Slipstream Black IPA

Total Score: 8.25/10

Again those marketing peeps at Slipstream must be getting paid peanuts for their name ideas, here is: Slipstream Black IPA. I am loving the rebranding on the can though – bold colours, dark blue and pastels with a contrasting peachy pink of the new logo (which is well-designed) and a metallic bronze label. Plus there’s some “Wind Tunnel Series” thing on the label, apparently this 7.5% ABV Black IPA is limited release, and after a winter of brilliant Modus re-releases of their Black IPAs (which I’m pretty sure I reviewed last year in the grip of Modus-mania) this Slipstream brew is up against some stiff competition. TBH I’m not sure if Slipstream is even on the same planet as Modus, however let’s not write them off just yet – that’s what my review is for [wow, that came out harsher than I meant it to].

Poured from a 375ml can into a Duvel tulip.

A: Deep almost opaque cola-coloured body with a billowy tan head-that-wont-quit (but when it does it leaves some beautiful chunky lace rings inside the glass). So far this is Slipstream’s best looking beer to date, and I for one can’t wait to tuck in. 9/10.

S: Aroma is also bang on the money with a piney/earthy/grassy hop character up front, an almost meaty (savoury) bit of char, like a touch of bacon in the brew, with a lingering hint of chocolate in the background. Pretty smashing aroma right here, nevertheless if it was amped up just a bit more it might have beat Modus at their own game. 9/10.

T: Flavour is… *trails off* It’s alright, but where did my 7.5% Black IPA go? I mean the flavours are there: piney/earthy/grassy hops, bacon, dark chocolate – but it’s not nearly as big as the aroma or ABV would suggest. Then there’s the matter of hiding the 7.5% ABV, they struggled a little with this – there’s a definite neutral grain spirit note in the finish, like someone snuck in a bit of booze. It’s not in your face, but without a BIG malt/hop kick like Modus’s limited release Black IPAs there’s nowhere to hide anything. Still that savoury bacon character is delicious in a Black IPA, and overall the flavour is pretty damn tasty. 8/10.

M: Medium towards heavy bodied with a slightly prickly carbonation. 8/10.

D: My favourite Slipstream beer so far, not without faults, plus that booze comes through a bit more as the glass goes down, but it’s a decent effort to be putting up a beer this good and Slipstream have done well here. 8/10.

Food match: Something with bacon… waffles.

Black Hops Beetlejuice Black NEIPA

Total Score: 8/10

What the??? I had a can of Beetlejuice Black NEIPA sitting in the back of my fridge and I haven’t cracked it yet – such a travesty is not befitting a craft beer aficionado of my caliber! “By “caliber,” of course, I refer to both the size of their gun barrels and the high quality of their characters… two meanings… caliber… it’s a homonym… Forget it.” [Dr. Evil FYI]. According to the Black Hop rep this is the worlds first Black NEIPA – first brewed in 2017… I somehow find that hard to believe, because, you know: America – that really big country that has 6,000-odd craft breweries that is constantly inventing then re-inventing new beer styles, it’s difficult to conceive that no one had thought of doing a Black NEIPA [“then again Doc, it isn’t inconceivable that Black Hops came up with something new” – the counter argument].

Poured from a 375ml can into a Duvel tulip.

A: Yep, she’s black alright – like some sweet obsidian slumber Beetlejuice forms a delightful murky soup inside my tulip glass. Head is tan, yet it doesn’t stay for long, retreating to leave whispers of lace-work. 8/10.

S: Punchy tropical fruit character with lychee, overripe jack-fruit and paw paw, hint of grain and roasted coffee provide a nice earthy tone that tries to balance the tropical fruit, without a great deal of luck – that tropical character lays down an iron monkeys fist, a challenge to duel with our senses. TL;DR: It’s good, overly hoppy – if that’s your thing [it is my thing, so I’m pretty chuffed]. 9/10.

T: Bit of a pendulum swing back towards malt – with those tropical hops taking a backseat (the lychee, jack-fruit and paw paw noted above) to the roasted malt, which gives an earthy/nutty/forest floor character overall. Finish is mildly bitter, as a good NEIPA should be, with dry notes and grassy hops coming through right at the end. Flavour profile is decent, however – as with several Black Hops IPAs – lacking punch due to being on the lower ABV side @ 6% ABV. 8/10.

M: Medium bodied with a creamy/dense carbonation… yep pretty spot-on given the style/ABV. 8/10.

D: Feels like a bit of a missed opportunity from Black Hops – if only they had knocked it up a notch with the flavour/ABV, then they would have been on to a winner winner chicken dinner. TBH I suspect that Beetlejuice is using the same base beer as G.O.A.T. Both have a similar hop profile/ABV/are overly dry – yep it’s hard not to think G.O.A.T. and Beetlejuice aren’t in cahoots here. 7/10.

Food match: Damn I really feel like a chicken dinner now 😐