). one of the first bottled conditioned Black IPAs which Matt Curtis summed up “the malts in the beer are never overpowering and the notes of coffee I often get with this style that I would normally associate with a great stout are very muted but provide a study scaffold for the resinous, zesty flavour.”[12] Meanwhile, the newly launched Windsor & Eton brewery released Conqueror (5%), described as a rich and complex ale brewed with five different malts, along with Summit and Cascade hops, to produce and potent combination of roasted flavours balanced with a pine-hop aroma. Simon Martin from Real Ale Craft Beer proclaimed “it’s a good bittered beer, grapefruit, orange zest going on in the beer too, and then right at the end, when you’re just about to think where’s the chocolate malt, it kicks in right at the end, very subtlety.”[13] It would subsequently go on to be sold in bottle and cask as a part of their regular range, becoming one of their most popular products, and inspiring a number of spin-offs.[14] As the year came to an end, Brewsters joined the fray with Cruella (4.8%), sold as part of the brewery’s Wicked Women range of limited release beers; described as a dramatic beer, it was developed in tribute to the foremost villain of 101 Dalmatians. In December, Magic Rock released Magic 8 Ball (7%) that fused speciality malts with new world hops to create a tropical punchbowl of flavours and aromas, it was subsequently sold in cask, keg and bottles. As 2012 dawned, Stewart Brewing produced Black IPA (5%), initially developed for a beer challenge the beer soon became widely popular, even winning Silver at the 2012 International Beer Challenge, which prompted the brewery to put it on regular release, the following month Kent Brewery introduced their first Black IPA Engima (5.5%). Meanwhile, in March, Brewdog debuted their Libertine Black Ale (7.2%), which was marketed as a voluptuous beast of a beer noted for its hop flavours and complex malt profile, whilst Buxton released Imperial Black (7.5%), one of the first Imperial Black IPAs, it was described on its labels as a game changing beer with abundant fresh hop aromas of zesty citrus pulp and forest fruits, complemented by a roasted malt base. And Otley went in for the pun with Oxymoron (5.5%), noted for using German Carafa malt and 5 different hops, with dry hopping for added flavour. Boak and Bailey were left perplexed, noting at the time, “we detected an alluring hint of smokiness and a clanging grapefruit acid note. Much as we enjoyed it, we’re not sure the effect was deliberate, or that it is really an IPA in any meaningful sense.”[15] Later that year, Salopian produced their first Black IPA, Vertigo (7.2%) bottled conditioned in 330ml bottles it was described as full bodied with chocolaty orange notes and aromas reminiscent of green hops,  moreover Conwy planted the flag for Wales with Riptide (4.6%), brewed with US hops including Columbus, Cascade and Mosaic, it was effectively a tribute to the hoppy aromas of the American IPA, this beer was later retailed in cask and bottle as part of their regular range, becoming one of the most widely sold Black IPAs in Wales.  North of the border, Fyne Ales debuted Sanda Black (5.5%), named after the Sanda lighthouse, located off the southern tip of the Mull of Kintyre in southwestern Scotland. It was developed as a cask special, as part of their IPA project exploring malt and hop combinations on different styles of hop-forward beers. It was brewed with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops, along with five types of malt, including Maris Otter, Wheat, Crystal Malt, Carafa Special 3 and Black Malt; the Ormskirk Baron described it as having “bold flavours with aromas of passion fruit and gooseberry burst onto your taste buds before being balanced by roasted chocolate smoothness.”[16] Meanwhile, the recently launched Beavertown Brewery hopped onto the Black IPA bandwagon with Black Betty (7.3%), developed as a homage to penny Sweet Shops, reminiscent of black jacks and fruit salads, the brewery described it as having “tropical fruit flavours offset with liquorice and chocolatey malts, not for the faint hearted.”[17] It gathered a mixed response, Boak and Bailey noted “complex and interesting, then, and exhibiting a distinctive brewery character. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but beers that aren’t to everyone’s taste are what we’d like to see more of,”[15] while Patrick O’ Connor was more favourable “Black Betty is a mouth filling full-bodied brew. This beer is loaded with a wide range of flavours; dark chocolate, caramel and roasted malt leading into some tropical flavours. All topped off with loads of malt.”[18] In the space of two years, a number of breweries across the UK produced a multitude of Black IPAs, this sudden growth in popularity was due to the craft beer boom, where consumers favoured more artisanal produced products over mass-market brands. Yet, the very thing that facilitated it success would soon prove its undoing. 

 List of Refernces 

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[1] Garrett Oliver, The Oxford Companion to Beer definition of dark ale, Craft Beer & Brewing

[2] Nick Carr, Black IPA: The Oxymoron in the Bitter World of Beer, Kegerator, 13^th March 2018

[3] Ron Pattison has uncovered some fascinating early examples of hop-forward stouts, in 1921, Barclay Perkins released Irish Stout (4.3%) that used Goldings and dry hopped Cluster hops, likewise with their Imperial Stout (5.4%) released the same year. Later in 1928, their Export Stout (7.4%) used additional dry hopping in the brew.

[4] Jermey Furzy, The Birth and Rise of the Black IPA, Medium, 15^th April 2015

[5] Around this time, it became hotly debated whether to label this style Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale, Nick Carr adds “Cascadian is a reference to the heavy use of hops from the Northwest region in the style. It is also in this region where many of the early examples were brewed.” CDA’s tend to be brewed with the likes of Amarillo, Centennial, Chinook and Cascade hops which are sourced from these regions, and feature notable hop-forward characteristics and a lower emphasis on roasted malt flavours, yet others have argued there is effectively little difference in flavour between Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale, and they have effectively cohabited each other.

[6] Em Saunter, Beer Style Guide: Get to Know Black IPA with Em Sauter, The Alcohol Professor, 25^th April 2023

[7] Jonny Garrett, Darkest Before the Dawn — The Unlikely Return of Black IPA, Good Beer Hunting, 6^th April 2021

[8] Later renamed Wild Raven.

[9] Louis Gunz, Raven Black IPA, Louis Gunz Beer Inc.

[10] Founder and head brewer of Kernel, Evan O’Riordan was also a member of the London Brewery Alliance.

[11] Beer Today: St. Austell Brewery

[12] Matt Curtis, Tasting Notes - Brodie's Dalston Black IPA, Tasting Ales, 26^th February 2012

[13] Simon Martin, Windsor And Eton Conqueror Black IPA By Windsor and Eton Brewery | Craft Beer Review, Real Ale Craft Beer, 24^th April 2011

[14] Alternative versions have also been released, including the extra strength Conqueror 1075 (7.3%) and rare versions including Irish Conqueror (5.8%) brewed with Irish Whiskey added to the cask, double dry-hopped Conqueror (5%), Ginger Conqueror (5%), and the festival special Caribbean Conqueror (5.8%) brewed with Rum added to the cask, brewed especially for the Hope Extreme beer festival in 2012.

[15] Jessica Boak, Ray Bailay, Tasting: Black Ales and IPAs, Boak and Bailey, 3^rd July 2014

[16] Looking forward to baron rating these EBBC13 ales, The Ormskirk Baron, 27^th April 2013

[17] They're Back: 8 Ball, Smog Rocket & Black Betty, Beavertown Brewery

[18] Patrick O’Connor, Bevvy of the Week: Beavertown – Black Betty, The Life of Stuff, 11^th March 2017