Sisyphus Black Ale

I don't know if you've heard, but winter is terrible here in Minnesota. The sub-zero temperatures turn me into something of a hibernating hermit. Even on my days off, I contemplate the time involved in waiting outside for a bus, the connecting bus, the walk to and fro, and the same process involving the route home. Standing, freezing, shivering, the bitter wind whipping. It's more than I want to endure. The days go by and I spend my time with books and DVDs and bottles locally procured, and by local I mean a 5 block radius.

And so, it seems that I went about 2 months without visiting my friends at Sisyphus Brewing, regretting it every time. They're open Wednesday through Saturday, and I work all but one of those nights. Wednesdays, I usually ran errands and suffered the indignity of the bus, the horrible cold, and I'd get home with my groceries and swear not to return to that awful environment.

Last week, right up through Sunday, we were deep in the throes of winter, the chill and the wind and low temps. Monday, we were on the mend. Each day gets better and warmer, and spirits rise. The sun is shining, the snow goes away, the temps are higher and happiness reigns throughout the land. There were no more excuses. I'm back on the bike, and went to visit Sisyphus to pick up my second growler from them,. this time the Black Ale, one of their more common offerings.

Appearance: solid blackness, under a rich, cocoa-toned head, about a 1/4", lasting long, looking beautiful.

Aroma: grassy hop notes first, with citrus notes shining, too.
Bright and glorious, but soon swallowed up by dark malt flavors.

Taste: Hop bitterness never leaves, never flags, stays strong on the palate. Some espresso, some anise, a little molasses. Too delicious. Full-bodies, long, malty/hoppy finish, intensely flavorful. Just delicious. Well, not just. There's more. Wait, more? What more do you want? Rich, intense, satisfying, deep, and, yeah, delicious. Again, what more do you want?

So, that's my question, and I think to myself, "that covers it." There's chocolate and hints of coffee in the flavor, richness in the malt, an unending hop bitterness attack, just about everything you want in a "black ale."

"Just about"? What else do you want? ….here we go again...