Odell's - Mountain Standard Double Black IPA

Odell's Brewery was founded back in 1989 in an old converted grain elevator in Fort Collins, CO.  They were just the 2nd microbrewery to open in Colorado....which means they were among the first innovators to start the mega-wave of craft breweries that have started up in the state over the last decade.  Odell's only recently began distributing their beer in MN, so over the last year I've tasted many of their beers and become a firm believer in their ability to brew deliciousness.  I don't have a lot of experience with Black IPAs, but....if it's hoppy enough, there's a very good chance I'll like it, so I'm going to give this Mountain Standard Black IPA a try. 

This brew comes in a nice looking dark bottle with a little description of the brew on the label (pictured below).  The cork pops with a small wallop, doesn't rocket off like those weaponized bottles of champagne.  I'm pouring into a pint glass - the beer pours a dark brown/black and immediately billows turbo-charged tan colored head.  The head is a meringue texture, very sticky and it doesn't want to receed.  Once it finally does, it hangs around in small chunks that never really go away.

The nose is full of pine, grapefruit, and a bit of roasty dark chocolate - not overwhelming or fumey like some IPA's, probably because the roasted malts help to mellow it down.  The first taste is full of piney, bitter hops right away, followed by a roasted character that is intriguing.  The malt profile almost reminds me of a Schwarzbier - roasty/bready and also much lighter than a porter/stout.   It really plays well with the hop profile, which is not in the 'Hop Bomb' category, but a nice sturdy american hop profile.  There is a tiny singe of alcohol on the tail end of the drink, but nothing indicates this is 9.5% ABV.  The body of this brew is medium, with a relatively heavy amount of carbonation and a nice crispyness. 

Overall Rating (4.9 out of 6.0)  I really enjoyed this brew - I was happy to get both hops and roasted malts in the same drink.  The beer has already disappeared, and I hardly even realized it....yes this is incredibly drinkable.  And by the way, don't drink one of these if you need to drive anywhere.  It's a sneaky ninja alcohol hammer!