Blackstone IPA

Brewed by Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Nashville, Tennessee USA

I am very surprised by the low ratings. My opinion is not homerism here. This is a damn fine beer. Pours clear orange amber with a white head. Aroma of floral and citrus hops. Medium bodied with average carbonations. Malty backbone which is sort of American meets British, countered by a nicely balanced but firm American bitterness. I would describe this as a maltier Sierra Nevada Celebration. Good stuff. These other raters are on crack.

A very unique brew. On draft at International Beergarten in Lutz, FL. Dark black but genuinely hoppy, though not overpowering. A touch of malt and barley.

16 oz on tap at the brewpub. Poured a pretty clear amber color with a one finger off white head that quickly dissipated into a thin layer of bubbles on the perimeter of the glass. Provide quite a bit of lacing. Aroma was very much citrus, with orange, lemon notes present, but primarily grapefruit. Note much of the malt was present in the nose. The flavor was very well balanced, with a solid caramel base and a solid citrus finish. The bitterness only lingered for a few seconds. The body was clean and enjoyable, with a slick, sticky mouthfeel from the hops. The carbonation was solid. Very enjoyable. Wish they’d make this a regular.

on tap-pours a thin retaining off white head with trailing lace and copper color. Aroma is citrus-grapefruit/pine hops with some bitterness (cascade+), secondary medium malt-caramel. Taste is citrus-grapefruit/pine hops with some bitterness (cascade+), secondary medium malt-caramel. Good carbonation.

[March 18, 2009]
One day old growler. Pours copper with a white head. Wow, excellent PNW hops going on in the aroma. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot, but this hits the spot. It’s sharp, piney, and grapefruity. The flavor is very clean with just the right amount of sweetness. Pine and clean citrus are in the flavor. . the hops seem green with a pronounced herbal sharpness. I was very pleasantly surprised with this adept, hoppy, and rich IPA from a TN brewer.

Hoppy and delicious. They gave it a 50 on the IBU scale. It was definitely and IPA, but not too bitter or dry in the finish which appealed to me.

Date: November 08, 2008
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: hazy orange, frothy off white head, thick lace
Aroma: sweet citrus aroma, definitive grapefruit
Body: creamy body
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor, lots of citrus hops, light balancing bitterness stays out of the way of the hop flavor
Overall: sweet liquid hops
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Growler shared by NachlamSie. Pours copper with small off white head. The aroma is fresh grapefruit, light caramel, tangerine, and lemon. The flavor is clean, crisp grapefruity hops with a little bit of minty character. Some light toast and mild caramel lie beneath the hops. Very fresh tasting all around. Quite good, I thought.