Blue Pants Brewery Tuxedo Black India Pale Ale. Madison, Alabama. "Pairs well with a bow tie," they say. Their slogan: "unreasonably good beer." If it's a joke, I'm not sure I get it, but they're trying to be clever, so, points for that.
Let's open 'er up and try 'er out.
Whoa, incredible carbonation! I had to pour very slowly once it starts coming into the glass in full force. I have to wait for the immense volume of foam to die down in order to get some actual beer in the glass, for the purposes of the photograph.
Enormous full-flowering of cream-colored, lacy, prodigious foam. Dark brown, nearly black coloration.
Aroma: mild grassy hop aromatics float just above rich dark malt flavors. Mocha notes, rum, molasses, all kept in check with hops. Nice balance.
Taste: A return on the tongue of the flavors listed above. Tasty array of dark malts, some cocoa, matched with grassy, piney hop flavors coasting above. The carbonation, however is still not for me. Too much gushes out on each pour, before the liquid emerges, and there's a bit more rushing on the palate for my taste.
Aside from that, again, I have to acknowledge and compliment the fine balancing act, everything is well-integrated, nothing stands out too much.
On the other hand, nothing quite stands out enough to make it really excellent. It would be nice to see what else they can do, out there in Madison, AL.
What do they say on the label? "Tuxedo Black IPA is a celebration of the invention of the Cascadian Dark Ale style. It's got a smooth, mellow roastiness that pairs perfectly with all manner of Northwest American hops. Our Black is not over the top, but balanced, allowing those who go crazy for hops and those who just like a good dark beer alike to enjoy in an unreasonably good experience."
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