Back Road Oak Aged Black IPA

Brewed by Back Road Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
LaPorte, Indiana USA

Date: 03/07/2008
Mode: Growler
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: black, big tan head, lots of drippy lace,
Aroma: sweet oak aroma with a touch of roasted malt and sweet citrus,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: big oak flavor balanced with lots of citrus hops, bitterness rises out of the oak, chocolate and roasted crawls out from beneath the oak to add complexity,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Hand-bottled from a growler thanks to BBB63: Pours a nearly opaque dark mahogany with a spotty-lacing white head. Complex aroma of fresh woody oak and a touch of grapefruity hops and lightly sweet dark malts. Body starts fairly full with a decent malty sweetness and a good amount of fresh oak and bittering hops before a peppery, drier, slightly earth finish. A unique and enjoyable India Dark Ale (IDA).

Rerate: The oak is slowly coming around more on the finish of the beer, the combination of wood, charred malt and piney is a beautiful thing.

Tap at brewery: Nearly opaque with a frothy head and good lace. The aroma has notes of nice pine and grapefruit, prune, charred and chocolate malt, and a hint of fresh oak. The taste starts with a layer of balanced chocolate and bready malts working with a sharp hop bitterness supported by a light amount of citric fruit. You get a touch of oak wood, charred malt and light hop spice upon the finish. The mouth feel is lively and crisp with a dry finish. The wood seemed to bring out the hop profile even more than in the regular version. MIKEY LIKEY! Good job

Thanks go to Mike for the hand-bottle! Poured quite deep brown with a creamy, thick cap of yellowy-beige head and thorough lacing as it descended. The aroma picked up sweet floral and toasted nutty notes upfront, with lingering oak and medium-skinned fruits beneath.. the oak was even more present with warmth, and provided a fine platform for supporting this one. The flavor was chock fulla toasty oak all the way through.. caramel and mild grapefruit pair with a bit of chocolate and lots of pine bitterness across the middle.. bitterness was quite high by the end, and the sweet chocolate-y and piney finish was very enjoyable. Medium-plus bodied, and it left a lot of piney bitterness and toasted oak sourness on the finish.. well-balanced and very solid all-around!

Appearance: Pours an opaque black body capped by a small, khaki-colored head. Smell: What an oaken odor! Wood, fresh lumber, ground up saplings, some soil, even the birds once living in those majestic oak trees. Taste: Black malt with a touch of creosote. The oak flavor is definitely at the forefront from beginning to end. Sharp bitterness. Finishes still quite wooden, with a touch of smoke. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A very well crafted oak-aged beer.

growler from BBB63. Black pour. tan head. Big aromas of fresh lumber. Hints of red grapefruit zest. Flavors of spearmint, chocolate. Finishes with a big wood, bitter hoppiness. Thanks Mike!

12 oz. hand bottle courtesy of a trade with BBB63, thanks Mike! Pours a virtually opaque black with a moderate light brown head with dense froth and ample lacing. The aroma is surprisingly light for such a dark beer with notes of pine, grapefuit and lightly roasted malt. Not so with the flavor - lightly roasted malt up front with some very soft wood flavors and then bam!!! - the hops kick in. Just the right amount of hops bitterness that lingers well beyond the swallow. There is also a very subtle coffee and roasted malt flavor that rises ever so slightly at the finish as well. This is really a unique beer and very well done. Kudos to the brewer on this one and my thanks to Mike for sending me this gem.

22 ounce hand bottle from Mike and Chuck. Pours dark black, but not totally opaque. Very nice light brown head. Lasting with great lace. The slightest amount of tannic wood actually seems to help define the grapefruity/piney hops. The roast malt still seems to nudge its way in to the picture as well. Damn this beer tastes great. The oak character, while we’ve all tasted it before, seems to be a bit different here. Mellow. I’m wondering about the barrel, and how long ther beer wan actually in it. New oak? I don’t taste an spirits. Oh yeah, very pleasant burnt malts and spicey hops are there too. And do a damn fine job. Medium body. Soft mouthfeel. Medium carbonation. Woody dry finish. Really a fantastic beer. Its a damn shame more people will not have the chance to try this. Hopefully Mike scored a growler and try to bring to DLD. It think it will be a hit. Either that or it will mark Mike and me as total homers!