Aroma and Appearance: Nocturnum pours a ruby brown colour with fast rising bubbles that lead up to 3 fingers of tan foam. The aroma is fruity nectarines, grapefruit, caramel sweetness and some sugary dried plums giving off an interesting malt profile.

Flavour: Malt balls, plums and rye bread upfront, it moves into chocolate and orange rind citrus in the middle which is quickly followed by grilled grapefruit and a lingering pine bitterness.

Overall Impression: Dark IPA’s are a bit of an enigma, sometimes the roasted malts are a huge hit with the fruity hops and bitterness, sometimes they are a total buzz kill. This one is more in the middle, leaning towards a hit though as while a few flavours fought with each other initially, it balanced out into something that has high potential. I also finished this growler in once sitting, which is always a good sign of a decent beer.

Rating: Very good at 7/10, worth a try once the cans come out if you can’t make the brewery.

Food Pairing: Dark IPA’s need something meaty, but an interesting option would be a grilled up portobello mushroom with melted farmers cheese on it and some mushroom gravy.

Look for their canned product any day now…