Dark, Bitter, and Misunderstood: Why You Should Be Drinking Black IPA
My favorite Black IPAs
According to beer app Untappd, I have checked in almost 100 Black IPAs. I’m a lazy Untappd user, so the number is probably higher. I was curious to see if my taste had changed over the last 10 years and to see what I had rated as the best one. It turns out to be Bastet by Walhalla Brewery in Amsterdam, which is the only one I gave 5 stars. Hard to say if it’s the best Black IPA I have ever had, but I certainly thought so in the moment I was drinking it. Possibly influenced also by some emotion over Bastet Brewery in Tampa, FL, closing in 2024, but without a doubt Walhalla’s beers are top-notch. Over the years I have consistently been drinking this style and immensely enjoying it.
The first one I drank (according to my Untappd account, obviously I have no memory of this, I can barely remember what I did last weekend) was Jolly Roger Raven Bone Hill and gave it four stars. I had only discovered craft beer a year before, so safe to say I fell in love with this style pretty quickly as opposed to Belgian sour beer that took me over 2 years to learn to appreciate (and now I can’t get enough of!). The first one I consciously remember drinking was ‘Dunkle Materie’ by Austrian brewery Brew Age in 2018, at the time one of my favorite breweries. More recent memorable excellent versions were Wild Raven by Thornbridge (England) and Juju by Coypu (Poland). My favorite Rotterdam Black IPAs have unfortunately been discontinued from the core range, but will hopefully come back as limited editions now and then: Bionic Blacksmith by Jelster and Kaapse Bea by Kaapse Brouwers.
I distinctly remember being blown away by the Midnight Moustache in 2019, a black rye NEIPA brewed by De Bebaarde Brouwer, now the head brewer at Kaapse Brouwers in Rotterdam. Ignoring my own Untappd ratings, which are basically snapshots, I would say this is probably my all time favorite.
Most Dutch breweries make a seasonal or limited edition Black IPA, like VandeStreek, Rock City, Walhalla, Jopen, Baxbier and many others. One of the few core range versions is Inktvis by De Kromme Haring, which they describe as “a refreshing and drinkable dark beer in which the abundant fruity aromas are enriched with a touch of roast. A bit like throwing in a little bit of dark chocolate in your fruit salad. Don’t be scared – just jump in!”
If you enjoy Black IPA beers, please help to spread the word. Ask for it at your local brewery or taproom, give them some love at beer festivals, and give them a shout out on social media with #ilikemybeeronthedarkside or #iloveblackipa.
