Phillips Brewing – Puzzler Belgian Black IPA: Brewed in Victoria, BC at a strength of 7.3% this Belgian Black IPA poured with some massive amounts of foam and took about 5 minutes to calm down before I could fill the glass. That always irks me a bit, but it wasn’t to the point where it was spewing out of the bottle so I was able to tolerate it.
Aroma and Appearance: The colour is dark brown with boat loads of foam, yet no visible carbonation in the glass. Its aroma consists of well toasted bread, dark coloured plums and a hint of burnt marshmallow.
Flavour: It starts with a bit of a floral hop note followed by earthy malts, some nuts, toasted bread and smoke with a fairly dry finish.
Overall Impression: A bit nuttier and earthier than most black IPA’s I have had so far and honestly that was a nice addition to the flavour profile.
Rating: I thought it was excellent 8/10 even with the foam issues.
Food Pairing: A good smokey pulled pork would go well with this.
West Coast Beer Geek 