Back Road Oak Aged Black IPA

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

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.

Hand bottled by BBB63 who hooked me up w/this to try. First of all, this has a very weak smell. Hardley any aroma floating over the head. That is the only quality I didn’t like about this one. Poured pitch black with tan quarter inch bubbly head. Nice soothing oak bite with a refreshing piney finish. Hints of smoke throughout. Easy to drink, could knock back quite a few of these if given the chance. Would definately buy this if the opportunity arose. Solid, different, and interesting should be called the mystery beer. Thanks Mike

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

Sample Hotshots Feb Indy tasting from a BBB63 growler - Aroma is roasted dark malts, oak, fresh pine hops and a touch of smoke. Pours black with a small head and no lacing. Flavor is resiny hops, strong oak tannins and roasted malts followed by a slap of citrus hops. Palate is tart and dry. Interesting, different, very tasty and something I wish I could get locally.

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!

22 oz hand bomber from BBB63. Pours a cola black with a red tint and a medium sized creamy beige head. Nice lacing. Aroma of roasted malt, tar, pine and faint grapefruit. Very unique taste of roasted malt mixed in with wood chips, pine needles and a hint of grapefruit. This is quite enjoyable tasting all of these different flavors in a brew. Very nice. Thanks Mike for allowing me to try such a oddity.

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).