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 13th 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 23rd, 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 26th 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.
[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.
[5] Simon Martin, Black Mountain
Black IPA By Brains Craft Brewery & The Craft Beer Channel, Real Ale Craft
Beer, 23rd January 2014
[11] Simon Martin, Vocation
Brewery Divide & Conquer Black IPA | Yorkshire Craft Beer Review, Real Ale
Craft Beer, 26th January 2016
[14] Jonny
Garrett, Darkest Before the Dawn — The Unlikely Return of Black IPA, Good Beer
Hunting, 6th April 2021
[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, 18th November 2024
[20] Outland
embraces the dark side with the launch of Black IPA, The British Guild of Beer
Writers, 21st October 2024
[21]
The brewery has also sold cans of their Outland beers at various music
festivals.
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